Metalux Elevate: We ran the test. Here's what happened.

Background

A major big-box retailer sought to improve visual merchandising while reducing operational complexity and energy consumption. The goal was to find a solution that targeted the vertical surface where purchase decisions happen, without the need for high fixture counts or separate, unsightly emergency lighting hardware.

We ran the test. Here's what happened.

In a big-box retail store side-by-side comparison, Elevate delivered more vertical targets with fewer fixtures, lower watts per aisle, and on top of that, offered additional emergency lighting!

Challenge

In large-scale retail environments, success is measured on the shelves, not the floor. However, with traditional lighting, photometry layouts have horizontal footcandle targets, led by floor-level lighting guidelines. This approach frequently results in "hot spots" of maximum vertical light well above a person’s eye level, leaving the actual merchandise for customers under-illuminated and stocking areas above rows obscured by glare with light reflecting on packaging or plastic wrapping.

The Comparison: Visual Comfort and Glare Mitigation

In this side-by-side comparison, the performance difference was immediate and measurable.

Glare Mitigation:

While conventional optics produced high reflected glare off pallet wrapping and floors—distracting shoppers and obscuring product details—the Elevate lensed optics achieved a low max/min uniformity ratio. Reflective floor glare was barely apparent, creating a cleaner, more premium shopping environment.

Targeted Illumination:

Conventional fixtures wasted maximum vertical light well above eye level. Elevate focused light at the shopper’s eye level, where it matters most for product visibility.

Luminance Uniformity:

Wide luminaire spacing with Elevate achieved lower cumulative glare and better uniformity compared to the tight spacing required by conventional fixtures to meet similar light levels.

Results

Fewer Fixtures, Lower Costs

The pilot program yielded significant operational and financial benefits:

Reduced Fixture Count: By designing for vertical targets rather than floor footcandles, the retailer met all illumination requirements with fewer fixture rows.
Energy Savings: Fewer fixtures and lower watts per bay resulted in a measurable reduction in energy spend—a critical factor given that lighting typically accounts for 20% to 30% of retail energy costs.
Simplified Close-Out: With integrated egress, the project moved from purchase order to certificate of occupancy faster. There was only one fixture type to track, install, and inspect, removing coordination loops with the General Contractor.
Maximized Incentives: The high-efficiency LED upgrade qualified the facility for utility rebates and the Section 179D federal deduction.

Integrated Egress: Safety Without Complexity

How about integrating emergency lighting eliminating the need for separate, standalone emergency hardware? That’s where Advanced truEgress Integration comes in. While the Metalux Elevate excels at high-performance ambient retail lighting, another added true operational value is realized through its truEgress emergency lighting option. Traditional emergency solutions often require seperate set of fixtures and equipment that clutter the ceiling and complicate the electrical plan.

The Elevate Round High Bay solves this by embedding high-performance, directional LED egress lamps directly into the luminaire. It helped the retailer with:

Directional Precision: Unlike standard emergency lights that scatter light, truEgress utilizes unidirectional narrow-beam optics to precisely illuminate the path of egress.
355-Degree Flexibility: The integrated lamps feature 355-degree rotation, allowing for simplified aiming during installation to ensure safety requirements are met regardless of fixture orientation.
High-Mounting Capability: With multiple configurations (EEM2, EEM3, and EEM4), the system is optimized for mounting heights ranging from 15 feet up to 50 feet, making it suitable for both standard retail floors and high-bay distribution centers.

By bridging the gap between superior vertical illumination and advanced life safety, the Metalux Elevate ensures that a facility is not only optimized for sales but is also fully compliant and safer for occupants. The integration of truEgress within the Metalux Elevate system provides a dual advantage by significantly reducing both initial capital expenditure and long-term maintenance costs. This integrated approach streamlines the installation process by combining ambient and emergency lighting into a single SKU, allowing contractors to manage a single installation sequence and one final inspection point, ultimately accelerating the overall project timeline.

By switching to Metalux Elevate, the retailer achieved a "less is more" outcome: less hardware and lower complexity, but more light where it counts. The result is a cleaner ceiling plan, a more comfortable environment for customers, and a healthier bottom line for the facility operator