Orion Energy Systems: Environmental Stewardship Award suits West Bend printing firm to a T

For further Information contact:

Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Systems
dcary@oriones.com
(920)-892-25804

Jeff Schroeder, President
Graphix Inc.,
1100 Lang St., West Bend WI 53090
(262) 338-3998.

Graphix cited by Orion for environmental benefits of reducing electric power used for lighting by 22,632 kWh per year

For substantially reducing theamount of electric power it uses for lighting, Graphix Inc., a West Bend WI firm whose main business is printing T-shirts, has received an Environmental Stewardship award from Orion Energy Services, of Plymouth WI.

The award cites the printing firm because its recent change to Orion lighting reduced the annual amount of electric power it uses for lighting by 22,632 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. According to Federal EPA formulas, a power reduction this size will mean that over the 20-year life of the Orion fixtures, 441 tons of carbon dioxide and 120 tons of carbon, 1.9 tons of sulfur dioxide and one ton of nitrogen oxides – all greenhouse-gas by-products of electric power generation — will not be put into the atmosphere.

In the same 20-year time span, the reduction will also be the equivalent of saving 37,451 gallons of gas and is rated by EPA figures to be the air-scrubbing equivalent of a four-acre forest or removing four cars from the road.

“It’s an honor to receive an award of any type,” said Jeff Schroeder, Graphix president. “And it’s important for me as a business owner to make sure I’m doing my part for the economy as well as the environment — and also for my people. So anything I can do of an investment nature that improves everything is important to me. It makes me feel great to be selected for the award.”

All told, Graphix replaced 26 465-watt metal halide fixtures in its shop with 26 186-watt four-tube state-of-the-art Illuminator ™ T8 fluorescent fixtures made by Orion. This dropped the amount of power Graphix uses for lighting from 37,721 kWh to just 15,089, a drop of 22,632 kWh or 60%. Graphix’ power costs, of course, dropped correspondingly.

Schroeder said that cost savings were not Graphix’ only benefit from the change. Orion’s T8 fluorescent technology provides light that is close to pure white – the equivalent of sunlight at noon.

“We’re working with inks and colors, so it gives us more of a true daylight look than the mercury bulbs,” Schroeder said. “They were giving us more of a purple, blue, orange or yellow tint –and they change, too. Our employees love the change because they don’t have to go outside, and match the color to the book.”

“Expecting even a change for the better to cost more is the way things usually go,” commented Neal Verfuerth, Orion president, “Most of us would think that way.”

“Here, however, Graphix not only got the better lighting it was looking for, but saved substantially on power costs and provided a significant environmental benefit into the bargain. And taking a chunk of electrical power off the grid will tend to keep electric rates stable by reducing demand.”

“This sustainable electric power saving could serve as a model for other companies — and I think it’s especially important for smaller businesses who are actually players in a global energy marketplace.”

“I see no negatives here. And that is the way we feel things ought to work.”

Graphix Inc., 1100 Lang St., West Bend, specializes in high-volume contract textile printing – T-shirts, jackets, hats for the most part — with some work at present with things like coolers, decals, bumper stickers, etc. The company has no website but may be reached at (262) 338-3998.

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/.