NYC Applebee's restaurants latest to go with LEDs

Two high profile Applebee’s locations in New York City, on 42^nd Street and on Broadway, recently got energy efficient upgrades to LEDs. The retrofits began by replacing more than 200 track and recessed incandescent fixtures with Janmar Series 799LED, Series 739LED and Series 214LED as well as Cree LR 24 and Cree LRP 38 lamps. Additionally, the exterior canopy fixtures illuminate the entrance with a Dialight 150W LED High Bay.

Apple-Metro, Inc., the restaurant franchisee, says the project has been so successful at these locations that they will make the same changes at all of the 31 locations in New York. Six locations scheduled to open next year will also feature the new LED technology.

“Truthfully, this is the first time LED prices have come down to a level where we could consider making changes and get a strong return on investment," says Mike Berry, Director of Construction and Facilities of Applebee-Metro, Inc. "Also, the performance and choices in LED lighting were more limited in the past. By working with our lighting retrofit partners, we were able to identify cost effective and attractive lighting solutions that allow us to take advantage of electric utility company rebates. At that point, it became a project for us that we were really excited about.”

The average kWh light load reduction afforded by the retrofit is over 80% per location. And, the Janmar and Cree LED products generate much lower heat output and are expected to save on air conditioning costs. Further, the new LED lamps will also allow for fewer maintenance issues given the much longer service life of the LED lights, which are designed for a 50,000-hour lifetime.

Whitehead Energy Solutions, based in Atlanta, did the consulting, energy auditing, and specifications for the work.