LED lighting company helps businesses homeowners save on electrical bill

Time：2014-09-27　Hits：2247　Compile：SUNPER

Neon accent lights that trace the distinctive facade on Cellular Plus stores have been part of the Billings company’s branding strategy for years.

But when a hailstorm shattered the Lockwood Cellular Plus store’s neon earlier this year, it was almost as if a light bulb went off in somebody’s head. Company officials decided that it was time to make a change.

“Instead of repairing the neon, it made more sense to put in LED lighting,” said Rod Kimmet, facility coordinator for Cellular Plus.

That’s what brought Randy Walter and Darrell McGillen to the Cellular Plus store on a recent August morning. Walter and McGillen work for Energy Efficient Group, a Billings lighting company that’s working to expand the use of energy-efficient LED lights for commercial buildings and homeowners.

Working on the ground, McGillen cut sections of tube-like plastic extrusions to length, slid in strips of LED lights and handed the assembly to Walter. Walter then ascended to the roofline, some 20 feet above the ground, in the basket of a manlift. Brackets spaced 20 inches apart hold the lighting assembly snug to the building, and strips of lights are joined quickly with connectors that snap together.

“Once Randy installs it, it’s all weatherproof, and it’s a lot more durable than neon,” McGillen said.

Off-the-shelf components can be used to illuminate straight lines. But mounting lights along the Cellular Plus store’s chevron-shaped sign required a bit of custom fabrication. Walter had his supplier manufacture the extrusions to match the sign’s curve.

Beginning in about 2005, Cellular Plus began building stand-alone stores with a high-tech red, black and white color scheme. Bold red cornices and the distinctive arched sign were originally bordered in neon. But as the company continues to expand — Cellular Plus now has 60 stores in five states — new stores feature the modern lights. Meanwhile, established stores like the one in Lockwood are getting an upgrade.

“The LED lighting provides a little more of a high-tech look than neon,” said Jeff Winkler, an architect for HGFA Architects, which developed the design for Cellular Plus.

There’s an expense involved in converting to LED, but Kimmet said the new system will pay for itself within a year because of energy savings.

Likewise, Dennis Benson, owner of The Warden’s Casino, 1414 Fourth Ave. N., said he noticed big changes after Energy Efficient Group installed LED lighting indoors and outside.

“I had this dramatic reduction in my electrical bill,” Benson said. “It’s easier to air condition because the lights don’t put out much heat.”

Versatility is one advantage of LED lighting. Lights can change colors to match the mood, Benson said.

LED stands for light emitting diode. Light is created when electrical current flows through a semiconductor. LED lights have been around for about 50 years, but the technology has caught on in recent years with the advent of white LEDs, which are capable of replacing more traditional lighting sources such as incandescent lights and fluorescents. Because of more efficient manufacturing, LED prices are expected to fall in coming years, according to the Edison Tech Center, a nonprofit educational organization that highlights engineering and technology.

Billings businessman Jon Dehler, owner of Energy Efficient Group, said the company has been around for about nine years. As prices of LED lights continue to fall, Dehler sees tremendous potential for the company.

“I told Randy that I want to turn this into something incredible,” Dehler said. “I want it to be the best business of its kind between Minneapolis, Seattle and Denver, and I think we’re going to do that.”