With more than 40,000 parking spaces to light Cox Enterprises, owner of Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction, the world’s largest auto auction carries a sizable electric load. The lot achieved 50% outdoor lighting energy savings through a retrofit of outdoor lighting—totaling 1.8 million kWh in annual savings over the 13.5 million square foot facility.
“It’s hard for a car dealership to be green,” says General Manager Jay Frank at Larry H. Miller Volkswagen in Lakewood, Colorado. “We keep the lights on inside and out almost all of the time but we knew we could be smarter about our energy use.” Frank had previously chosen compact fluorescent bulbs in his service lounge hoping to conserve energy but found the bulbs came with problems. He wasn’t happy with the light they emitted and says they burned out too often, so he was constantly replacing them, spending money he was trying to save.