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From Maintenance Drain to Operational Gain: URBN’s Lighting Overhaul

URBN’s (Urban Outfitters) fulfillment network was dealing with rising maintenance demands and inconsistent lighting across three high-output facilities, one being shy of 1 million square feet:

  • Gap, PA Fulfillment Center
  • Gap, PA Distribution Center
  • Reno, NV Fulfillment Center

Operating up to 20 hours per day, outdated fluorescent lighting systems created inefficiencies, poor visibility, and constant maintenance demands that strained operations teams and impacted overall facility performance.

Pacific Energy Concepts™ partnered with URBN and City Electric Supply (CES) to deliver a turnkey LED lighting and controls upgrade across nearly 12,000 fixtures; improving visibility, standardizing technology, reducing maintenance burdens, and generating substantial long-term savings.

The result was more than just an energy upgrade. It was a complete operational transformation; improving visibility, reducing maintenance demands, standardizing technology across facilities, and delivering $650,000 in annual energy savings.

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3 Million

Square Feet

12,000

Fixtures upgraded

$650,000

Total Annual Savings

Industry

Warehousing & Distribution

Key Benefit

Advanced Design & Controls, Incentives & Rebates, Prevantative Maintenance

PEC Solution

LED Lighting
Contact Sales

When Lighting Starts Holding Operations Back

 

In a high-volume fulfillment environment, lighting impacts more than visibility. It affects productivity, safety, accuracy, and daily operations.

Across three URBN facilities, nearly 12,000 aging fluorescent fixtures were underperforming and increasingly difficult to maintain. Light levels averaged just 15–20 foot candles, well below the recommended 28–35 needed for efficient warehouse operations.

Maintenance teams were spending 20–40 hours each week replacing failed lamps and ballasts, creating ongoing labor costs and operational disruptions. At the same time, inconsistent systems and aging technology made it difficult to standardize operations or build a scalable long-term lighting strategy.

What began as a maintenance issue had become a significant operational challenge.

We were spending about 20 to 40 hours a week… just repairing and replacing lamps and ballasts.”

Justin Owens
Director of Facilities at URBN

A Turnkey Lighting Upgrade Built for Performance and Savings

PEC partnered with URBN and City Electric Supply to design and implement a comprehensive LED lighting retrofit across all three facilities. The solution focused on:

Standardization was a key priority for URBN. By implementing Acuity LED fixtures and nLight® lighting controls across all three facilities, URBN created a more scalable, reliable, and easier-to-manage lighting platform for future operations.

PEC also secured approximately $450,000 in utility incentives to help offset project costs.

Utility incentives helped offset a substantial portion of the investment. Across the three sites, we secured about $450,000 in incentives.

Tommy Allen

Director of Product Strategy & Development at PEC

Building a Smarter, Standardized Lighting Network

One of URBN’s primary goals was creating greater consistency across facilities by standardizing both lighting technology and controls infrastructure.

PEC implemented Acuity LED fixtures paired with nLight® lighting controls across the three facilities, giving URBN a unified lighting platform that simplified maintenance, improved operational visibility, and created a scalable framework for future facility upgrades.

By standardizing controls and fixture technology, URBN reduced complexity for facility teams while improving long-term reliability and operational consistency across the network.

This approach also helped ensure lighting performance remained consistent from site to site; supporting easier management, improved troubleshooting, and more predictable operational outcomes.

Eliminating Maintenance Burdens at Scale

The impact of the project was immediate and measurable.

Financial & Energy Impact

  • $654,155 total annual savings
  • $557,431 annual energy savings
  • $96,724 annual maintenance savings
  • $449,276 incentives secured
  • 4,291,057 kWh reduced annually
  • 64% reduction in energy consumption

Operational Impact

  • Doubled light levels to improve visibility and operational accuracy
  • Eliminated ongoing maintenance challenges
  • Standardized lighting systems across three facilities
  • Zero lighting complaints following installation
  • Noticeable improvement in employee morale and workplace experience

Beyond the savings, the project created a more consistent, efficient, and reliable operating environment across URBN’s fulfillment network.

Immediate Impact, Measurable Gains

The impact of the project was immediate and measurable:

  • $650,000 in annual energy savings across three facilities
  • Approximately $450,000 in utility incentives secured
  • Elimination of frequent maintenance demands
  • Doubled light levels, improving visibility and operational accuracy
  • Standardized lighting systems across the network

Additional benefits included zero lighting complaints and a noticeable boost in employee morale; demonstrating the direct connection between infrastructure investment and workforce performance.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

URBN Urban Outfitters Before

AFTER

BEFORE

LED Lighting for Warehouses and Fulfillment Centers - URBN - Gap, PA

AFTER

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