For further Information contact:
Mike Pavlovich, Vice-President
Great Lakes Technology
2001 Mirro Drive
Manitowoc, Wisconsin 53021
866-526-4920
mp@gltmfg.com
Richard E. Velten, Manager, Manufacturing Engineering
The Vollrath Co.
1236 N. 18th St.
Sheboygan WI 53082
(920) 459-5380
When power usage is reduced, the power that is saved does not have to be generated at all — and this fact produces some real and measurable environmental benefits, according to the Federal EPA.
Due to a retrofit with lighting from Great Lakes Technology of Manitowoc, the Vollrath Company of Sheboygan trimmed the amount of power it uses for lighting 40%, cutting its lighting power consumption from 2,670,199 kWh per year to 1,556,545, a saving of 1,046,654 kWh per year.
The reduction has earned for Vollrath the Great Lakes Technology’s Friend of the Environment Award, presented to companies making significant power reductions through use of GLT products.
According to governmental formulas, Vollrath’s saving of 1,046,654 kWh will mean that each year 1,020 tons of carbon dioxide, 278 tons of carbon, 4.4 tons of sulfur dioxide and 2.1 tons of nitrogen oxides — pollutant products of power generation — will not be released.
Stated another way, the power reduction is the air-scrubbing equivalent of taking 169 cars permanently off the road or creating a 192-acre forest. It is also the conservation equivalent of saving 86,402 gallons of gasoline each year.
The project began, according to Manufacturing Engineering Manager Rich Velten, because “We had a suggestion from our Executive Vice President to look at lighting for possible energy savings in the Sheboygan Plant. Energy-efficient lighting projects had been done in two other buildings — a hangar and a stamping facility in Milwaukee — so we knew something about it.”
“We had also heard that another company had re-lamped one of their hangars with energy-efficient fluorescents so I went and looked at them,” added Maintenance Supervisor Russ Senkbeil. “We then called in Ener-Save (a West Bend lighting contractor that has a relationship with Great Lakes Technology) and they did an engineering study here.”
“Ener-Save let us sample the fixtures,” Velten said. “We hung some fixtures and checked them for energy use, and we built our justification around those results. We also asked the opinion of people who would be working under them. It was pretty straightforward.”
“We were looking to get a better color-rendering light to work under,” Senkbeil said. “We work with stainless steel and the high-pressure sodium lights we had gave poor color rendering for working with scratches and finishes. The energy-efficient fluorescents give a much better quality of light.”
The color-rendering ability of energy-efficient fluorescent lights has been compared to sunlight at noon. These lights, as well as household incandescents are the closest to pure white light of any light sources in common use.
“We found the savings we had anticipated — about 40 percent on operating costs — are there, and we also improved the quality of lighting throughout the plant,” Velten said. “We have heard only one minor complaint from our employees, and other than that it’s been pretty quiet,” he added. “We feel that’s a very good sign.”
Senkbeil echoed the latter comment: “I have not had one complaint. What I hear most often is that the new fluorescents, although brighter, are easier on the eyes than HPS.
All told Vollrath replaced an assortment of 1019 400W, 360W, 310W. 250W and 190W HPS lamps with the same number of Great Lakes 221W fixtures. Energy usage fell from 2,6703,199 kWh per year to 1,556,545, just under 40 percent, saving some 1,046,654 kWh per year.
“We are pleased to receive this award as the project results provided a positive environmental impact, improved plant lighting and a long term savings for the Company” stated Velten.
The energy savings and environmental benefits are possible because Great Lakes Technology utilizes state-of -the-art design in joining highly efficient reflectors and durable, low-temperature electronic ballasts with the highly efficient T8 fluorescent technology. This means that GLT fixtures not only produce more and better-quality light than the HIDs they were designed to replace, but operate 1000 degrees F cooler and turn on and off instantly, saving delays after power outages.
“Besides the environmental considerations, taking that million kWh off the power grid benefits us all,” commented Great Lakes Technology vice-president Mike Pavlovich. “This action tends to stabilize electric prices by reducing the demand — and rising energy rates are a problem we’re all facing in the future. We congratulate the Vollrath Company on this many-sided achievement, which could serve as a model for other companies.”
The Vollrath Company of Sheboygan WI, began as an enamelware company and earned national reputation by the end of the in the 19th century. Later, the enamelware market expanded from home use to some of the foremost restaurants, hospitals and other institutions in the United States — and, as the needs of the marketplace changed, Vollrath responded by replacing enamelware with stainless steel and expanding its product offering. With continual expansion and acquisitions, Vollrath produces an array of products from stainless steel and aluminum to molded plastics and fabricated steel for the worldwide foodservice industry and select OEM customers. Vollrath has established branch offices with warehousing facilities in Glasgow, Scotland; Troyes, France and Auckland, New Zealand as well as a subsidiary and warehouse in Guadalajara, Mexico and has distribution in most countries. After over 131 years in the business, the Vollrath Company L.L.C. is still setting the standard in the foodservice equipment industry. Visit the Vollrath website at http://www.vollrath.com/
Ener-Save Services is a unit of Steiner Electric Co., of West Bend Wisconsin that specializes in energy efficient lighting sales and installations. Ener-Save is located at 2323 Sylvan Way, West Bend WI, (262)438-0052, and Mark Spletzer at mspletzer@ener-saveservices.com . Visit the Steiner website at http://www.steiner-electric.com/ .
Great Lakes Technology (GLT) is a leader and innovator in the design and manufacture of high performance lighting products. GLT’s technology platform and patented modular fluorescent lighting designs allow for future field-installable upgrades, like the ability to set up fixtures as a load shedding instrument through use of our building management system interface technology. GLT’s cutting edge products provide sustainable, guaranteed energy savings with the industry’s fastest return on investment (ROI). GLT has created, developed and built a light source that is up to 50 percent more energy efficient, produces up to 50 percent more and better quality light, weighs 50 percent less and operates 1000 degrees cooler than traditional HID technology. Visit the GLT website at http://www.gltmfg.com/
