RAB LED lighting assures self-storage facility of a bright future

10 buildings containing 500 self-storage units of varying sizes on a 5-acre property in Duncanville, TX.

Installation of 55 20-Watt WPLED wallpack fixtures from RAB Lighting to light the exterior of the self-storage buildings, promote safety and security for tenants and visitors, and minimize maintenance costs and concerns for the management team.

• Rated average life of 50,000 hours ensures long life and minimal maintenance
• Fully-gasketed, die-cast aluminum housing ensures durability in outdoor settings
• WPLED20 delivers over 1400 lumens of initial light output as well as outstanding chromatic stability to ensure powerful, high-quality lighting
• Full cutoff, fully shielded design ensures that light is delivered precisely where it's needed
• UL-listed for wet locations

Over 80% energy savings relative to an equivalent 150 Watt metal halide light source.

RAB fixtures were supplied by Crawford Electric Supply (Dallas, TX) and installed by Icon Electrical Contractors (Wylie, TX). RAB sales representation by Burrus and Matthews (Irving, TX).

When it came to supporting Assured Self Storage's recent need for a light source that was bright, energy-efficient, and low-maintenance, RAB LEDs were a one-stop solution.

Newly constructed in the fall of 2010, Assured Self Storage of Duncanville, Texas consists of 10 single-story buildings housed on roughly 5 acres of property, with each building containing multiple storage units ranging in size from 2,400 to 10,000 square feet. Though each building is different, all share a need for bright, long-lasting, and energy-efficient lighting.

"Exterior lighting is extremely important to our facility for a number of reasons," confirms Christine Thurston, Residential Manager of Assured Self Storage in Duncanville, a city of 38,000 located just minutes from downtown Dallas. "First, exterior lighting is key to us because there's no lighting in most of the units, so lighting is critical to enhancing nighttime safety, both inside the units and on the property," she says. "We've also invested in a significant number of security cameras on the property-a total of 32 inside and outside the units-so good lighting is imperative in order to capture footage of theft or other unwanted activity."

In addition to supporting orientation and promoting safety and security on the premises, reducing maintenance costs ranked high on the wish list for the rapidly-growing Assured Self Storage franchise, one of an estimated 50,000 self-storage facilities in the U.S., according to real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. "Like so many business owners and facility professionals, the management team at Assured Self Storage did not want to play "Whack A Mole" with their lighting, constantly having to chase and replace lamps/bulbs as they failed one or two at a time on any given day," explains RAB Southeastern Regional Manager Terry Crawley. "They wanted a long-lasting light source that they could rely on to minimize maintenance costs and concerns," he says.

Energy efficiency was another key requirement for Assured Self Storage. "Our lights are on timers and are typically on for a 12-hour period from dusk to dawn each day," Thurston shares. "We're always looking at our costs and, given those long operating hours, we wanted our lighting to be very efficient to help reduce our energy consumption and costs."

RAB Lighting's 20 Watt LED wallpack fixtures successfully addressed all of Assured Self Storage's requirements in one comprehensive solution. "Delivering over 80% energy savings relative to an equivalent 150 Watt metal halide light source, RAB's WPLED20 wall-mounted LED fixture offers a long, 50,000-hour life as well as a fully-gasketed, die-cast aluminum housing to ensure durability in outdoor settings," says RAB's Ross Barna, CEO of the Northvale, New Jersey-based leader in outdoor LED lighting. According to Barna, " the fixture offers over 1400 lumens of initial light output, 5000K color temperature, and outstanding chromatic stability. The fixture also incorporates a full cutoff, fully shielded design to ensure that light is delivered precisely where it's needed. Finally," he shares, "the WPLED20 is UL-listed for wet locations, has a minimum starting temperature of -30°C (-33°F), and is suitable for use in ambient temperatures of up to 50°C (122°F), ensuring the fixture's reliable operation in extreme temperature or inclement weather settings."

Impressed with RAB's WPLED20 solution, Thurston and her management team installed over 50 of the LED wallpack fixtures throughout their facilities in February 2011 and haven't looked back since. "We love the lighting," Thurston confirms. "It's soft and gives a very inviting feeling and rich appearance to the property. In addition to the high quality of the light, our parent company, The Assured Group, loves the impact these fixtures have had on our energy bills and plans to use these lights in other facilities they build."

According to Mike Gray, Sales Manager for Irving, Texas-based RAB rep agency Burrus and Matthews, "RAB's WPLED20 fixtures provided the broad-range benefits of safety and security, long life, and minimal maintenance and were absolutely the ideal solution for Assured Self Storage." Adds Gray, "maintenance and energy costs are among Assured's biggest sources of overhead and this fixture optimally addressed both factors. In addition, installation of the fixtures by Icon Electrical Contractors was smooth, leading to a great overall experience for this valued customer."

Assured Self Storage's Thurston couldn't agree more. "RABs LEDs deliver the perfect amount of light and really help our customers to feel safe in their surroundings, which is critical to our mission as a responsible business and community partner. And, in addition to their energy efficiency and long life," Thurston adds, "many customers have also shared with us that the lights look great and are very attractive-so we couldn't ask for more."

Providing high-quality, energy-efficient, long-lasting, and highly sustainable LEDs to this growth business in Duncanville, Texas-which has been nicknamed "The City of Champions" based on the success of its local businesses, schools, and citizens-RAB has provided this friendly, community-minded city with one more reason to be proud.