BUSINESS & INDUSTRY CASE STUDY | MAY 2025

TVA EnergyRight® helps Houchens Food Group save money and energy with LED lighting incentive.

About Houchens Food Group, Inc. (HFG)

Houchens Food Group was originally founded in Glasgow, Kentucky, by Ervin G. Houchens in 1917 as Houchens Foods. More than a century later, Houchens Food Group operates more than 400 retail grocery, convenience, hardware stores, and quick-service restaurants across 15 states.

LED lighting incentive lowers costs and improves working conditions.

BOWLING GREEN, KY — Founded in Kentucky in 1917, Houchens Food Group has grown to more than 400 retail locations in 15 states. The growing company recently completed a comprehensive LED lighting upgrade at their corporate headquarters with help from an LED incentive from TVA EnergyRight and Bowling Green Municipal Utilities.

 

Before the upgrade, the building relied on outdated metal halide, incandescent and linear fluorescent fixtures — all of which are more expensive to operate than modern LEDs. The existing system included nearly 1,350 fixtures throughout the large office building and was replaced with a combination of linear T8 LED tubes and screw-in and pin-based LED lamps.

A lighting upgrade with a big impact.

The transition to modern LED technology is expected to reduce energy use by over 278,079 kWh annually, cutting operational and energy costs by an estimated $20,000. The project was supported by TVA EnergyRight and by Bowling Green Municipal Utilities with a $22,203 incentive.

Location

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Facility type

Large office building (>30,000 square feet)

Annual energy savings

278,079 kWh

TVA incentive received

$22,203

Upgrade

LED lighting

Local power company

Bowling Green Municipal Utilities

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