Chester T. Dean 
Eight commercial retail sites operated by UK dealership Mercedes-Benz Rygor are set to benefit from annual savings of £95,000 after switching to the latest LED lighting systems.
This decision is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 980 tonnes and generate an overall energy saving of £648,514 over the life of the contract.
Swansway Group has also invested over £300,000 to replace all bulbs in its business with LED units – the move is expected to contribute to savings of around £1million.
Rygor’s switch to LEDs was implemented by Journey Energy Solutions (Journey).
Journey rated the lighting at three Rygor venues – Heathrow, Swindon and Westbury – as “unfit for purpose”, pointing to its need for frequent and costly replacements.
However, the scope of the program has been expanded to include Chilcompton, Kidderminster, Newbury, Nuneaton and Oxford.
Auto retailers could be forced to turn off showroom lights and accelerate decarbonization as energy price hikes begin to impact margins, AM said.
Stuart Gemmell, Facilities and Health & Safety Manager at Rygor Group, said: “Our aging lighting systems weren’t providing the quality of light we needed, our workshops were quite dark.
“The upgrades have transformed our work environments, making it easier for staff to work efficiently. The staff certainly take advantage of this and the feedback they have provided to us has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It almost goes without saying that we are also excited about the massive contribution the new lighting will make to our carbon reduction strategy. In fact, this will be a major step on our path to becoming a Net Zero company.
In a recent opinion piece, Terry Reeves, chief operating officer at Journey, explores how car dealerships can ride out the storm of soaring energy prices.
Journey has also been contracted for six years to provide ongoing service and maintenance support.
To help dealers on their way to saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, Journey has launched a free downloadable guide – “The Journey to Net Zero – How to cut costs, save energy and deliver decarbonisation: a guide for motor dealers”.
