A Local Deli Shows Itself In a New Light

Thanks to increased energy savings and major incentives, an LED lighting upgrade at Stein’s Deli paid for itself in four months.

For over 40 years, Stein’s Famous Deli has served local Northeast Philadelphia customers as they sit down to eat a Reuben sandwich or grab some cookies and hand-sliced lox to go.

But for all its old-school charm, Stein’s desperately needed one upgrade: better lighting.

It wasn’t just about saving energy (though they would, to the tune of 40,000 kWh per year), says owner Lee Stein. A combination of new LEDs — offering improved lighting quality — plus new fixtures freshened up the space without changing its historic charm.

Stein’s could afford to replace both their LEDs and fixtures thanks to incentives from PECO Small Business Solutions, which covered 80% of the upfront upgrade costs. That left only 20% of the total bill for Stein to pay. With continued savings from reduced energy use, the project paid for itself in four months.

“I was so happy with how it worked out,” said Lee Stein. “We saved money on the installation and improved the look and feel of the space. It’s cleaner and brighter every day at work since the new lighting. And we are saving money, too.”