8 Energy-Saving Measures for Car Dealerships

Becoming a benchmark in sustainability is not just about talking about reducing consumption; “green dealerships” must know how they consume their energy, ensure it is globally sustainable, and identify how not to waste it and monitor it continuously.

Energy savings in dealerships can be achieved on several fronts.

Due to the particularities of the building type and its uses, the 3 main sources of energy consumption in a dealership are:

• Building HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
• Lighting
• Workshop equipment: Paint booths and compressor(s)

Eight efficiency measures to reduce consumption

dealerBest proposes some formulas that go beyond energy savings:

1. Proper HVAC management, through setpoints, habit changes, or installing a monitoring and control system.

2. Replacing old HVAC units with much more efficient new ones, such as inverter heat pumps or VRV systems, condensing boilers…

3. Ensuring lighting control (intensity and on/off) based on indoor light levels, space occupancy, and schedules, through a monitoring and control system.

4. Replacing old lighting technologies with LED technology, which is much more efficient.

5. Recovering heat from paint booths and using them correctly from an energy standpoint.

6. Replacing old compressors with new ones equipped with variable speed drives, which are much more efficient.

7. Raising staff awareness in showrooms and workshops, through talks and guidelines, and promoting the use of electric vehicles in company fleets.

8. And last but not least, the use of renewable energy: photovoltaic, biomass, and solar thermal.

dealerBest has created the “green dealership” program. A transformative concept in the relationship with energy, turning each dealership into a station for reducing, recycling, and reusing resources. It acts on energy use, infrastructure condition, consumption reduction, and team training to foster better habits.