For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Systems
dcary@oriones.com
(920)-892-5804
Tim Flood
Facilities Manager
Moraine Park Technical College
West Bend WI 53090
(920) 929-2136
A lighting retrofit that reduced annual energy consumption by some 48,229 kWh — the environmental equivalent, according to Federal EPA formulas, of saving 3,981 gallons of gas per year, creating a nine-acre wood or removing eight cars from the road – has earned Moraine Park Technical College an Environmental Stewardship Award presented by Orion Energy Services of Plymouth.
“We’re really excited about the results we’re seeing from this project,” said Tim Flood, Moraine Park’s facilities manager, who spearheaded the project. “Any time we can save money and help the environment, it’s a great thing. Getting recognized for our efforts is just frosting on the cake.”
Besides the savings mentioned above, the 48,229 kWh reduction will keep some 47 tons of CO2, thirteen tons of carbon and 400 lbs. of sulfur dioxide out of the air each year.
All told, Moraine Park replaced 55 outmoded 400-watt metal halide and one older fluorescent fixtures in two classrooms with 53 4-lamp Illuminator ® T-8 fluorescent fixtures made by Orion. The power saving – some 56 percent — reduced.operating costs from about $7,347 annually to about $3,371.
“We’re really seeing the benefits,” Flood said. “Not only are we realizing a cost savings, but we’re also receiving a ton of compliments from staff and students about how bright this area is and how low maintenance it has been.”
“We’re always glad to see a chunk of power like MPTC’s 48,229 kWh per year come off the state’s power grid,” said Neal Verfuerth, Orion president. “Besides the financial and environmental benefits involved, it means less power is being demanded on the grid – and stabilization of electric power supplies is an issue we’re all facing.”
“By presenting MPTC with our Environmental Stewardship Award, Orion wants to highlight the fact that this energy efficient lighting project was good for everyone — good for the school’s’ bottom line, good for employee and student relations, good for the environment, good for our energy future.”
“Best of all, though, MPTC didn’t have to ‘do without’ or give up something to get these benefits because the Orion lights will pay for themselves relatively quickly. That is the way we think things should always work.”
Moraine Park Technical College offers more than 80 areas of study at the associate degree and technical diploma level as well as short-term learning opportunities and apprenticeships. With campuses in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac and West Bend and regional centers in Ripon and Hartford, the College serves an area that includes 26 K-12 school districts and covers all or parts of 10 counties. For more information, visit www.morainepark.edu.
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/.
