A knowhow ™

CA S E ST U D Y

A new lighting installation at the Rugged Bear in Beverly, MA, has transformed the store’s imageand its wares. Previously, the densely displayedchildren’s clothing had little impact, particularlyin winter when darker colors are common. Butnow a refined, modern lighting system brightlyreveals textures in fabrics and flatters all colorsof merchandise.

The cleaner line of the ceiling improves thestore’s overall appearance and facilitates shop-ping. In addition, Rugged Bear franchise ownersTom and Linda Greenwood anticipate about$1000 a year in energy savings—effectivelyincreasing the store’s annual sales by 40 centsper square foot!

Image is everything in retail and it’s importantthat lighting not betray customer expectations.Though they don’t realize it consciously, cus-tomers expect a certain feeling when they visit a strip-mall clothing store: intermediate levels of

ambient lighting withsome accent lightingto create drama andcontrast. Such storescommonly offer fairprices and a helpfulsales staff.

The local utility,MassachusettsElectric, directed thehigh-quality lightingdesign as an exampleof quality lightingconcepts promotedby the DesignLights™

Consortium. In thenew design, well-shielded parabolic

troffers with T8 lamps and electronic ballastsreplace the old, flat-lens T12 fixtures. The newfixtures provide more light on the product,much better color rendition, and energy efficien-cy, and do so with less glare. Track lighting onthe perimeter wall was updated as well, to moreeffectively accent featured racks and wall displays.

Rugged Bear displays children’s clothing andaccessories on racks, shelving, and walls, andthe often-dark colors of the merchandise anddark green carpeting absorb lots of light.

PROBLEMS OVERCOME

Previously, the four-lamp T12 acrylic-lens troffersgenerated a lot of light, but dirt on the lenses anddegradation of the old fixtures resulted in poorefficiency and less light on the merchandise.

The glowing luminaire lenses exacerbated theoverall dingy feel of the lighting. Because theywere the brightest objects in view, they distract-ed customers’ focus away from the merchandise.

It’s extremely difficult to differentiate or matchdark colors, and under cool-white lamps (with a color rendering index of only 65 out of 100)it’s practically impossible. Bright red or yellowclothing, and warm-colored pastels, would oftenlook dull, very different from their appearanceunder daylight or incandescent lighting at home.Customers’ decision-making was actually ham-pered by the old lighting.

Finally, the original track light fixtures weresorely outdated. Incandescent R-lamps do notproduce light or focus light as efficiently as mod-ern halogen PAR-lamps. The 65W R30 incandes-cent flood lamp used in these fixtures is so inef-ficient that the federal government actually out-lawed its manufacture in 1995.

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demonstrating retail lighting knowhow™

RUGGED BEAR

The new trackheads provide the flexibility to accent different merchandise as displayschange seasonally.

The clean white light makes bright colors striking andis powerful enough to provide high contrast even ondark-colored fabrics.

COMBINING

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

AND QUALITY DESIGN

LIGHTING QUALITY

The Small Retail Lighting knowhow™ Seriesguide, developed by the DesignLights™

Consortium, outlines several criteria for energy-effective retail lighting. These are closelyfollowed at Rugged Bear. Ambient light sourcesdirect light downward and are shielded to createemphasis on the merchandise. Accent lighting is located at the perimeter, close to featured displays.

Most important, however, the lighting establish-es the proper image of an intermediate-scaleclothing retailer. Higher levels of light andimproved color rendering enhance the appear-ance of crowded merchandise, and encouragepurchases. The new lighting system provides allthese benefits at the lowest lifecycle cost becauseit saves energy.

QUALITY LIGHTING SOLUTION

The owners wanted to minimize disruption tothe store’s sales during replacement of the oldlighting. To avoid significant above-the-ceilingwork, a one-for-one fixture replacement strategywas adopted. An additional five light fixtureswere added in areas of the store where existingcolumns created shadows. A total of 53 three-lamp, 18-cell parabolic luminaires equippedwith low power ballasts are laid out on 8-foot by 8-foot centers. Good color rendering isachieved with the 85 CRI T8 fluorescent lamps.

Low-power ballasts under-drive lamps, so thelamps deliver less than their rated lumens.However energy savings are significant: 16 fewerwatts per three-lamp system. In addition, thisthree-lamp fixture qualifies for utility rebates,which was an important concern to the owners,who are contemplating a store expansion.

Shielding provided by the 3 inch-deep paraboliclouvers greatly improved the look of the space,creating a cleaner uncluttered ceiling. The low-brightness fixtures are unobtrusive, yet directlight downward onto the merchandise.

New 60W PAR 38 spotlights mounted on newtrack heads feature higher light output per wattof energy consumed. They operate at almost 50percent higher efficiency than the old incandes-cent lamps—and just as important to reducingmaintenance cost for the store, may last twice aslong as the foreign manufactured R-lampsstocked by the store.

The lighting punch delivered by current PAR38screates good visual contrast, making featureddisplays truly stand out. Advanced halogen tech-nology means whiter light with better color ren-dering qualities, plus longer life for reducedmaintenance.

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COMBINING

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

AND QUALITY DESIGN

Higher levels of light andimproved color renderingenhance the appearance of crowded merchandise,and encourage purchases.

The lighting punch delivered by today’s PAR38s creates goodvisual contrast, making featureddisplays truly stand out.

