Rio Washingtonian Center is a 760,000-square-foot mixed-use destination lifestyle center with shopping, restaurants, offices, and hotels located just off I270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Developed and managed by Peterson Companies, this project is the first in the United States to integrate big-box retailers and parking structures into a town center concept. The development completed a $30 million upgrade in 2020. This lighting project is part of an ongoing commitment to upgrade the center with state of the art LED lighting and controls systems. Peterson Companies selected Lightility to design and implement the lighting upgrade and control systems, and to procure rebates, grants and specialty financing to complete the project with no upfront capital expense.
Project Objectives
- Reduce energy consumption across the shopping center.
- Lower operational and maintenance costs.
- Improve lighting quality and consistency.
- Achieve a strong return on investment (ROI) through energy savings and rebates.
- Enhance environmental impact by lowering carbon emissions.
Project Scope
- Existing System: 1,217 lighting fixtures consuming 215.498 kW.
- Proposed Retrofit: Replacement with LED fixtures reducing consumption to 122.834 kW.
Financial and Energy Impact
- Total Project Cost: $548,863.17
- Utility Rebates Secured: $439,069.96
- Montgomery County Green Bank Subsidy: $15,000
- Net Project Financing at 0% for 24 months: $94,793.21
- Return on Investment (ROI): 162.07%.
- Break-even Period: 0.6 years (approximately 7 months).
- Annual Energy Savings: 970,776 kWh, equating to $155,324 annually.