Case Study – LED Lighting Upgrade Furthers Dairy’s
Energy Efficiency Practices
New LED Lights are making a Big Impact
Overview
 Ballard Family Dairy and
Cheese partnered with
Idaho Power, Site Based
Energy, and D. L. Evans
Bank for an energy
upgrade.
 Lighting improvements
alone save 38,466 kWh
and $2,308 annually,
with an ROI of 132% and
a payback period of 0.8
years.
 The new lighting’s GHG
reduction of 26.5 mt of
CO2 is another step
towards the Innovation
Center’s goal of 25% less
emissions by 2020.
 In Idaho Power’s Custom
Efficiency Report, Steve
said, “but we were really
surprised by how much
we could save just by
changing out the lights.”
Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese recently updated much of their energy-using equipment,
seeking triple bottom line savings. The Dairy worked with Idaho Power, an IDACORP Company,
and Site Based Energy, LLC, to develop a plan to make this project possible. Idaho Power’s
incentives program was a leader in the project’s success, as well as the financing assistance of D.
L. Evans Bank. A couple of years later, all the hard work seems to be paying off: Ballard Family
Dairy and Cheese won a US Dairy Sustainability award in 2013 and the dairy continues to grow
and save.
One energy measure Stacie and Steve Ballard focused on was lighting. The dairy made an
almost complete switch to LED lighting. Previously, LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, were too
small and too expensive to be a viable option for overhead lighting. However, times are
changing and LEDs are growing tremendously in the lighting industry. With an ever increasing
lumens/Watt ratio, LEDs continue to produce more light from less energy. And now LEDs are
moving into dairies as well.
Steve Ballard is very happy with his new lights. He says they’re brighter, cleaner, and offer a
much better color, which is a major improvement, particularly in the cheese plant. Steve is also
highly pleased with the brighter light they provide from his outdoor floodlights. LEDs actually
function better in colder weather, while other types of lighting typically get dimmer. This is a big
plus for dairies as the barns are exposed to the changing temperatures and the cows prefer the
cold as well. LEDs are also instant-on lights, as opposed to fluorescents which generally require
some warm-up time. This makes LED lighting ideal for lighting controls with sensors that signal
the lights to dim or turn off when they’re not necessary. The Ballards are benefitting from this
feature as well.
Key Components for Lighting Upgrade
 Idaho Power offered incentives for lighting changes, including the removal of the mercury
vapor lamps and the installment of energy efficient lighting.
 The Ballards practice long-day lighting, keeping their cows in daylight levels 16 hours a day,
every day. This equates to almost 6,000 hours a year, meaning the payback happens faster
and every little bit of savings counts.
Key Project Benefits
Electricity Savings – Lighting continues to improve with more energy efficient products coming
out every year. LEDs offer a higher Lumens per Watt ratio, converting more energy into light
and less into wasteful (and potentially dangerous) heat. The Ballards are saving 38,466 kWh of
electricity every year. Now lighting on the dairy requires only 14,442 kWh of electricity, a mere
27% of their previous use.
Financial Investment – Less energy means lower costs. The Ballards are saving $2,308 every
year on electricity costs with their new energy efficient lighting. However, advanced lighting is
expensive, particularly LEDs. But, with an estimated ROI of 132% and an estimated payback of
less than a year, it’s a worthwhile investment to make.
Environmental Stewardship – Less energy means lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint, 26.5 mtCO2e/year, to be exact. Based
on EPA’s environmental impact calculator, this is equivalent to 5 vehicles off the road, 3 US homes electricity, and 21 acres of US
forest’s CO2 sequestration. However small these numbers may seem, these savings are just from switching out a few light fixtures.
And every little change makes a difference. Additionally, LEDs don’t contain mercury or other dangerous elements more common in
other fixtures.
Improved Cow Health – Better lighting in the barns can also have a substantial impact on the cows. Studies have shown that longday lighting can increase milk production. Normally, varying lengths of light exposure causes changes in hormone levels that affect
how much milk a cow produces. This seasonal change is unnecessary when the cows have access to quality food all year round.
Additionally, advanced lighting allows employees to actually see the cows better. Now injured or sick cows can be treated earlier and
faster.
Lighting as an Opportunity for Industry-Wide Change
The savings that lighting alone offers, in terms of energy and cost, could mean a changing approach for the Innovation Center
for US Dairy’s energy efficiency goal. The sustainability team is working towards 25% fewer emissions from the dairy industry by
2020. Currently, energy audits are the primary driver of change. However, high costs and relatively low yields are causing the
Innovation Center to seek other means. With recent data regarding LEDs and other high efficiency lighting, the procedure may
become a lot simpler. Just change a light bulb.
Lighting Inventory
Location
Covered Storage
Tank Room
Cooler
Storage
Hallways 1&2
Boiler, Labeling, Tank Room
Boiler
Drive Through
Hallway 1, Cow Stand
Hallway 2
Cow Stand
Garage
Cheese Plant, Labeling
Lab
Outdoor Flood Lights
Qty
2
1
6
1
3
4
1
3
2
1
2
3
5
1
6
Previous Lighting
90W Incandescent
90W Incandescent
22W Incandescent
4ft, 4 lamp T12
2ft, 2 lamp T12
4ft, 2 lamp T12
4ft, 2 lamp T8
8ft, 2 lamp T12
500W HID
100W CFL
250W Metal Halide
250W Metal Halide
400W Metal Halide
400W Metal Halide
250W Mercury Vapor
Qty2
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
3
3
1
2
2
5
1
5
New Lighting
120W LED
60W LED
80W LED
4ft, 3 lamp T8
60W LED
60W LED
60W LED
60W LED
60W LED
60W LED
60W LED
4ft, 6 lamp T8
120W LED
80W LED
40W LED Flood
Annual kWh Saved
350
175
304
461
701
863
23
2,926
5,548
234
2,745
3,136
9,956
2,225
8,818
Project Details
Overall Project
Farm Type
Herd Size
Financing of Net Cost
Total Gross Cost
-Utility Rebates
-USDA REAP grant
Net Cost
ROI
Payback
Dairy
100
Small Business Administration Loan
$17,523
$3,075
$4,380
$10,067
23%
4.3 years
Lighting Project
Lighting Supplier
Total kWh Savings
GHG Reduction
Annual Cost Savings
Installed Cost
-Total Incentives
Net Installed Cost
ROI
Payback (with incentives)
Site Based Energy
38,466
26.5 mt CO2
$2,039
$3,510
$1,967
$1,543
132%
0.8 years