Orion Energy Services: Environmental Award to Sheboygan Paper Box

For further Information contact: Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Services
Plymouth WI
920-892-5804 dcary@oriones.com

Todd Wolf
Plant Manager
Sheboygan Paper Box Co.
Sheboygan WI
920-458-8373

Change of lighting brings 79,567 kilowatt-hour power saving, A considerable boon to local environment

That a good business practice – economizing – can go hand in hand with good environmental practice is the theme of the Environmental Stewardship Award presented recently to the Sheboygan Paper Box Company of Sheboygan WI. By Orion Energy Services Inc., of Plymouth.

Sheboygan Paper Box changed the lighting in both of its plants from older types to Orion’s Illuminator fluorescent systems, which typically produce twice as much light as older lighting technologies while using less than half the power — and, consequently, costing less than half as much to operate. Overall, the change trimmed the amount of power used for lighting by the company by an estimated 79,567 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually.

Sheboygan Paper Box’s 79,567 kWh reduction in power usage is the basis of the Orion award because it benefits the local by now not having to be generated at all. According to Federal EPA calculations, the reduction is the equivalent of planting some 15 acres of trees each year, removing 11 cars from the road each year or saving 7,233 gallons of gasoline each year.

It also means, according to the EPA, that over the 20-year life of the Orion fixtures, some 1,194 tons of carbon dioxide, 325 tons of carbon and ten tons of nitrogen oxides will not be released into the atmosphere.

“We were looking to upgrade our lighting,” said Sheboygan Paper Box Plant Manager Todd Wolf. “We had heard of Orion elsewhere, asked them in and decided to do a lighting retrofit in both buildings, plant one and two. We’ve been very happy with the quality of the light – especially our employees. And we’ve been happy with the cost outcome as well.”

“This award is great,” Wolf concluded. “I’m glad to see you doing this — kind of rewarding and noting things that are a benefit to the environment.”

Both the energy savings and positive environmental impact are provided by the fact that Orion Illuminator fixtures ‘harvest’ light emitted from all sides of a fluorescent tube with a specially formed, highly reflective surface. This directs light wasted by conventional fixtures downward to where it is usable. As a result, the Illuminator provides more light from far less energy than other types of fixtures.

Typically, the Illuminator is used with T8 full-spectrum fluorescent tubes and electronic ballasts. As a result, Orion systems provide a much more natural type of light (‘full spectrum’) than older fluorescent types, and are more popular with employees in the typical workplace. They are also able to turn on and off instantly, a feature that often provides added power savings.

The Illuminator recently won for Orion Wisconsin’s prestigious Spirit of Ecology Award. and was a key factor in Orion’s being named Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year recently, as well. Orion was recently awarded its fourth and fifth patents for the Illuminator.

“We like to see substantial amounts of electric power like this being removed from the power grid,” said Orion president Neal Verfuerth. “It not only benefits the environment but helps the economy as well because it tends to lessen the demand for more electric power – and this is a serious issue we all are facing. We are also glad that Sheboygan Paper Box didn’t have to give anything up or ‘do without’ to achieve this – in fact, for their investment they received lower operating costs and better lighting into the bargain. I see “wins” in every direction.”

Established in 1923, the Sheboygan Paper Box Company aims to supply customers with the best packaging available, utilizing modern, state-of-the-art equipment, which helps maintain consistency, high levels of quality, and on-time deliveries — all done with uncompromising standards of integrity. The company offers a full range of service and support under the guidance of a team of talented professionals using the latest in manufacturing technology at a state-of-the-art facility, from concept and design to warehousing and shipping. Visit Sheboygan Paper Box at http://www.spbox.com

Orion Energy Services, Plymouth WI, manufactures and markets energy efficient lighting solutions for the manufacturing, distribution center, warehousing, commercial, school, and gymnasium markets. Orion provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. Neal Verfuerth, Orion President, received one of Wisconsin’s most prestigious awards, the Ernst & Young 2004 Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year, and Orion has won numerous awards as a company. For more information, visit http://www.oriones.com.

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