Community Updates

Why Target Stores Flipped the Switch to These Energy-Saving Lights

Call it a light bulb moment. Back in 2015, Target kicked off a test at about 100 of our stores. We replaced the old fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling with light-emitting diodes, or as we all know them today—LED lights.

Brand Provided | By Target | Published 5 years ago | About a 2 minute read

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It was a strategic and eco-friendly move. That’s because high-quality LEDs consume less energy and last about three times longer than old bulbs. Today more than 2 million LED fixtures are in place across nearly all 1,800-plus Target stores nationwide. And the fixtures will be added to every new store we open. They’re already amounting to millions of dollars in cost savings and are poised to make a big impact for our energy reduction goals.

Thanks to these lights, we’ll reduce the energy required to power our stores by 10 percent annually—the equivalent of powering nearly 40,000 homes. (Talk about a glow-up!) Also, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, that’s the same as taking 70,000 cars off the road for the year. Yet another step toward achieving our new climate goals.

“At Target, we’re committed to using our size and scale to create a better tomorrow, and installing energy-efficient LED lights in stores across the country is another example of following through on that goal,” said John Leisen, Target’s vice president of property management. “These lights will save enough energy each year to power a small city, helping leave our planet in better shape for future families.”

Brightening our aisles isn’t the only thing these lights can do. Thanks to our partner, Acuity Brands, they also have built-in digital technology that interacts with the Target app for guests who opt-in, helping map their way through the store on a mobile phone. Think of it as GPS for your shopping experience!

“We’re proud to have partnered with Target, a true leader in sustainable operations,” said Audey Cash, Acuity Brands Lighting’s senior vice president of enterprise technology solutions. “With more than 2 million smart LED fixtures, Target will save an average of 470 million kilowatts of energy each year, helping their stores become even more energy efficient.”

Having LED lighting in our stores is a great milestone, but we’re not stopping there. In the next few years, we’ll put the fixtures in hundreds of Target parking lots, stockrooms, and other store spaces, too.

This work is just one reason why 80 percent of our stores (and counting) are ENERGY STAR®-certified, and one of many methods we’re exploring to design for tomorrow across our business. Our guests are helping too—every time they choose to buy LED light bulbs for their homes, they’re reducing their own energy use.

Check out more examples of how Target is designing for the future.