Savings From Above: Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell 

OUR CUSTOMER 

Can light travel at the speed of ambition? "Instantly!" is the answer at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell, Ky., where Collection Auto Group, with help from Current, is realizing its dream of the ultimate automotive dealership—an all-LED lighting facility that drives the client experience beyond expectations. 

THE EXPECTATION 

"Our goal was to build the greatest dealership in the world," said Collection Auto Group president Bernie Moreno. " At the first meeting our neighbors brought up three concerns—lights, lights and then, lights. Current flew somebody out and he went through the entire dealership, making sure that every single lumen was optimized: What was the appropriate dimming level? When should that dimming occur? Do you have an even spread of the lighting?” 
 
"You fast forward and now the comment is, 'We can't believe how great the lights are!' so it's really been a true testimony to the power of LEDs when it comes to community acceptance, which is just fantastic.  
 
"Current did more than deliver the products we needed—it found solutions to the obstacles we faced." 

OUR SOLUTION 

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell uses Current's Evolve™ LED Area Lights and Evolve™ LED Post Tops to illuminate its driveway and inventory. Advanced optics aim light precisely where it's needed and away from neighbors' yards. Intelligent controls also allow the LED area lights to be dimmed to 10 percent lumen output between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with each fixture using just 28.5 watts of electricity. For security, the lights instantly return to full brightness when motion sensors identify a vehicle entering the lot.  
 
Decorating the dealership's showroom, offices and client areas are fashionable Lumination™ LED Luminaires , from troffers that blend into the ceiling to linear bands of light integrated within it. Meanwhile, Albeo™ LED High Bay fixtures deliver crisp, uniform illumination across the shop floor, detail bay and parts department. 

The world's first all-LED Mercedes-Benz dealership also uses Evolve LED Garage Lights in an attached canopy and car wash, and Evolve LED Wall Packs to illuminate the building's perimeter, as well as Tetra® PowerGrid and LED Architectural lighting to add visual appeal to signs and other decorative 

RESULTS & BENEFITS 

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell will use about 40 percent less lighting energy with LED than with conventional technologies, saving $46,000 a year with the added benefit of less maintenance due to the long life of Current's LED lighting. Project payback is projected at less than two years.  
 
Dimming and on/off scheduling of all indoor LED fixtures and outdoor LED area lights is managed by Current's LightSweep™ control system. Inside, Current's Aware™ photo sensors also adjust light output automatically to changing daylight conditions while at night, Aware occupancy sensors keep lights turned down until movement is detected. 
 
Added Moreno, “People are blown away when they come in and see the amount of lighting and the control of the lighting—the way it doesn't overwhelm, the way it spreads and provides a natural color for everything throughout the dealership, inside and outside. 

We've chosen to continue our relationship with Current for several reasons: They're the standard of the lighting world, and they're a great partner, so we've embarked on a process where every dealership we build going forward is going to be a 100 percent all-LED dealership, starting with this one."