For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Systems
dcary@oriones.com
920-892-5804
Pat Odette
Vice-president and co-owner
Matrex Mold and Tool Co.
(608) 742-6565
Switch to Orion lighting cuts lighting power usage by 33,984 kWh per year, providing measurable and permanent environmental benefits
Matrex Mold and Tool Co., of Portage WI has been chosen to receive Orion’s environmental stewardship award for its recent annual 33,984 kWh lighting power reduction — better than 50 percent — that came as a result of a change in plant lighting to a system from Orion.
Environmentally, a power reduction this size means that over the 20-year life of the Orion system, some 663 tons of carbon dioxide, 181 tons of carbon, 2.9 tons of sulfur dioxide and 1.4 tons of nitrogen oxides will not be released into the atmosphere. It is also the air-scrubbing equivalent of a six-acre forest or or removing five cars from the road permanently and is the conservation equivalent of saving 2,805 gallons of gas each year. The move also cut the Matrex electric bill for lighting by over 50 percent, as well.
“For us, it’s a little hard to do something environmentally beneficial because we don’t use harsh chemicals and are involved already on several levels with recycling,” said said Pat Odette, vice-president and, along with partner John Matson, co-owner of Matrex. “We do use a lot of electricity, but a good chunk less now than before — and it’s a little surprising to see what that reduction means environmentally. This was a true win-win situation,”
All told, Matrex replaced 85 conventional fluorescent fixtures with 83 Orion Illuminator ® T8 fluorescent fixtures. As a result, the electric power used for lighting fell from 72,783 kWh annually to 38,799 – a saving of 33,984 kWh, or some 45.8 percent. Operating costs fell correspondingly.
Odette said that the Matrex shop was a different place with the Orion lighting and the difference has been well-received by the Matrex workforce.
“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 33,984 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 companies, and is especially important for smaller businesses who are actually players in a global energy marketplace.”
“But best of all, Matrex 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.”
Located in Portage, WI, Matrex Mold and Tool manufactures and imports plastic-injection mold tooling. The company provides product development, offers a sampling operation and can provide initial plus short runs of parts. Matrex’ expertise includes plastic and silicone molds, high-speed machining operations in both steel and graphite, solid model part and mold design, prototype parts and prototype molds, production molds, initial part runs, mold repairs and modifications, contract wire EDM and state-of-the-art manufacturing. Matrex may be reached at 608/742-6565. Visit the Matrex website at matrexmold.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.
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/.
