The Pacific Building is a 3-story, 149,900-square-foot industrial building located at 3100 Pacific St. NE in the North Green Zone in Minneapolis owned by the Minneapolis Park Board, and managed by C. Chase Company. It is home to several unique businesses, including three large warehouse tenants.
The building’s lighting warranted some updating. Built in 1977, the building was updated in 1988, and lighting was last updated from T12 to T8 fluorescent lights in the late 2000s. When we assessed the building, lighting levels were low, especially in the main warehouses, operations areas, and common areas. Beyond the low lighting quality and the energy consumption and costs, sourcing the end-of-life bulbs and failing ballasts was becoming a challenge, with scarcity and rising costs, in addition to the operations and maintenance costs associated with upkeep. And, conducting select fixture replacements did not address the wider building needs.
Minify Energy conducted a consultation and assessment, including light readings, counts and options. We proposed providing a turnkey upgrade of the majority of existing fixtures retrofit with a new type B “ballast bypass” LED tube upgrade. This installation involved rewiring of the existing fixtures, removing the existing ballasts and installing self-ballasted LED tubes delivering brighter, cleaner, and more uniform lighting throughout for increased comfort and productivity.
Kyle Malkerson,Property Manager/Sales Associate for C. Chase Company, who manages the property and brought the project proposal to the park board, noted,
“We’re happy. We already saw about $1400 decrease in themonthly utility bill, which really helps in getting good per-square-foot margin. We like cutting costs and being energy efficient. And the tenants are really happy with it. It sets a better mood when they walk into a place that’s well lit and inviting, vs. dark with failed ballasts and buzzing lights. And, the grant and rebates were such, how can you lose?”
Energy-efficient LED lighting upgrade projects offer a host of benefits for the many stakeholders of the property, from owners and property managers to tenants and employees, to the neighborhood and city.
Building Owner & Property Managers Benefits
The property manager had goals to improve lighting quality throughout - considering lumens, color temperature, and color-rendering index (CRI) - eliminate operational bulb replacement issues, conserve energy and save on utility bills.
The financial ROI is a major driver. The Lighting update offered the opportunity to save more than $14,000 per year in energy costs alone with 66% reduction in lighting electrical costs. In this case, the combined incentives covered 68% of the project cost, with a payback in 1.3 years!
FINANCIAL SUMMARY: INCENTIVES COVERED 68% OF PROJECT TOTAL COST
Project Price $66,319
Rebate $22,693
Grants $23,196
Final Project Cost $20,430
Energy Savings/yr $14,242
Simple Payback 1.3 years
Other value realized by the owners include:
Reduced Operations and Maintenance (O&M): The costs and resources required to repair or replace lights and ballasts, both currently and in the future, were a driver for moving to maintenance-free updated lighting. The high-quality, DLC Listed, 10-Year Rated Life and 5-year warranty all provide assurances for performance and reliability. Now, the facilities and maintenance team can focus energy on other priorities.
Property Value, Marketability, and Tenant Satisfaction: The upgraded lighting helps attract and retain tenants, with welcoming well-lit common areas and leased tenant spaces.
Sustainability: With the Minneapolis Park Board as the building owner, sustainability was certainly a consideration, given their performance goal to by 2026 reduce the park board’s operational carbon footprint by 25% from the 2018 level.
Tenants and Employees
Tenants at the Pacific Building include:
ActivStyle: Medical Supply Product for Seniors
Pro-line Painting
The Locker Guy
Tenants are thrilled with the enhanced, inviting indoor environment for improvement in work tasks. After all, tenants are the people buildings were built to serve; and, they should be the priority when considering building enhancements. Improved quality of lighting helps boost productivity, quality assurance, and safety, ranging from forklift operations to warehouse pick-and-pack to painting.
Lighting levels went up 30%+. During our lighting assessment, we had light readings 8-10 footcandles (fc) in some places. With the new lighting we brought it up to 20-25 fc, more than doubling, to support IES Illuminating Engineering Society recommended levels for the applications. Plus, the >80 Color Rendering Index(CRI) delivers truer color representation.
City of Minneapolis & Surrounding Neighborhood
The City of Minneapolis has identified “Green Zones” to reduce pollution and make neighborhoods greener and healthier. The Minneapolis Green Cost Share Program offers incentives with a 30% grant for energy efficiency projects in the Minneapolis Green Zones. The Pacific Building is located in the North Green Zone, where Minify Energy has implemented multiple energy-efficiency projects with local building owners and tenants.
Sustainability Value for All
This single project reduced energy consumption by 146,161 kWh, reducing demand on the grid by 47 KW, which equates to 114 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) equivalent.
Bring new Light to your property
Minify Energy is happy to help enlighten you and your building. Contact us for a free consultation and assessment.