Save Energy and Improve Safety by Upgrading Aging Metal-Halide Lighting

Agricultural Company, Monsanto, Improves Energy Savings and Safety with an LED Retrofit at their Production Facility

Undertaking a full LED lighting retrofit at, not one, but two manufacturing facilities is a daunting task, but our partners at Acuity Brands were up for the challenge. Their complete LED lighting retrofit at Monsanto’s facilities met both lighting quality and efficiency project requirements.

Here is a snapshot of the case study from Acuity Brands.

About Monsanto: an agriculture company helping farmers around the world grow crops, committed to reducing their carbon footprint though sustainable methods. monsanto.com

Lighting Manufacturers: Acuity Brands – Holophane

Products: Phuzion LED High Bay (PHZ) LED High Bay

The Challenge:

• Monsanto’s two manufacturing facilities were equipped with 440-watt metal-halide lighting, which were under performing. Lighting quality and efficiencies were diminishing, hurting the Monsanto facility’s sustainability goals and affecting employee safety.
• Temperature variation was also causing the metal-halide lighting to vary, especially during the colder months. When it was cold, the fixtures could not provide adequate light output needed to illuminate the facility properly.
• The production facility required bulk storage stacked as high as 15 feet, blocking the lighting. Poor illumination levels, uniformity issues and dark spots in the aisles were safety hazards for employees.

The Solution:

• Exploring both HID and LED lighting solutions, Monsanto ultimately decided on LED lighting because of the performance and payback benefits – including extended life and increased light output.
• While more expensive upfront, expected payback was 5 years, and savings from there on out.
• 135 Phuzion LED high bay fixtures from Acuity Brands’ Holophane installed in the first facility, with an additional 112 in their second facility.
  • Phuzion provided a longer life, higher output and was not affected by the cold.
• Incorporated into the Phuzion LED high bays, occupancy sensors furthered the facility’s energy savings and sustainability.
• Monsanto sought a universal solution to implement in multiple plants operating at different temperatures.
  • LED performance is better in colder temperatures than HID lighting.
  • For other facilities working with chemicals, various lens options for the Phuzion are available and allow for wash-down.

The Result:

• Increased light levels improved staff’s visual comfort and eliminated prior safety issues.
• The quicker start-up time of the LED Fixtures combined with occupancy sensors reduced energy usage (originally, employees were less inclined to shut off the metal-halide as it took so long for them to start up again, but not so with the instant-on LEDs).
• The new all LED lighting saves Monsanto 190-watts per fixture, when compared to the previous metal-halide.

Monsanto plans to do more lighting case studies for their warehouses to determine their lighting levels and prioritize the future of their lighting upgrades.