Electro-Matic Visual Blog

Car dealership parking lot lighting is more important than you think. LED lighting is rapidly becoming the obvious ideal option for a variety of applications, including your outside parking lot at your car dealership. That being said, LED lights are without a doubt the most energy efficient choice that is readily available on the marketplace. LED lighting for car dealerships are unrivaled in their life-span and efficiency, in comparison to traditional lighting.

Why Choose LED Lights?
LEDs can discharge an extremely high quality of light with a great series of varieties. LEDs are little lights which keep in a stable state, implying that they do not include the very same recycling or breaking concerns which is typical of other lighting applications.
LEDs supply a far better financial investment for your dollars, as the longer life-span, ease of usage and series of control will eventually conserve you running expenses in the long term, develop you a much better and more noticeable parking area.
Here are five tips in maintaining your car lot of your dealership:

Adequate Lighting
The first step that you should follow when trying to provide lights to a parking lot is to ensure that there is adequate lighting. Having adequate lighting in a parking lot is important as it will make it much safer.
Your car dealership parking lot lighting should be as energy efficient as possible. Keep in mind that your dealership will see its share of nights, dark days or severe weather conditions. LED lights will supply a much better light quality with less, so it is both more expense reliable and a better alternative. To summarize, less is more.
The parking lot should be well lit to invite and provide your dealership appropriately, and supply a reassuring, safe and clean environment which to get your clients, while motivating and impressing your personnel when they get here for their regular shifts. The quality and kind of the requirements that enter into your dealership lot’s environment will generally set the tone concerning professionalism and security for your dealership, image, and brand as a whole. Also, the lighting will heavily compliment the new cars, making the colors shine tremendously. LED lighting will significantly alter how your consumers communicate upon their impression of your business.
Not only does it need to have adequate light, but it needs to be evenly distributed throughout the lot for safety and security reasons. Not having evenly distributed light can make it very hard to see and drive, which could lead to accidents. Ideally, you should have automated lights that will turn on once it starts getting dark. Having lighting that is evenly distributed will also make any onsite security cameras much more effective at picking up images in the lot.

Dealing with Harsh Weather
With LED lighting, the parking area that is being lit up throughout the harsh weather conditions or throughout night time look like a lot more carefully to how they are throughout the day. Instead of the orange or yellow-colored tint, LED lighting supplies the natural white color which lights up the lot, dealership, and the foliage. “Dead” locations are a lot less typical, as the power of LED lighting can shine through and offer broader protection of the lot.

Energy Efficiency
When you are looking to improve the lighting in your parking lot, you should also focus on a lighting solution that is energy efficient. Parking lot lights are frequently illuminated up to 13 hours per day. Because of this, it is very easy to quickly burn through standard light bulbs and run up expensive utility bills. A more affordable and environmentally friendly option would be to invest in LED bulbs that can cut your energy usage in half.

Use Control Systems to Automate Processes and Save Energy
Many auto dealerships keep some type of lights on 24 hours a day, and while this is useful for security and for highlighting your vehicles both day and night, it can lead to some rather hefty energy bills. One way to counteract some of these costs is by combining the lights with a control system that automatically optimizes lights and only uses the minimum amount needed.

Consider Lighting Height
The height of your parking lot lighting is just as important as the type of fixtures you choose. If you choose a light pole that’s too short, the light will end up being focused on a tight area, which means having to place more light fixtures to compensate, ultimately leading to spending more money. On the other hand, using a light pole that’s too tall will cause the light to be too spread out, appearing dim as a result.

While light poles come in a variety of sizes, (such as 16 feet, 20 feet, and 25 feet) your choice will ultimately come down to the size of the parking lot. A good rule of thumb is to use taller light poles and brighter bulbs for larger parking areas.

The Lakes Mall is a 600,000 sq. ft regional shopping mall located in Muskegon County. The mall sits on a 101-acre property line and has over 40 stores and 4 anchor stores located on its premises.  

Situation
General Manager, Jonathan Pittman, pays the initial energy cost for common areas and the inline spaces in the parking lot. The energy challenge at this property, however, was that the landlord did not have separately metered spaces. Although the retailer reimburses landlords for their space energy consumption the common area had high wattage lighting throughout the mall which created an expensive lighting system.

The common area of the mall had CFL and Metal Halide lights ranging in wattage consumption from 15 - 1,000-watt bulbs.

