Robert M. Sides Family Music Center's Williamsport, Pa., showroom before (inset) and after the lighting renovation

MAY 18 I ROBERT M. SIDES FAMILY MUSIC CENTER I RENOVATION
Bright Idea

A recent lighting renovation at Robert M. Sides Family Music Center in Williamsport, Pa., brightened up the store while reducing the electric bill by nearly 60 percent.

Sides partnered with Energy Controls Group for the $47,000 initiative and swapped out incandescent and T12 fluorescent bulbs for LEDs and T8 fluorescents. The project is expected to pay for itself in a little over two years.

According to Peter Sides, president of Robert M. Sides, the company increased coverage and lumens by 25–50 percent in its shops, offices and showroom, helping reduce eye strain for repair techs and office staff. The LED bulbs are designed to last for an average of 50,000 hours.

"For a few years, we'd been talking about how dull our main store looked compared to our three stores that were new or remodeled since 2008," Sides said. "The costs in the past made updating a 52,000-square-foot store all at once unrealistic, so we kept putting it off. Once we knew that we could do it all in 45 days while saving money, promoting sustainability and making for happier customers and staff, it was a no-brainer.

"It's hard to put numbers on things like eye fatigue for repair and office staff, but the before-and-after results to those areas are just as impressive as the impact it's had on the retail floor."