How Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers Achieved Real Savings with LED Lighting

In 2018, Lubbock Electric Co. helped Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers Gin replace 35 conventional light fixtures with energy-efficient LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting.  Mike West, gin manager, knew that this investment would reduce the electic bill, but he was surprised by how much the gin started saving right away, even during the slow season.

"After installing LED lights in our gin, we saw over a $300 reduction on our monthly electric cost during a 10-hour day."

- Mike West, Manager of Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers Gin

Electric costs are a heavy expense for cotton gins, and Springlake-Earth Gin surely saw even greater cost savings during 24-hour work days when gin season came around.  Your facility could also see remarkable cost savings with LED lighting. Here, we'll share some of the LED substitutions Springlake-Earth Gin made and show how each change resulted in more money in their bottom line. 

High Bay Lighting

Springlake-Earth Gin saw the greatest cost savings in replacing 20 high bay fixtures.  They had 400 Watt Metal Halide lights, which are High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights.  They emit bright, nearly colorless light, but they have half the operating life of LEDs and consume double the electricity.  What's more, HID lamps require a ballast which consumes additional energy on top of the bulb.   

We recommended that they replace some of their high bay lamps with a 150 Watt UFO-style LED fixture and others with a 240 Watt fixture.  Assuming an electric cost of $0.11 per KWh, Springlake-Earth Gin can expect to save approximately $2,443 every year with their new LED high bay lights:

	400W Metal Halide Lights	150W & 240W LED Lights
Annual Operating Hours *	4,416 Hours *	4,416 Hours *
Number of Fixtures	20	7	13
Ballast Input Watts	460 Watts (including ballast)	150 Watts	240 Watts
Total KWh	9.2 KWh	1.05 KWh	3.12 KWh
Cost per KWh *	$0.11 *	$0.11 *	$0.11 *
Total Annual Energy Cost	$4,469	$2,026

At this rate, these lights will pay for themselves within two years.  Moreover, the lights would have an operating life over over 11 years. 

* This analysis assumes an average electric cost of $0.11 per KWh, 40 weeks with 10-hour operating days 6 times a week, and 12 weeks with 24/7 operations.

Exterior Wall Lighting

Springlake-Earth Gin also had Metal Halide lights for security lighting.  Even though 100 Watt LED fixtures would be approximately equivalent to 250 Watt Metal Halide bulbs, our lighting estimators recommended 120 Watt LED Wall Pack lights to increase brightness while cutting costs. 

The new LED security lighting should save Springlake-Earth Cotton Gin around $613 each year:

	250W Metal Halide Lights	120W LED Lights
Annual Operating Hours *	3,640 Hours *	3,640 Hours *
Number of Fixtures	9	9
Ballast Input Watts	290 Watts (including ballast)	120 Watts
Total KWh	2.61 KWh	1.08 KWh
Cost per KWh *	$0.11 *	$0.11 *
Total Annual Energy Cost	$1,045	$432

* This analysis assumes that the security lights would be used for 10 hours every night.

Seed House Lighting

Lubbock Electric also helped Springlake-Earth Gin replace the halogen lights in their seed house.  Halogen bulbs are even more energy-inefficient than metal halide bulbs.  In fact, they generate more heat than light.  Lubbock Electric recommended 80W Compact Curve LED Flood Lights in their place.

Changing out these four lights should save Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers about $428 annually:

	300W Halogen Lights	80W LED Lights
Annual Operating Hours	4,416 Hours	4,416 Hours
Number of Fixtures	4	4
Ballast Input Watts	300 Watts (no ballast)	80 Watts
Total KWh	1.2 KWh	0.32 KWh
Cost per KWh *	$0.11 *	$0.11 *
Total Annual Energy Cost	$583	$155

All of these lights will pay for themselves within two years and continue saving Springlake-Earth Cotton Growers money for years after that.  Best of all, savings on the electric bill go RIGHT to the bottom line!