For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Systems
(920)892-5804
dcary@oriones.com
Neil Lundgren, General Manager
Bloomer Plastics Inc.
(715) 345-0009 or
plastics@coredcs.com
Bloomer Plastics Co, Inc. has been chosen to receive Orion’s environmental stewardship award for its recent annual 245,148 kWh lighting power reduction — better than 50 percent — that came as a result of a change in plant lighting.
Environmentally, a power reduction this size means that some 239 tons of CO2, 65 tons of carbon, one ton of sulfur dioxide and one-half ton of nitrogen oxides will not be released into the local atmosphere each year. This saving is also the air-scrubbing equivalent of a 45-acre forest, taking 40 cars off the road or the conservation equivalent of saving 27,490 gallons of gas edach year. The move also cut the Bloomer Plastics electric bill for lighting by 51 percent, as well.
“We appreciate receiving the award ,” commented Bloomer General Manager Neil Lundgren. “But the real reward for us has been the monthly savings and better quality of light.”
“The quality of the light is fine,” Lundgren continued. “It’s at least as good as what we had before and we’re saving a thousand bucks a month.”
Previously, that Bloomer plant had been lit by 199 high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, which were replaced by the same number of Orion Illuminator (R) T8 fluorescent fixtures.
As a result of the changeover, the power Bloomer uses for lighting went from 488,247 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year to 243,099 – an annual 51 percent saving of 245,099 kWh.
“The savings for Bloomer Plastics from this are both real and permanent,” said Neal Verfuerth, president of Orion Energy Systems, who supplied the new lighting system. “This sustainable savings from reduced electrical consumption could serve as a blueprint for other companies, and I think it’s especially important for smaller businesses who are actually players in a global energy marketplace.”
According to US government data, the business sector of the economy uses 70% of the power generated in the country — and about one third of that goes for lighting.
“By presenting Bloomer with our Environmental Stewardship Award, Orion wants to highlight the fact that this energy efficient lighting project was good for everyone — good for the Bloomders’ bottom line, good for employee relations, good for the environment, good for our energy future.”
Bloomer Plastics, Inc. specializes in extruding polyethylene film for the medical, automotive and aerospace industries. Among their products are reinforced industrial fabrics, bibs, aprons and gowns, release liners, tape backings, thermoform stock, multi-layer and laminated applications, vinyl substitutes, floor coverings and custom engineered films, all with an embossed pattern. Visit the company’s website at http://www.bloomerplastics.com/
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.
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/.
