The Varied Industries Building – located at the center of the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa – just got a lot brighter with energy-efficient lighting upgrades! The building sees more than 600,000 people during the famous Iowa State Fair in August alone – whether it’s guests admiring the Blue Ribbon-winning quilts, stopping by to take pictures with the college sports mascots or shopping for the latest kitchen gadget!  There’s a lot to see in the Varied Industries Building, so after identifying that the lighting in the building was in need of an upgrade, the fairgrounds’ facilities team got connected with MidAmerican’s Instant Discounts program to help with financial viability of the project. 

The team first had to consider how limited operating hours would impact their return on investment. Even though the building doesn’t use energy consistently, they wanted to make sure the upgrades they chose would be worth their time and the upfront costs.  MidAmerican’s approved Instant Discounts providers, Sitler’s LED Supplies and Baker Electric, worked with the fairgrounds’ facilities team to help them learn and understand the benefits that upgrading their lighting could bring to the building and those who attend events there every year. With the help of the Instant Discounts program, lower upfront costs, as well as long-term financial and operational benefits, made investing in the project an easy decision.  The project team worked together to install more than 500 new LED fixtures in the building, which use less energy and complement the building’s unique architecture.