For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Systems
920-892-5804
dcary@oriones.com
Bill Kraemer, plant supervisor
Roncalli Catholic High School
Manitowoc, WI
920-682-8802
Roncalli Catholic High School of Manitowoc has been chosen to receive Orion’s environmental stewardship award for its recent annual 15,941 kWh gym lighting power reduction of better than 51 percent. A power reduction produces a measurable environmental benefit because the power reduced no longer has to be generated at all, which means fewer pollutants are released into the atmosphere by power generation.
The reduction came as a result of a change from metal halide gym lighting to a T8 fluorescent system from Orion Energy Services of Plymouth. Orion T8 systems typically deliver twice the light at half the power usage and cost compared to the metal halide type.
According to federal government formulas, a power reduction this size means that, over the 20-year life of the Orion system, some 311 tons of carbon dioxide, 85 tons of carbon, 1.4 tons of sulfur dioxide and seven-tenths tons of nitrogen oxides will not be released into the atmosphere. It is also the air-scrubbing equivalent of a three-acre forest or removing three cars permanently from the road and is the conservation equivalent of saving 1,316 gallons of gasoline each year. The move cut the school’s electric bill for gym lighting by over 50 percent, as well.
“It is very nice working with a company that produces the results they promise,” commented Roncalli president John Stelzer, “and Orion certainly has done that for Roncalli. And we are certainly glad our actions benefit the environment.”
“I’m also a coach,” Stelzer added, “and I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the light. Our athletes and students have commented very positively about this, and so have teams and coaches from visiting schools.”
Roncalli plant supervisor Bill Kraemer, who spearheaded the retrofit project, said he had been attracted to Orion lighting systems by seeing them in other school gyms in the conference. Kraemer said he liked the quality and amount of light put out, the instant on-off capability, and particularly the longer lamp life of the fluorescents. Aided by his son, Kraemer replaced 14 metal halide lamps in the gym with an equal number of Orion Illuminator fixtures himself.
“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 15,941 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 other schools and companies — and I think it’s especially important for smaller entities who may not realize they are actually players in a global energy marketplace.”
“Best of all, Roncalli 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 energy efficiency issues ought to work.”
Manitowoc Roncalli Catholic High School was founded by the people of ten Roman Catholic parishes in the Manitowoc and Two Rivers, WI area High School in 1965. It was named for the late Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Pope John XXIII), who stood for values such as community, openness, and receptiveness to change. Roncalli is a four-year Catholic secondary school that is accredited by the State of Wisconsin, the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Catholic Education Association. Roncalli is also an active faith community committed to the families of students, whom it regards as partners in the effort to assist the students in achieving their fullest potential. Roncalli has an enrollment of 370, a student-to-faculty ratio of 14/1, and average class size of 23. Ninety percent of students take part in extracurricular activities, while 45 percent receive some form of financial aid. 39 percent of school funding comes from tuition, 27 percent from parish contributions, 25 percent from development and fundraising and nine percent from miscellaneous sources and endowments. Visit the Roncalli website at http://www.mps.k12.wi.us/roncalli/index_frame.html.
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/.
