Top Furniture Installs Energy Efficient Track Lighting

Furniture World Magazine

Service Lamp Corporation announced that Top Furniture ordered a Janmar track lighting system for their new store now under construction. By installing an energy efficient lighting package Top Furniture will receive a rebate from the utility and is likely to qualify for a tax deduction under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Donna Goodrich, co-owner and manager of Top Furniture, said that her main objective was to have a great looking store. “We saw an installed system and the store looked great. We knew we wanted that kind of presentation for our customers.” Co-owner Kurt Tourangeau agreed. “We did not want to choose solely on a rebate and have too much glare or bad color.” Top Furniture’s new, full line furniture and appliance store will serve a large trading area in the Northern White Mountains from their new location in Gorham, NH. The 30,000 square foot showroom and attached distribution center is scheduled for a grand opening April 20. The present Top Furniture store has begun liquidation sales in preparation for the move. Janmar’s track lighting system is unique in the lighting industry. The ceramic metal halide lamp used in Janmar track heads greatly increases light output when compared to halogen but consumes only 44 watts. The PAR30 sized head also has a unique Janmar color filter to give light from the metal halide lamp the warm look of incandescent, a highly desirable quality for merchandise presentation. Top Furniture’s lighting design uses fewer track heads than would be needed in a halogen system. The combination of lower watts per head and fewer track heads brings the Top Furniture store in at 1.2 watts per square foot for the sales floor and office areas. That translates into savings of one million kilowatts per year for the New Hampshire retailer. Service Lamp Corporation designed lighting for the sales floor and distribution center and shipped the fixtures and lamps for installation. Service Lamp has designed a number of stores using the Janmar Logic-6 system including the 150,000 square foot Furniture Mall in Manchester, NH and several stores in California. “Janmar gives us the footcandles we need for merchandise presentation and the economy we need to comply with state energy regulations,” according to Monte Lee manager of Service Lamp’s High Point office. “California’s Title 24 and other state regulations almost preclude using medium base halogen lamps. The Janmar CMH system is our best choice for those states.” Utility companies offer rebates for Janmar fixtures using ceramic metal halide lamps because the store can’t substitute less efficient bulbs. Energy efficient bulbs generally carry a premium price. “Even though the cost is paid back in energy savings stores often ‘go cheap’ on replacement bulbs. Power companies don’t want to give a rebate for lower consumption only to have it go away after the store opens. The Janmar fixture doesn’t have that problem and commands a rebate of $90 per head in some cases,” explains Lee. Monte Lee will discuss lighting design, code compliance and the benefits of efficient lighting at the NHFA Retailer Resource Center ® (IHFC-M1210) during the April 2006, International Home Furnishings Market in High Point. Service Lamp, headquartered in Voorhees, NJ, is a distributor of lighting products specializing in the furniture industry. Through a regional office in High Point, North Carolina, Service Lamp is supplier to National Home Furnishings Association, has national accounts with furniture manufacturers, and supplies Top 100 retailers and independent furniture stores. Service Lamp uses fixtures from Janmar Lighting and other quality suppliers in their lighting design.