Hudson, OH — The Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores headquarters in Hudson, Ohio, has installed high-efficiency LED series area lights in its 777,350-square-foot parking lot.
Hudson, OH — The Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores headquarters in Hudson, Ohio, has installed high-efficiency LED series area lights in its 777,350-square-foot parking lot. The project, which took about 4 weeks, is now the largest LED lighting system for parking lots or area lighting of its kind in the country.
The project included replacing 52 HID lighting systems across 35 poles with new environmentally friendly lights. Even though the new system generates less light overall than the previous HID lights, the advanced optics of the LED system direct light more efficiently. This creates a greater sense of security for not only Jo-Ann employees, but customers as well.
The new installation is expected to reduce Jo-Ann’s power use by 200,000 kWh hours every year. “We’re seeing an 80% lighting system energy savings compared with the previous high-intensity discharge units,” says Debbie Mansfield, Jo-Ann’s director of energy and facilities.
In addition to saving money on energy, the Jo-Ann stores will save money on maintenance costs since the LED lights have a 10-year span, which is four times greater than the standard HID.
Using an LED system for outdoor needs has also opened the doors to a vast potential new market. “The installed base of outdoor parking lots, areas and roadway lighting is almost unimaginable,” says Mike Armstrong, general manager of fixture systems for GE Lighting Solutions, which helped with Jo-Ann’s installation. “Outdoor lighting is considered the next frontier for the use of efficient long-life LED systems.”
This isn’t the first time Jo-Ann has implemented environmentally friendly practices. The current initiative comes on the heels a series of energy saving measures taken indoors at 592 Jo-Ann stores nationwide. The previous project involved replacing T12 linear fluorescent lamps with T8 lamps, and electromagnetic ballasts with electronic ones, which reduced energy consumption by 31.2 million kWh. The 592 Jo-Ann stores also saved 24.4 million kWh with an environmentally friendly management system to control store sign operations and temperatures.
Since Jo-Ann Stores was founded in 1943, it has received the LEED Partner of the Year Award as well as LEED Silver certification for its Round Rock, Texas, store. The Round Rock store uses LED systems for exterior signage, has high-efficiency air filters, utilizes dual-flush toilets and has low-flow sensor faucets. Many of these energy-efficient features will now be standard for future Jo-Ann stores.