Energy Efficiency Success Story – Lancaster Toyota

03.01.17 02:21 PM By Jon
energy efficiency projects at lancaster toyota

A Legacy Of Doing Business Honestly And Ethically - And Of Commitment
To Community

A family-owned company spanning three generations, Lancaster Toyota has two full-service dealerships in East Petersburg that uphold the highest business standards for employees and customers. Founded by Bob Allen in 1973, the company is now under the leadership of President Rob Allen, Bob’s son, who started his career as a worker in the wash bay when he was 10 years old. The family’s passion for preserving the business’s values and success continues with Rob’s son, Brad Allen. As Sales Manager, Brad aims to further the legacy that his grandfather forged four decades ago

The company’s dealership locations include 5270 Manheim Pike (Toyota) and 5170 Manheim Pike (Mazda). With a 52,000 square-foot, 32-bay service center and factory-trained and certified technicians, the company can handle everything from routine maintenance to extensive bodywork. In addition, it has a large used car lot at 1103 Enterprise Road that offers a wide selection of quality used vehicles. The company also has a full-service Toyota-certified collision center at 1188 Enterprise Road, which handles repairs on all types of vehicles and that is also certified in Mercedes Benz.

The team at Lancaster Toyota feels fortunate for the opportunity to celebrate a high volume of business and to have long-lasting relationships with its customers. The company has a culture that revolves around supporting the community that has made it a success. Lancaster Toyota sponsors local organizations and initiatives including the Fulton Theatre, Aaron’s Acres, Schreiber Pediatrics, the Lancaster Toyota Amphitheater in East Petersburg, and others.

The Successful Drive to Sustainability

In addition to the company’s commitment to its employees, customers, and the local community, it has also incorporated changes over the past five years that demonstrate not only its good business sense but also its sense of environmental responsibility. Lancaster Toyota, with the help of A1 Energy, has been upgrading its lighting throughout its various facilities to energy-efficient LEDs. “We started our first project back in 2010 with our body shop. We had 400-watt
metal halides that were going bad. We decided to go with T5 fixtures, which use less energy and cost less than fixing the metal halides,” explained Ron Price, Maintenance Supervisor.

As a result of those changes, the lighting in the shop improved dramatically, and the company saved more than $700 per month on its electric bill. With a rebate offered by PP&L, Lancaster Toyota was able to recover its costs of converting the body shop lighting in approximately two years.

According to Price, “From there we moved to our used car building and did the same thing with the metal halides there. After that, we swapped out T8s for LED tubes at our Mazda location.”

As with the body shop, the lighting in the used car and Mazda dealership facilities improved and the electricity costs decreased.

“With the PPL rebate, we paid those projects off in 14 months,” said Price. “With the success we had with those projects, we followed suit with installing LEDs when the T8s in our service drive went bad. With the cost savings and rebate, we paid that project off within just one year.” 

Last year, Lancaster Toyota also changed its parts department’s T8s to LEDs. The company estimates it will recover its costs for that project within one year. “A1 energy was a big help in seeing our lighting projects through from beginning to end,” shared Price.

We congratulate Lancaster Toyota on its success, and we commend it for choosing lighting that’s not only good for business but also kind to the environment. Is your company looking for sustainability solutions that will save money and treat the planet right? We’re here to help! Contact us today.

Jon