Discount Drug Mart's lighting retrofit to save $14.2 million

CLEVELAND More than half of the 67 stores operated Discount Drug Mart have completed lighting retrofits that the retailer expects will deliver a combined energy and maintenance cost savings equal to the margin earned on $14.2 million in sales over the life of the new lamps, GE Consumer & Industrial announced Tuesday.

The prescription for better, more efficient lighting involved a shift from 8-foot T12 linear fluorescent lamps and electromagnetic ballasts to energy-saving 32-watt 4-foot T8 linear fluorescent lamps and GE ProLine high-performance electronic ballasts.

The installation involved overhead lighting in sales, office and storage areas—an average of 320 fixtures in each 25,000 square-foot store.

“We initiated this project with a primary focus on improving operational efficiency,” stated John Wright, Discount Drug’s co-chief operating officer. “We have completed it with the additional satisfaction of having improved the quality of light in our stores. That means we’ve improved the customer experience, and perhaps set ourselves apart from competitors.”

The stores’ new GE lighting system delivers about 30 percent in energy savings compared with the previous system—over $560,000 per year across the 37 retrofitted stores, for the life of the lamps, GE reported.