For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Services
(920) 892-5805
dcary@oriones.com
Richard Schmidt
Shop Superintendent,
Washington County Vehicle Maintenance
West Bend WI
(262) 335-4438
Change to Orion system slices lighting costs 52% for Washington County Vehicle Maintenance Department
By reducing its electric power consumption substantially, the Washington County Vehicle Maintenance Department has earned an environmental Stewardship Award from Orion Energy Services, of Plymouth.
A reduction of some 158,041 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year came about because of a change from outmoded metal halide lighting to Orion’s energy efficient Illuminator ™ T8 fluorescent lighting fixtures. All told, the department replaced 234 outmoded 450-watt metal halide lights with a similar number of 224-watt Orion Illuminator ™ fixtures in the vehicle shop, wash and storage areas.
According to federal EPA formulas, a power saving that size is the equivalent of planting a 29-acre forest or removing 22 cars from the roads.
It also means cleaner air: over the 20-year expected lifespan of the Orion lighting fixtures, the power reduction will mean some 2,371 tons of carbon dioxide, 646 tons of carbon, 20 tons of nitrogen oxides and nine tons of sulfur dioxide that would have been produced by generating that electric power will not be released into the atmosphere at all. Or, stated another way, the power reduction is the equivalent of saving 287,347 gallons of gasoline or 6,842 barrels of fuel oil over the same 20-year span.
The power reduction has also meant a direct saving of some $13,700 per year for the county department, a lighting power cost reduction o0f 52%.
“We’re very glad to receive the award,” said shop superintendent Richard Schmidt, who spearheaded the retrofit project. “We have to admit, however, that when we started environmental considerations weren’t uppermost in our minds.”
“Our electric bill was darned high.” he said. “We were told to figure out ways to come up with lower power usage.
Schmidt said he had heard of Orion’s energy efficiency story and called contacts until he located a company that handled Orion. “An Orion representative came put a meter on a certain number of our existing 450-Watt Metal Halides and the same number of the Orion ones, so we had the same number of each type. We watched the lights, watched the usage when they were turned on — and there was a 48-52% difference in the (power) draw.”
Despite the verified savings potential, Schmidt said, “it was a tough sell to the County Board. We had built a new shop and then another shop a year before so, understandably, there was quite a bit of resistance to changing lighting in a building that was only a year old. I give them credit for doing that.”
“Important as they are, the benefits of this project do not end with cost savings, positive environmental impact and a better quality of light,” commented Orion president Neal Verfuerth. “Taking 158,041 kWh off the power grid benefits our economy because it tends to lessen the upward pressure on electric power rates by decreasing the demand – and that is an issue we are all facing.”
These savings are real and permanent,” Verfuerth continued. “This sustainable savings of electrical consumption could serve as a model for all other energy users and I think it’s especially important for smaller businesses who are actually players in a global energy marketplace.”
“But best of all, Washington County didn’t have to give anything up or ‘do without’ to achieve all this. I see nothing but benefits in their move in any direction I look. And that is the way we think things should work.”
Washington County, Wisconsin, is known for the manufacture of name brand products, including Regal Ware and West Bend appliances and cookware, Broan range hoods, Midas mufflers, Gehl farm machinery and Enger Kress fine leather goods. Machine tooling, metal fabrication, printing, pharmaceutical distribution, photo finishing, and trucking are a portion of additional businesses comprising the manufacturing industry. With gentle rolling landscape carved by glaciers and capped by the historical landmark of Holy Hill, Washington County provides an interesting atmosphere for family living, business and industry.
Located in Plymouth, WI, Orion Energy Systems has been innovating in the energy and lighting business since 1996. Orion’s innovative Illuminator ® fixture, an energy-efficient lighting platform for industrial applications, has been awarded a series of 14 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, Orion has applied for numerous other patents related to metering and control technologies for lighting.
Neal Verfuerth, Orion President, received one of Wisconsin’s most prestigious awards, the Ernst & Young 2004 Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year.
Orion provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. Visit the Orion website at http://www.oriones.com/.
