Although many [city] auto dealerships today strive to be energy-efficient in their operations, they also want the vehicles that are on their lots to appeal to potential customers and be highly visible once the sun goes down.

Unfortunately, when you compare the average auto dealership with the average office building in the US, that car lot’s energy consumption is approximately 18% higher according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. Most businesses today are always searching for ways to be more energy-efficient and auto dealerships are no exception.

How many times have you been driving down the freeway in the evening and seen the dark nighttime sky suddenly exploding in bright light in the distance? Chances are that lighting belongs to an auto dealership that could be as far as a mile off the freeway. This is compounded even more when it is an auto mall where multiple dealerships are located and each one is trying to outshine one another. Unfortunately, a lot of that lighting is wasted as much of it is being carried up into the evening sky or spilling off into empty darkness. Basically, millions of dollars are being wasted by these [state] dealerships.

The ever-increasing costs of energy makes saving money extremely difficult, especially where auto dealerships are concerned. Fortunately, more and more dealerships are turning to LED lighting in order to consume less energy and experience significant savings on their monthly utility bills. These lighting systems can reduce the amount of energy that is being consumed and the cost of maintenance in dramatic fashion. In fact, some dealerships have reduced their energy consumption by up to 80% when switching to LED lighting. In addition to saving money on their utility bills, they’ve reduced their maintenance costs as well.

Ironically, referring to auto dealerships as being energy-efficient is a misnomer or at the least, a contradiction in terms. Where energy-efficient LED lighting is concerned, auto dealerships are typically the bad guys according to environmental activists. However, these energy gluttons could easily become heroes by operating their companies in sustainable fashion. They will still be able to attract customers and reduce expenses while improving and maintaining their brand recognition.

According to E Source, a company that provides research services, tools, and utility consumption advice to all types of corporations, the third highest monthly expenditure is energy consumption. So the reduction of that consumption has become a top priority with many auto dealerships in the US today. Interestingly enough, NADA or the National Automobile Dealers Association endorsed the Energy Star Challenge set forth by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 2006.

The 20,000 members of the organization were asked to reduce their energy usage by a minimum of 10%. The EPA estimated that cutting energy consumption by at least 10% would equate to a cost savings of roughly $193 million. Furthermore, that decrease in energy usage would result in preventing the emission of over 1 million tons of greenhouse gases being released into our atmosphere. One year later, the Energy Stewardship Initiative was launched in a joint effort by Energy Star and NADA.

The purpose of the initiative was to assist auto dealerships in the improvement of energy efficiency of their business operations. Data, strategies, and tools were provided in order to accomplish energy savings and implement the strategies to do so. Since that time, energy consumption has been reduced by 10% or more at 800 different auto dealerships throughout the US. Although this did not solely involve switching over to LED lighting, that aspect did play a significant role in accomplishing their goals. As a result of their efforts, some auto dealerships are saving between $10,000 and $20,000 annually on energy costs.