When Wawa Inc. was searching for visually appealing, simple-to-install vertical refrigerated display lighting, it discovered an all-inclusive answer in Immersion RV30 LED technology from GE Lighting. In addition, GE helped the operator of more than 600 convenience store/gas station locations drive down energy consumption. As a result, Wawa now enjoys combined energy and maintenance savings exceeding $1 million a year.

“In 2006 we saw our utility budget increasing between 12 and 15 percent over each of the previous five years,” explained Scott Boorse, energy and petroleum operations manager for Wawa. “In response we created an energy group to determine where the money was going. It turned out lighting accounted for 30 percent of our electric usage.”

Wawa tested and evaluated three competitive LED solutions in refrigerated coolers in several of its stores beginning in 2008. Offering significant energy savings, high-quality uniform light, a long reliable service life and faster installation, GE’s Immersion RV30 LED emerged as the clear winner following Wawa’s thorough assessment.

“Not only did Immersion give us the best visual appearance to meet our brand image, we’ve also seen an immense electricity savings and shear drop in maintenance,” Boorse added. “What’s most important is that when customers walk in there are no bulbs burnt out in the refrigerated cases. That consistent well-lit image is giving us better brand quality throughout our chain.”

Annual cost savings equated to $1.2 million across Wawa’s entire 600-store chain. Ultimately, the company will experience project payback after only 26-28 months.

Wawa operates stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida