LED Lighting Upgrade Boosts Lighting Quality, Safety, and Energy Savings at Heatec Plant

Opportunity: Heatec manufactures and markets a broad line of heaters and liquid storage tanks, and related products used in the construction and manufacturing industry. Heatec is a business unit of Astec Industries, which has a footprint that spans the globe.

Heatec General Manager, Matt Varnell, set out to find a company that could upgrade the lighting technology at the 135,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant. Chateau Energy Solutions manages a corporate energy program for Astec Industries and has consulted and implemented various LED lighting upgrades for other Astec facilities. Chateau’s solid reputation, first-rate references, and impressive customer base were all determining factors that gave Matt the confidence that he’d found a cost-competitive and experienced group to provide the best lighting solution.

Solution:  Heatec had several goals to obtain with an LED lighting upgrade including brighter and safer work areas, lowered energy use, maintenance cost savings, decreased operating costs, and carbon footprint reduction.

Chateau Energy Solutions created a customized solution that fit both the lighting needs and financial requirements of Heatec. The lighting experts at Chateau Energy worked with plant personnel to determine an implementation schedule that allowed the plant to continue production during the lighting upgrade installation. Nearly 1,000 LED lights were installed in multiple spaces in the facility. All fixtures, interior and exterior, on the entire 20-acre campus, were upgraded to high-efficiency long-life LED lights. The entire lighting project was completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule with no interruption to the plant’s operations.

Benefits: Today, Heatec boasts a safe and environmentally sustainable facility. “Very rarely in today’s business world does a company talk a good game on the front end, communicate well during the process, and do exactly what they said they were going to do in a timely manner with no hiccups. Very professional group to work with from sales through installation. No tricks, no changes, just results as promised,” stated Matt Varnell, General Manager, Heatec.

Heatec was able to significantly reduce energy consumption and dramatically improve light quality, making it safer for employees. The lighting upgrade provided a 365,000 kWh annual reduction – considerably cutting energy costs – and a 548,000 pound annual CO2 reduction. Maintenance costs have also been cut due to the long-life LED technology.