QUALITY INDICATORS RATING

ACCEPTABLE GOOD EXCELLENT

Color Rendering and Color Temperature ✓

Contrast / Highlight / Accent ✓

Control of Direct and Reflected Glare ✓

Image or Style ✓

Modeling of Objects / Shadows ✓

Visual Priority / Organizaton ✓

Quantity of Light on Horizontal Surfaces (fc) ✓

Aiming Flexibility of Accent Lighting ✓

Visual Interest Provided ✓

Use of Energy Efficient Technologies ✓

Uniformity of Light Distribution ✓

COMBINING

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

AND QUALITY DESIGN

demonstrating retail lighting knowhow™

IMPRESSIONS

The Greenwoods both expressed their approvalof the new lighting. More than anything else,they remarked upon the cleaner look of the parabolic troffers.

“It’s a much more contemporary look with an attractive appearance,” said LindaGreenwood. “Before, the plastic lenses were discolored and old looking. And we have a lotof outerwear in the back of our store now; itreally absorbs a lot of light. The new lighting is much fresher looking.”

Linda Greenwood could also see the obviousadvantages of improved color rendering in pre-senting merchandise to customers. “It’s more ofa daylight-type light. We have a lot of color toour children’s clothing and outerwear. The newlights give a truer picture of the color.”

The new trackheads provide the flexibility toaccent different merchandise as displays changeseasonally. The clean white light makes brightcolors striking and is powerful enough to pro-vide high contrast even on dark-colored fabrics.“They will definitely increase the appeal of walldisplays,” Linda Greenwood added.

The Greenwoods are so pleased with the aes-thetic improvement and energy savings of thisproject that they may soon relight their otherRugged Bear Franchises, in West Lebanon, NH,and South Portland, ME.

“They’ve done a great jobhere. We’re very happy. It’s more pleasant both for the customers and forsalespeople.”

Tom and Linda Greenwood,owners

AND NOW THE NUMBERS

Illumination throughout the store increasedapproximately 5 to 10 footcandles to reach 55to 80 footcandles. This level is higher than usu-ally recommended for this type of space, butbecause track lighting is limited to perimeterlocations, higher light levels will definitelyenhance visibility. Connected load was reducedfrom 3.95 watts per square foot down to 2.43,realizing significant energy savings.Massachusetts Electric predicts a reasonable“payback” for the investment in new lighting.

The new fixtures pro-vide more light on theproduct, much bettercolor rendition, andenergy efficiency, anddo so with less glare.

COSTS

Total fixtures and lamps $9,100Total installation labor $2,160Installed system cost $11,260Materials per square foot $3.40Installation labor per square foot $0.81Total cost per square foot $4.21

SAVINGS

Demand reduction 3.5 KWWatts saved per square foot 1.3 W/SFAnnual utility cost savings1 $9801Based on 3,120 hours per year usage and local utility rate of $0.09 per kilowatt-hour.

Prepared by Weller & Michal Architects Inc. with WV Engineering Associates PA. Technical writing by Lois I. Hutchinson. Photography by George Leisey. Graphic Design by Braden Printing, Inc.

Disclaimer: These studies are provided for information purposes only. Neither the Sponsoring Agents nor any of their employees or sub-contractors makesany warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any data, information,method, product or process disclosed in this document, or represents that its use will not infringe any privately owned rights, including, but not limited to,patents, trademarks or copyrights.

THE LIGHTING KNOWHOW™ SERIES

The DesignLights™ Consortium publishes the knowhow™ Series for office, small retail and classroom lighting. This demonstrating lighting knowhow™ Case Study highlights a specific installation of lighting thatshowcases quality, comfort and efficient use of energy. With members located throughout the Northeast, the DesignLights™ Consortium is “a regional collaboration seeking to influence naturally occurring lightingevents towards quality, comfort and efficiency.” The DLC includes among its members many New Englandelectric utilities as active participants, as well as several other interested stakeholders. The DLC created thesecase studies with the intention of helping contractors and lighting specialists sell and deliver the benefits ofhigh quality, energy efficient lighting to their customers in the commercial building market.

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COMBINING

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

AND QUALITY DESIGN

Utility: Massachusetts Electric CompanyUtility Representative: Marie Raphael

Customer: Tom and Linda GreenwoodFacility: Rugged Bear Clothing Store

Location: Beverly, MassachusettsSpace: Retail

Area: 2,700 square feetCeiling Height: 10 feetFixtures Used: Lithonia 2PM3N troffers with three 2950 lumen T8 Osram Sylvania lamps

and low-power electronic ballastLayout: 2 by 4 foot recessed troffers on 8 by 8 foot spacing

Accent Lighting: Halo gimbal ring for PAR38 Halogen spots (Osram/Sylvania’s 60W Capsylite)Light Levels Achieved: 70 footcandles average (horizontal)

Lighting Power Density: 2.43 Watts per square footLighting Specifier: Weller & Michal Architects Inc.

Installing Contractor: NORESCO

PROJECT SUMMARY

National Grid

• Massachusetts Electric • Narragansett Electric• Granite State Electric • Nantucket Electric

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Inc.

New York State Energy Research andDevelopment Authority

Northeast Utilities

• The Connecticut Light and Power Company • Western Massachusetts Electric CompanyNStar

• Boston Edison Company• Commonwealth Electric Company• Cambridge Electric Light Company

United Illuminating

Unitil

• Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company