The U.S. needs more electricity than ever. Rapid data center growth, coupled with AI and a rebounding American industrial sector are all increasing demand for electricity at a rate not seen for decades. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the national average commercial electricity rate in 2024 (the most current data available) was 12.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). ICF, a global consulting company, estimates prices will increase by nearly 20% by 2028 and by more than 37% by 2032. The sharp projected rise in prices reflects a surge in expected demand; consider that the national five-year forecast issued in 2024 was five times the level predicted just two years earlier.

Increasing production capacity is only one aspect of the costly investments utilities must make. The U.S. power grid is aging. Over 70% of the country’s transmission lines are more than 25 years old, with many approaching the end of their 50- to 80-year lifespan. Under traditional regulatory directives, utilities recover these massive capital investments by filing for and receiving rate increases, which ultimately pass the costs directly to their customers. 

In a very real sense, you are a captive consumer. You must buy your electricity from your local utility at whatever price they are legally permitted to charge. The only way to gain control of this ever-increasing operating cost is to purchase fewer watts of power. With LED lighting being your single largest user of electricity, operating your lights all night at full brightness simply wastes money, while turning them off partway through the night is an invitation for bad things to happen. Appropriate scheduling of nightly dimming events throughout your rooftop site can reduce your electricity costs by as much as 90% without compromising safety or merchandising impact. In addition, you can now upgrade key areas of your site, such as your front-row “merchandising line” with brighter, more efficient dimmable LED lights to draw more positive attention to your dealership and its inventory, all while consuming less wattage. 

Trydon’s outdoor lighting control system can accomplish all of the above objectives . . . and more! Additionally, 100% deductibility of capital improvements in the first year of operation, combined with Trydon’s subscription program, preserves your cash reserve for more important matters, such as purchasing cars for resale rather than tying it up in bricks and mortar. 

Additional benefits of the Trydon subscription program include:

• 100% warranty support (parts and labor) for all equipment (lighting controllers, new lights, even light poles) supplied to the project 
• All Trydon software upgrades and enhancements are installed by Trydon personnel 
• 24-hour telephone-based customer support
• Incentive programs for energy efficiency

Financial incentives are available from TVA Energy in southern Kentucky, with LG&E/KU supporting the rest of the state, for energy-efficient projects, including:

• Replacing older lighting systems (metal halide or LED) with high-performance dimmable LEDs
• Installing the Trydon lighting control system to optimize energy use

Leveraging these programs can further enhance cost savings and operational efficiency while supporting sustainability goals.

Making Trydon the first capital project of the year can support additional site improvements later on. We welcome the opportunity to show you how we can benefit your operation.