April 22 may be Earth Day this year, but Harris Ford Lincoln will get to celebrate sustainability year-round, thanks to upgrades the dealership made to the lighting in its facility.

By switching all the lighting fixtures in its parking lots to energy-efficient LED lighting, the Lynnwood-based dealership will cut its annual energy usage by more than 70 percent, from 222,216 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 61,555 kWh, according to an analysis prepared by the project contractor, Light Doctor in Mountlake Terrace. The project was completed this past March.

“Our updated lighting system does more than save energy: It also improves visibility for both our staff and customers,” said Luk Blackwell, General Manager at Harris Ford Lincoln. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about it and we’re glad we took this sustainable step.”

According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, energy-efficient lighting such as LEDs typically use 25- to 80-percent less energy than traditional incandescent lighting, and can last 3-25 times longer.