Objective
The objective was to find a way to lower energy costs for the landlord by reducing the wattage of each fixture in the common areas of the mall starting with the parking Lot Lights.

Solution 
EM resolved a problem by diagnosing the mall's common area energy usage. They created a plan of action and implemented a project to remove high-wattage CFL and Metal Halide lights and replace them with lower-wattage LED light bulbs and fixtures.

The mall has benefited from this lighting project because the energy usage is lower causing an energy cost savings for the land lord. The mall's lighting is also brighter and gives it a cleaner and crisp look that customers and retailers can enjoy.

"The lights brought life back into the mall. Foot traffic has increased in the mall since the lights have been installed. “ Jonathan Pittman, Lakes Mall General Manager

List products and services Electro-Matic used:
We used 55 Different LED products for both inside and outside.

Any external companies that helped on the project or solution and their services provided:
Tri-State Light did the install.

Crystal Gardens is a premier banquet center that has offered elegant and spacious banquet rooms, custom table settings, and the perfect menus for more than 40 years. However, their Southgate, Michigan location had an Optec unit so out-of-date that replacement parts were no longer available.

Mike Richardson, at Mr. LED had sold them their old unit so Electro-Matic knew a replacement project with them was on the horizon for years. Through Mr. LED, EM Visual scheduled a demo with Crystal Gardens for operation and ownership. The demo featured the modern technology of our Fusion Series. Following the demo, Crystal Gardens decided to move forward with the project.

Electro-Matic upgraded the resolution significantly from what they had previously. We were able to meet the project budget and Mr. LED was able to coordinate the project efficiently.

“Working with Mike at Mr. LED Signs is always a pleasant experience. After a couple of years of consideration, Once he was able to set up the demo, the project closed very quickly. It’s a primetime installation for EMV on the main hub in Southgate on a highly viewable intersection.” 

– Visual Sales Team

Products and Services Electro-Matic used:   

• Fusion 5’ x 11 m/s 16 mm – 84 x 192
• AAA Signs, Flat Rock, MI performed the installation.

St. Blasé Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, MI utilizes LED displays to announce church and community events

St. Blasé Catholic Church is a welcoming Catholic community, located in Sterling Heights, MI.

The Situation
Located at the high-traffic, high-visibility location at the intersection of 15 Mile Road and Maple Lane Drive in Sterling Heights, MI, St. Blasé Catholic Church wanted to maximize its ability to reach out to the community via new LED signage. The existing sign, a simple brick wall with white plastic formed lettering, didn’t afford them this capability. 

The original brick wall with plastic-formed lettering offered no ability to advertise or announce events to the local community.

Objective
St. Blasé wished to have a simple, user-friendly LED signage solution that offered durability, longevity, and flexibility in the type of content media they wished to display.

Solution
Two full-color LED displays were installed into the new v-shape monument sign just two weeks after the project broke ground.

St. Blasé saw immediate results in the days following the installation of the parish’s new LED displays. On average, the church received 3-4 calls per day from people within the community interested in taking part in church events and services.

"Many of our parishioners are proud to say we are the Church with the big new sign, we are definitely getting noticed."

— Tim Doppel, Business Manager, St. Blasé Catholic Church

Products Electro-Matic used:

• 2 Full Color LED Displays: 16mm 4'x8'

Pro Care Auto is an Automotive Services small business. The owner, Greg Jarossy, contacted Electro-Matic in January of 2018. They were moving to a new property and had an old, mono electronic message center that had failed. He wanted to replace and upgrade to full color, then take his sign along with him and make the upgrade once the property closed.

Technical Situation/Analysis
Electro-Matic was able to find the sign on Google Maps to get a feel for the structure and overall design of the sign. We were able to easily recommend 2’ x 8’ m/s both at 11 mm & 16 mm for Greg’s review. We also recommended he trade places with the EMC going to the ID cabinet space, and the ID to the EMC space. This would provide him with a bigger EMC allowing him more space for his variable messages and graphic options. 

We were able to position ourselves as an asset for Greg as he reviewed both EMV and our Fusion product against some other options. He relayed that we were at the head of the pack. The project took just over a year from the first contact to close, which is a very consistent time period for a retail opportunity.

“We love it. Easy to program as well. Plus...your customer service is top-notch!”

