You spend a lot of time, energy and money looking for ways to save on fuel costs, but what about the energy cost at your facilities?

The energy impact of different types of light bulbs is important plays a much larger role in energy efficiency than most people realize. Short of turning the lights off, one way to cut back on this energy consumption is to install T8 linear fluorescent lights in place of older, less efficient technologies like incandescent, metal halide or high-pressure sodium. T8 lamps produce more light per watt of energy than T12s and can reduce energy use by 40%.

Another way to cut on energy costs is to install motion and daylight sensors to ensure lights only illuminate when it's dark and there is motion.

Con-way Freight first piloted a lighting retrofit program before it began implementing the initiative within its network of operating locations across North America. The purpose of the retrofit is to maximize energy savings relative to investment and to capitalize on state- and utility-sponsored rebates by installing more efficient fixtures, lamps, ballasts and sensors while maintaining or improving the quality of light for Con-way Freight employees.

Con-way started out with 11 pilot sites in 2010, added 73 sites last year, and plans to retrofit 143 sites this year. It estimates it will save more than 28 million kWh a year and cut its annual energy costs by $2 million a year - and cut more than 19,000 metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions annually.