Tom Bohlman, managing partner of Lexus in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, says installing solar/LED lighting for the two dealerships’ outdoor lots has brought big savings and improved the customers’ experience. Bohlman installed solar/LED lighting units from Visible Light Technologies that generate electricity using solar photovoltaic collectors, then send the current to low-power LED (light-emitting diode) lamps instead of power-hungry traditional HID lights.
 
“When we initially installed a test pole, the Visible Light Solar technicians measured the power savings and it was about 82% more efficient, right out of the box,” says Bohlman. “If you have a $1,000 light bill, that means you’re saving $880, and I can tell you my average bill is much higher than that.”
 
Additional savings come from state and federal solar tax credits as well as a Power of New Mexico high-efficiency lamp replacement credit of 6¢ per kilowatt hour. Visible Light Solar says the company’s LED lights typically cut energy use by about 65 percent; adding solar PV collectors saves another 20 percent or more.
 
The LED lights last 5-10 years, eliminating the need to replace regular bulbs – which, at Bohlman’s Albuquerque Lexus dealership, was costing about $3,800 annually. Bohlman initially retrofitted all of the outdoor lighting at his Santa Fe dealership’s display lot and will soon be installing Vector lighting units at the company’s Albuquerque dealership. He notes that the Albuquerque retrofit went quickly because the LED units are designed as drop-in replacements for the existing hardware – so no new poles, housings or reflectors are needed. Bohlman says he expects to recover his costs for the retrofit in about 14 months.
 
Bohlman says a special advantage of using LED lamps for auto dealerships is the quality of the light. “Many of our customers come and view our inventory in the evening, and with Visible Light Technologies they see the true colors, hues, and tints in our automobiles – it’s very similar to what they would see in daylight.”
 
Key benefits of Visible Light Solar Solutions for Lexus:

• 82% reduction of energy usage with an ROI of less than 14 months.
• 6 cents per kilowatt energy credit from Power of New Mexico (PNM) as well as additional State and Federal tax credits
• LED white light provides truecolor illumination of car inventory at night for superior customer experience and enhanced security.