– Greg Jarossy, Owner of Pro Auto Care

Located in Minooka, Illinois, Chapin's Banquets and Catering is a beautiful banquet hall perfect for hosting a variety of events including weddings, receptions, fundraisers, birthdays, bridal and baby showers, rehearsal dinners, business meetings, holiday parties, graduation parties, sport banquets, off-site caterings and much more. On top of the banquet hall they have an exquisite full-service restaurant called Twin Rail Pub.

Chapin's Banquets found themselves in a predicament when water began to leak into their electronic message center which caused all sorts of troubleshoot problems. The overseas vendor they purchased the sign from years ago was not delivering adequate customer service in regards to providing new parts to replace those with water damage, or any other assistance for that matter. Chapin's wanted a new EMC from a company they could depend on. It was then they reached out to Electro-Matic Visual for some help. With Twin Rail Pub being on the back side of the building many people don’t know that it is.

When presented with the project, EM Visual knew the first step was to find a size to fit, and type of resolution that would best fit the needs of this application. The Electro-Matic demo trailer made it easy to present the owner with both an 11mm and 16mm option. 

Solution: After the demo the customer had decided that he only needed a 16mm full color based on his location. With the customer up on a hill and the cars below the 16mm was the best option while keeping price in mind. Once that was decided Visions Signs took care of all installation and permitting.

Benefits: With the new 16mm fusion message center Chapin’s and Twin Rail Pub with now have full exposure to promote their events. Chapin’s will use the message center as a way to advertise their services, but also advertise what event is going on. As far as Twin Rail Pub they now will gain street exposure and use this to promote food and beverage specials.

List products and services EM used:
16mm 60x144 LED Display.

External companies that helped on the project or solution and their services provided:
Visions Signs was the sign company that sold and installed the project.

Seaholm High School was spending hundreds of dollars on banners as well as had a manual letter board that was ineffective since messages were being changed manually whenever something was going on. They were trying to find an effective solution to where it was easy for them to get their message across and go about their day without a hitch.

Before LED Signage

The signage they were using was very costly and ineffective. People were still not getting the information they needed for upcoming events or fundraisers or even important school activities. They rely on mass emails to get the information across, but it would be nice to make it public for the community to see. The goal was to save money on different signage while getting the message across to the community about different events or important announcements the school was having.

Electro-Matic LED Solutions

Electro-Matic came up with a beautiful solution 6.5’ tall x 11’ long double sided 16mm display with Cellular Connection. Whoever is in charge of programming the sign will have remote access to be able to change the message at a moment’s notice if their laptop is within wifi. It is so much easier for Seaholm to get their message across and the sign looks absolutely amazing.

One of the reasons it benefits to have an EM Display, is that we are located here in Metro Detroit, and we can get to the sign as quickly as possible to maintenance or repairs if needed. Additionally, our light weight and sleek design of our Fusion, not only is installation faster, but there is no extra work or install involved when it comes to communication. We understand that time is money and we made it a lot easier to install our displays. Another benefit is our warranties and the 24/7 Tech Support we offer to our customers!

List products and services EM used:

• Fusion 16mm Display
• Visions Software
• Cellular Modem

Building tenant teams up with Electro-Matic, Consumers Energy, and Michigan Saves to upgrade entire facility to LED lighting for NO ADDITIONAL OUT OF POCKET COSTS

KPH Holdings owns 402 Haven St, a 64,000 square foot commercial space in Eaton Rapids. The building consists of a mix of office and industrial space. Kevin Hein was faced with two challenges at 402 Haven St. First, the entire building was filled with old inefficient lighting. Secondly, the building had very few tenants leaving Hein with lots of unused space. These two factors cost both him and his tenants enormous amount of money in utility costs. Because of the limited cash flow from lower occupancy and high energy costs Hein did not have available funds to invest in upgrading the lighting.

He was stuck in a situation many building owners find themselves. He knew if he updated the lighting and spaces he could attract new tenants and save money, but he didn’t have the resources to do it, which kept him in common continuous cycle of doing nothing.

The office spaces consisted of 4-lamp T12 troffers while the industrial space was a mix of 2-lamp 8-foot T12 fixtures and 400w metal halide high bays. His parking lot also had a number of 400w metal halide fixtures. The result was a very inefficient building that was not a desirable space for prospective tenants. The goal for the project was to find a way to improve the lighting throughout the building without adding funds beyond the current cash flow, which would help keep current and attract new tenants.

