For Immediate release:
January 10, 2006
For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Services
1204 Pilgrim Rd.
Plymouth WI 53073
(920) 892-2935
dcary@oriones.com
Charles Yanke, CEO/Owner
Vulcan Lead Inc.
1400 W. Pierce St.
Milwaukee WI 53204
(414) 645-2040 ex. 213
cyanke@vulcanlead.com`
A 54 percent two-plant electric power reduction of some 69,649 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year has earned for Vulcan Lead Inc. of Milwaukee the Environmental Stewardship Award presented by Orion Energy Services of Plymouth. The reduction — which provides numerous environmental benefits as well as a significant cost saving — came as a result of Vulcan’s decision to change its lighting from the metal halide variety to a state-of-the-art Orion T8 fluorescent system.
The power saving benefits the environment because the power saved no longer has to be generated at all. According to US government formulas, the 69,649 kWh saved by Vulcan will mean that, over the 20-year estimated life of the Orion fixtures, 1,358 tons of carbon dioxide, 370 tons of carbon, 5.9 tons of sulfur dioxide and 2.8 tons of nitrogen oxides — all pollutant by-products of power generation — will not be released into the atmosphere.
Stated differently, the reduction is the air-scrubbing equivalent of a 13-acre forest or removing 11 cars permanently from the road and the conservation equivalent of saving 5,750 gallons of gasoline each year.
"We appreciate receiving an environmental award," commented Charles Yanke, Vulcan’s CEO and owner. "We’re in one of the most regulated industries there is — seemingly on a first-name basis with all the regulatory agencies and the news media as well."
Yanke said he initiated the project. "I knew of Orion and thought it was such a great product and was saved so much energy I thought we ought to do it," he said. "Our employees have loved it — they have more light than they ever had before. Much better that the high-pressure sodium lighting we had before."
All told, Vulcan replaced 94 high-pressure sodium fixtures in the two plant Mill Road and Pierce St. — with 94 Illuminator ® fixtures from Orion. As a result, the power Vulcan uses for lighting dropped from 134,385 kWh per year to 64,736, a 54% saving of 69,649 kWh.
"Besides the cost savings and environmental benefits involved, this project took 69,649 kWh off the power grid," commented Orion president Neal Verfuerth. "That is an economic benefit to all of us because reducing demand is a step toward stabilizing electric power rates and usage — and those are issues we’re all facing."
"So we congratulate Vulcan on their noteworthy accomplishment. May it help them live long and prosper."
An award winning full-service lead house, Vulcan Lead Inc offers a turnkey system for die, gravity or hand poured casting, extruding, die cutting, rolling, forming, machining and/or painting lead parts, either pure lead or alloy. Though not used as extensively as it once was, lead is a favored material for some gaskets in the chemical industry, X-ray and nuclear shielding, balance weights, sealing washers, vibration and sound-dampening components and in acid-resistant applications. In an unusual application, Vulcan equipped the Dennis Sullivan –first tall ship built in Wisconsin in over 100 years — with almost 90,000 pounds of keel ballast. Vulcan can also properly dispose of your scrap, obsolete, worn and/or damaged lead parts. Visit the Vulcan website at http://www.vulcanlead.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 www.oriones.com.
