Contact: David Gallianetti, Lakeland College, 920-565-1219; or Steve Heins, Orion Energy Services, 920-892-5800
Saving 2.1 Million kWh with New Energy Efficient Lighting System
November 17, 2005. Sheboygan, WI. Lakeland College has received the Environmental Stewardship Award for an energy efficient lighting project in its new gymnasium and the Todd Wehr Athletic Center, which included 110 high performance lighting fixtures. The new facility has been approved for regular season and tournament basketball by the NCAA.
The project was managed and supplied by Orion Energy Systems of Plymouth, Wisconsin. Lakeland is an independent, four-year college with total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, including a record 915 attending its Sheboygan County campus.
“Lakeland has a proud athletic tradition for both the men’s and women’s sports programs, so we wanted a 21st century athletic facility that was player and fan friendly,” said Gary Grzesk, head men’s basketball coach and a former standout player at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “The new lighting system, the new state-of-the-art workout areas and trainer’s room and the floating wooden floors are examples of that sensibility.”
Orion’s award winning energy efficient lighting fixture, the Illuminator, has been specifically designed for use in gymnasiums, auditoriums, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution centers, and other large-box buildings. Using a patented reflector system, the Illuminator uses 50% less electricity than the traditional industrial 400-watt fixtures, while producing over 50% more light.
“We were delighted that Lakeland chose Orion’s energy efficient lighting fixtures for the lighting projects in its world class athletic facilities,” stated Neal Verfuerth, President of Orion. “No doubt a lot of people know that Lakeland has a proud athletic tradition, but Lakeland also deserves to be recognized for its environmental awareness in all phases of construction for the Moose and Donna Woltzen Gymnasium and the renovation of the Wehr Center.”
According to Orion Energy Systems, the “Illuminator” lighting platform has earned several U.S. patents and recently won Wisconsin’s prestigious Manufacturer of the Year Award presented by Wisconsin Manufacturer and Commerce for the second time in four years.
“We are extremely proud to have had an active part in helping Lakeland College not only upgrade the lighting in both their gymnasiums, but also substantially lower the level of energy use and cost for both,” stated Mike Potts, VP of Orion Energy Systems and Lakeland alum. “The new athletic facilities should be a great showcase for Lakeland.”
Overall, Lakeland College has displaced (or, reduced consumption) 102,400 Kilowatt hours of electrical usage annually and 2.1 million kWh over the lifetime of the lighting system, which is the equivalent of removing 290 cars from the road each year or saving 169,450 gallons of gasoline. The actual environmental impact for the project is a reduction of emissions that include 1,997 tons of carbon dioxide, 545 tons of carbon, 8.7 tons of sulfur dioxide and 4.2 tons of nitrogen oxide. In addition, Lakeland has a new energy efficient chiller system that provides over 80% of all the air-conditioning in the facilities.
“We wanted to use local companies who were emerging as industry leaders, which is why we chose Orion Energy Systems,” stated Tony Fessler, General Counsel and VP for International Programs. “They are an example of how energy efficiency and environmentalism can be combined into one great cost effective idea.”
“On behalf of Lakland College, we proudly accepted this Environmental Stewardship Award,” Dr. Stephen Gould, President of Lakeland College. “When we were designing the new facility, selecting the most environmentally-friendly products to build it was an important part of our decision making.”
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About Lakeland College
Lakeland is a four-year independent college affiliated with the United Church of Christ whose principal campus is located in Sheboygan County. The college serves over 4,000 students – 915 in its undergraduate campus-based day program, approximately 1,700 at its seven evening Kellett School Centers for Adult Education located throughout Wisconsin, nearly 700 students in its internet-based Lakeland College Online program, over 400 in its four graduate programs and 300 at its two-year campus in Tokyo, Japan. The college, founded in 1862 by German immigrants, is in the midst of six straight years of record enrollment. Visit Lakeland on the web at www.lakeland.edu.
About Orion
Orion Energy Systems has been innovating in the energy and lighting business since 1996. Neal Verfuerth, President of Orion Energy Systems, received two of Wisconsin’s most prestigious awards, Ernst & Young’s 2004 Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year and WMC’s Manufacturer of the Year 2004 Grand Award Recently, Orion has Received the 2004 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Award given by the Wisconsin DNR. In addition, the company won the 2002 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Grand Award in the Emerging Growth category, given by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Association, the Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment Award, and was chosen as a “Success Story” for the 2002 Governor’s Summit on Capital. Orion’s innovative Illuminator, an energy-efficient lighting platform for industrial applications, has been awarded a series of 12 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, it has applied for numerous other patents relating to metering and control technologies for lighting.
Orion is an energy services company (ESCO), which manufactures and markets energy efficient lighting solutions for the school, gymnasium, manufacturing, warehousing, and commercial markets. Orion provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. For more information, please contact Stephen Heins, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Orion Energy Systems, sheins@oriones.com; 920-892-9340, ext. 226 or visit the web site at www.oriones.com
