The opportunity
Founded in 1938 by William T. Dillard, Dillard's has grown to over 290 stores in 29 states, served by a network of distribution centers supporting both store inventory and a growing e-commerce operation. The Gilbert, Arizona center, built in 1991 and later expanded, had been upgraded to T8 fluorescent around 2008. Like many T8 upgrades, part of the energy savings came from reduced light levels, which over time caused safety and quality-control issues. Maintaining the lighting with a small crew strained operations, and the exterior HID lighting, untouched since installation, wasted almost 90% of its energy as heat. Something had to change.
What we did
Working closely with Dillard's operations and maintenance team, Relumination combined energy-efficient LED lighting with an intelligent control system so each area runs only as needed. During morning receiving, light levels rise in those areas and automatically ease off later in the day. With a system that records energy use, occupancy, and light levels, Relumination tuned it to maximize savings while improving worker comfort, safety, and quality control.
The result
Lighting-related energy and maintenance costs dropped by over 80%, and the new lighting nearly doubled light levels throughout the warehouse and exterior. Now the most advanced distribution center in the Dillard's network, the Gilbert DC is the model for future facilities.
