One Year Later, ThinkLite LED Retrofit Praised by Weymouth Club for Energy-efficient Lighting Upgrade

In the summer of 2014, Mike Andersen, ThinkLite VP of North American sales, met with Jeff Linn, Executive Director of Weymouth Club to present the ThinkLite technology and discuss the prospect of retrofitting the entire facility, which is a massive 200,000 plus sf with over 2,200 light bulbs throughout.

Linn remarked, “ThinkLite made a professional and compelling proposal to replace every lamp in the club with their own technology. The projected cost savings were significant and the fact that not one existing fixture needed to be replaced meant huge savings for us, no waste in discarding old fixtures and a smooth install process that did not disrupt the members and flow of our busy club.”

In the fall of 2014, the ThinkLite retrofit commenced, fueled by generous cash incentives from National Grid, Weymouth Club’s utility company.

On the one year anniversary of the successful retrofit project, Kristian Jenkins, the club’s Director of Operations, and Jim Daly, the club’s facilities director provided feedback on the LED retrofit.

Q 1) It is now a year since the ThinkLite retrofit at Weymouth Club. Any regrets?

A) Jenkins-“No regrets at all! We are amazed at the reliability of the ThinkLite solution. In one year, we have not had to replace a single bulb. That’s in contrast to constantly seeing Jim tote his ladder around the club constantly, trying to stay ahead of fluorescent tubes that have failed.”

Q 2) What savings can be attributed to not having to replace bulbs?

A) Daly- “The cost savings are difficult to calculate, but if you look at it in respect to real time, I am consistently saving approximately 40 hours per month in labor traditionally required to replace failed lamps and ballasts. This ‘found time’ means I can turn my attention to projects and tasks that have been on my ‘to do’ list.”

Q 3) A major expansion and renovation to the fitness and functional training areas was recently completed. How did the new lighting help these initiatives?

A) Jenkins- “That area is high bay space, which is traditionally difficult to light. However, we really witnessed the power of the ThinkLite solution as we saw a marked increase in actual foot-candles at floor level. This really made the new equipment and renovated areas ‘pop’. Members have been raving about how well lit the area is and how energizing it is, and that’s critical for a fitness facility.”

Q 4) A couple of areas required unique solutions to light them optimally. These include ThinkLite’s proprietary Hammelite, a highly efficient induction solution replacing metal halide in the tennis courts and LED Pods, a custom LED solution in the pool area. How well were these solutions received by members and staff?

A) Daly- “In both areas, visibility is critical. For the tennis courts, members have consistently commented on how even, bright and well-lit the courts are. We have virtually no shadows or dark spots for the players to contend with. It may not make them play better, but they sure can see better!”

B) Jenkins- “In the pool, our most critical focus is the safety of the swimmers. With the old pool lighting, it was actually difficult for our lifeguards to see beyond the surface of the water, making monitoring of swimmers a real challenge. The enhanced lighting with the ThinkLite LED Pods lets them see clear to the bottom of the pool, truly mitigating safety concerns due to visibility. We also host a number of swim teams, and the coaches have commented on how easy it is to see, evaluate and provide feedback to their swimmers. It is amazing, the by product of improved lighting!”

Q 5) In addition to greatly improved lighting and no maintenance, companies are increasingly investing in ThinkLite to reduce the lighting portion of their energy bills. Has there been an impact on the electricity cost for lighting the Weymouth Club?

A) Jenkins- “Our electricity bill includes all electric consumption, lighting, HVAC, so it is difficult to specifically break out our lighting costs. However, we have seen a noticeable decrease in the consumption of kilowatt hours (kWh) in the months before the ThinkLite retrofit and the months following, and that has been significant enough for us to report back how much we are saving.

Q 6) One final question. Can ThinkLite change the tennis and health club industry?

A) Daly- “Just looking at it from a resource standpoint, I have to believe the answer is ‘yes’. I am saving approximately 10 hours per week, that’s over 500 hours per year because we don’t have to maintain lamps and ballasts. That’s 13 work weeks we can dedicate to important projects and initiatives that can have a dramatic impact on our business. A good example is our new ‘picklekball’ area. This is a sport that is catching on for all ages. This would not have been ready to go for the busy fall period if it weren’t for the time we found to move that project forward, thanks to ThinkLite.

B) Jenkins- “Weymouth Club is a New England leader and sets a national standard as a quality health, fitness , tennis and wellness facility. With our greatly improved lighting, members are treated to better activities, prospects are impressed with the ambiance of the facility and our team thrives in a well-lit environment. ThinkLite is a ‘win’ all round!”

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