Kevin employed the help of Electro-Matic Visual to visit the building an offer a solution. Alan Nicholson from Electro-Matic enlisted the help of Consumers Energy to discuss rebates while Ascentium Capital discussed financing options. Together they recommending taking advantage of a program called Michigan Saves, which allows 0% interest financing for up to 36 months for energy efficiency projects.

Here’s the breakdown Electro-Matic presented:

What Electro-Matic found was Hein could use the Michigan Saves program to spread out his entire project cost and use his energy savings from the LED lighting to pay his Michigan Saves monthly payment, and STILL have $174 leftover EVERY MONTH compared to his original energy bill. After showing Kevin the data he immediately was on board and approved the project. On top of that, Kevin could use his Consumers Energy rebate (which actually ended up being over $24,000) to further invest in additional upgrades for his building.

Benefits:
As a result of the project Kevin has a remarkably better looking and more energy efficient building. Since completing his project his building is now nearly 100% occupied with 6 new tenants. Kevin was happy to take us on a tour of his building to snap some photos and share his thoughts:

"I am extremely pleased by the work of Alan Nicholson and Electro-Matic. His experience in the lighting field along with his connections with Consumers Energy and Michigan Saves were vital to the success of this project. I would recommend using Electro-Matic for any energy reduction projects and would not hesitate to use them again."

- Kevin Hein, KPH Holdings Inc President

List products and services EM used:

• 136 36 watt 2x4 LED flat panels replacing 4-lamp T12 fixtures in office areas
• 150w LED high-bay fixtures replacing 400w metal halide fixtures
• 150w AP series parking lot lights replacing 400 watt metal halide area lights
• 60w AP series wallpacks replacing 250w metal halide wallpacks

"It was a pleasure working with Alan and Kevin on this project. It was a complete team effort by Consumers Energy, Electro-Matic, and Michigan Saves. We appreciate the support by trade allies like Electro-Matic to ensure the success and satisfaction of customers like Kevin."

- Mark Bates, Consumers Energy

Bristol Manor is beautiful historic landmark in East Cleveland that serves the community in many ways! Bristol Manor Event Center is a newly renovated gem located on the East Side of Cleveland. Their beautifully restored, historic facility is a perfect example of how old school charm and modern flare can create the perfect venue for any event. With several spaces to choose from that can be customized to accommodate meetings, showers, retirement parties, wedding receptions, or any type of celebration where you want beautiful and lasting memories. 

People were unaware of the beautiful new renovations and Bristol Manor wanted to let the community know their multipurpose facility was available for the community to utilize. To bring awareness to Bristol Manor, Electro-Matic Visual’s Fusion series display gave Bristol Manor the ability to communicate information about events, venue availability, and community information. Bristol Manor experienced an uptick in business with their new LED display to communicate effectively to let the patrons know what was available.

Products and Services Electro-Matic Used

• 16 mm Fusion Series Display
• Adams Signs and Graphics of Massillon, OH sold and installed the sign.

Peace Lutheran School in Saginaw, Michigan is home to almost 300 students that range from preschool through grade 8. Peace Lutheran School wanted to upgrade their lighting to improve the visibility and increase the security and the overall attractiveness of their wonderful campus. To match their needs, Electro-Matic Visual installed 60 LED lighting fixtures that included wall packs, recessed soffit lighting, and parking lot lighting.

"We are very pleased with the Electro-Matic lighting we purchased and had installed for our recent exterior lighting renovation at our school campus. The exterior lighting is much brighter now compared to the other fixtures we had installed during original construction in 2003. Certainly increased lighting levels create a more secure environment, but they also help to showcase our school at night- all accomplished with considerably less energy use!"

— Joel Keup, Peace Lutheran School-Principal/Facilities

"In addition to a great product, Electro-Matic representative, Ben Riedel, took plenty of time to help us understand the great quality and performance advantage Electro-Matic lighting have over other similar fixtures that could have been purchased from local electrical supply warehouses." 

— Joel Keup,, Peace Lutheran School-Principal/Facilities

Electro-Matic Visual is excited to hear the great feedback and that Peace Lutheran School is enjoying the many benefits of our LED lighting. We are also looking forward to partner with Peace Lutheran School on future projects! 

"Great product, great service and wonderful education!  For me, this is what sets Electro-Matic apart from the rest.  I hope to be able to use Electro-Matic Visual in future projects at both of our campuses."

— Joel Keup, Peace Lutheran School-Principal/Facilities