Lighting targets maintenance costs in high-ceiling facility

Located in the heart of apple country in Selah, Wash., Tree Top is a leading producer of apple juice and cider as well as a supplier of fruit-based products and ingredients for the world’s leading food and beverage manufacturers. By upgrading its lighting fixtures, the company dramatically lowered maintenance costs and energy usage.

Tree Top, an agricultural cooperative, is owned by more than 1,000 apple and pear growers in the Pacific Northwest and has eight processing locations in Washington, Oregon and California. The company’s vast operation in Selah spans several buildings, including a 160,000-square-foot storage facility known as the Comet Building. The building’s interior was lit with 400-watt metal halide and T5 fixtures that required expensive labor and downtime in productivity to maintain because of the facility’s high ceilings.

“The old fixtures just became too inefficient and difficult to maintain,” says Doug Owens, building owner. “We couldn’t even find bulbs for them anymore. With the new LEDs, the space is brighter. Our customer is very happy with the new lighting system.”

In a one-to-one replacement, 100 of the new 160-watt LED fixtures (MaxLite, maxlite.com) were installed. Owens sought to install a lighting solution that would reduce maintenance expenses while increasing light quality. He chose a linear high-bay solution for its price-point and lumen package. In addition to producing the foot-candles necessary for the space, the lighting features an occupancy sensor control for a facility that is in continuous operation.

The new LED fixtures will save the Comet Building’s owner and tenant more than 1,205,000 kWh and $114,00 in energy and maintenance costs throughout their 50,000-hour lifetime.