When you own a small business in a beautiful shopping district such as 5 Points in Columbia, South Carolina, the last thing you want is to lose valuable foot traffic because your lights are on, but no one knows you’re home.

“I literally saw a customer one day walk up outside, put his hand to the door, then turn and walk away,” said Paul Morgan, manager of Pecknel Music. “Our store was so dark, he thought that we were closed.”

As a showroom for musical instruments, Pecknel requires tinting on its front windows to protect valuable inventory from sun damage. That tinting, combined with old incandescent light bulbs, created a dimming effect that was inadequate to display the array of band and orchestra instruments the company rents locally. Full-service repair of the instruments was made tedious and complicated under the dull lighting; technicians strained to see small parts.

In 2015, SCE&G – through its Small Business Energy Solutions Program – conducted a free, on-site analysis of the store and suggested simple lighting upgrades to not only improve the appearance and functionality of the space, but to save money through greater energy efficiency.

Pecknel has been located in the same building for close to 50 years, so a lighting upgrade was in order. SCE&G replaced all of the old incandescent ceiling

lights in the instrument showroom and repair shop with LED ceiling panel lights and spotlights. The total cost of the upgrades was $4,460, with SCE&G covering $3,303 of that amount. Morgan said his company is on track to get a return on its portion of the investment in the seven-month period estimated in the proposal. He’s already looking at ways to invest the savings back into the business, such as other interior upgrades or new inventory.

“Our folks working on small instrument parts all day were probably the happiest, because now they can really see what they’re doing,” said Morgan. “But we’ve also had customers mention it, so I know it’s having a positive impact on their experience, too. Even better, the return on our investment is taking less than a year to realize. Everything we save is going right back into the business to purchase more inventory or to make the store more appealing to our customers. I would definitely recommend this to other small businesses.”

If you’re an SCE&G small business or nonprofit customer with five or fewer electric accounts and an annual energy use of 250,000 kWh or less, call 877-784-7234 or visit sceg.com/smallbusiness to see how the Small Business Energy Solutions Program can energize your operating efficiency.

Illuminating Sound

BY TERRI RANDALL | PHOTO BY ROBERT CLARK

New lighting upgrades bring Pecknel Music to life.

Features of SCE&G’s Small Business Energy Solutions ProgramEfficiency upgrades for lighting and refrigeration

n Free, on-site energy analysis of energy usen Simple, cost-effective options and easy-to-follow recommendations for managing lighting and refrigeration-related expensesn Financial incentives that cover 80% (up to $4,000) of total costs of most lighting and refrigeration controls retrofit projectsn Fast return on investmentn Local contractors who work at your conveniencen Removal and environmentally friendly disposal of old fluorescent lamps and ballasts

Paul Morgan, manager of Pecknel Music SUMMER 2016 • INSIGHTS 2726 INSIGHTS • SUMMER 2016