With a network of temperature-controlled facilities spanning more than 68 million cubic feet across Australia, Swire Cold Storage provides logistics services and supply chain solutions, including temperature-controlled warehousing, refrigerated transport and distribution services to leading Australian and international food producers, distributors and retailers as well as export bulk commodity clients and beverages.

Swire Cold Storage is deeply committed to sustainable growth and development. As a path to long-term value creation, the company made portfolio-wide energy efficiency a high priority. In fact, by following the Australian Government Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO) legislation, the company achieved a reduction of over 1,000,000 kWhrs in the first 18 months of its commitment. One key element of this program is intelligent LED lighting, which dramatically reduced lighting energy use across a number of sites.

After considering a range of LED products, Swire Cold Storage determined that integrated intelligence—sensing, control and wireless management—was the key to achieving a dramatic energy savings contribution from lighting. They elected to implement the Digital Lumens Intelligent LED Lighting System for the first stage of lighting retrofit projects at Laverton (VIC), Hemmant (QLD), Lurnea (NSW) and Dry Creek (SA).

Comprising a network of intelligent LED fixtures—all with integrated occupancy sensing, power metering, a microcomputer and wireless networking capabilities—managed by LightRules energy management software, the Digital Lumens Intelligent Lighting System provides light only when and where employees are present. Lights are on in the areas where employees are working and off or dimmed when no one is present. And, each fixture reports its power consumption, occupancy sensing and on/off/dimmed data back to LightRules, which shows exactly how much energy is being used and where.  

Working with Masers Energy Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of energy-efficiency solutions, Swire Cold Storage performed detailed audits on second stage facilities, including Banjup (WA), Welshpool (WA), Homebush (NSW) and Clayton (VIC). The Masers team analyzed existing 400W lighting, energy costs, maintenance plans and facility occupancy patterns, then provided recommendations on proposed lighting upgrades, including detailed calculations of potential energy savings.

Masers managed the installations and system commissioning to ensure project success and alignment with Swire Cold Storage’s established project goals. By taking an efficient and time-saving approach, the team was able to minimize disruption and costs while performing wholesale lighting upgrades.

Results

The system has met and/or exceeded initial energy savings estimates provided by Masers:

Banjup, Western Australia = 273,851 kWh per annum or 94.80%

Welshpool, Western Australia = 558,328 kWh per annum or 95.32%

Homebush, New South Wales = 776,977 kWh per annum or 94.01%

Clayton, Victoria = 111,015 kWh per annum or 95.41%.

“In addition to impressive energy savings, LightRules gives us detailed information on the savings and justification to retrofit additional facilities in a timely manner,” says Ramana Haran, engineering project manager. “Further, having operational data about occupancy patterns—down to usage patterns in particular aisles and rooms—is [a] valuable perspective on how our facilities operate, how we can support our staff and how we can further optimize inventory placement.”

With demonstrated energy savings across multiple facilities and no maintenance or re-lamping required, Swire Cold Storage is expanding its deployments of Digital Lumens Intelligent LED Lighting System not only at the third stage of retrofit projects, but also to new construction sites like the Laverton Stage 2 (VIC).

“Historically, lighting was an energy-intensive, high-maintenance and under-performing challenge in cold facilities,” adds Haran. “With the move to intelligent lighting, we are achieving our energy efficiency goals, while gaining data-driven perspective on business operations. In fact, our investments in efficiency are paying dividends in other areas of our business where lighting has never had a role before.”