Contact:
Tom Andrews
262.673.6263
414.732.7371
andrewst@charter.net
Energy Performance Lighting to Cut Organization’s Energy Consumption, Maintenance Costs
Madison, WI – The Habitat for Humanity ReStore will soon be able to reduce its lighting energy consumption by 65 percent while cutting the lighting maintenance costs by 75 percent, thanks to a donated energy efficient lighting upgrade by Energy Performance Lighting (EPL). The lighting replacement project will take place on February 27, 2012 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Habitat ReStore, 208 Cottage Grove Road in Madison.
Energy Performance Lighting, which is based in nearby McFarland, will send a crew of lighting specialists to make the ballast, lamps and fixture more efficient to provide the store with the appropriate amount of light for the activities performed in the store. Though the exact energy savings are always tied to the number of hours the store is open, EPL projects the lighting changes will save the Habitat ReStore $3,200.00 per year. The total donation in labor and materials is valued at $16,000.00.
“We will be taking old inefficient T12 lamps with magnetic ballasts down and be replacing them with high efficiency T8 lamps, ballasts, and shiny white reflectors,” said Rodney Heller, Lead Lighting Designer at EPL. “We will then take the old material and have everything recycled. Nothing gets thrown away! This is the same way the Habitat ReStore works!”
The Habitat ReStore is a fundraising arm of Habitat for Humanity. The retail store sells donated building materials to the public and the money raised is used for building homes in Dane County. Since the ReStore opened 10 years ago, it has helped build 20 homes in the area.
“For the past 10 years, we have been looking at various ways to be more efficient and sustain our business because our facility is pretty old,” said Jennifer Voichick, Director of ReStore. “We had an audit done on our utilities and I thought we would find out that we were poorly insulated and that’s where most of our costs lie. Instead, most of our utility cost is in the lighting. We didn’t have the money to change the antiquated lighting but Energy Performance Lighting was the angel that came out of nowhere to address our lighting issue. Their willingness to do this was just a fantastic surprise.”
“As a company, we like to help non-profits out when we can and we try to donate one project per year,” said Heller. “ReStore was the project selected this year because their lighting is so bad and they are just a good organization.”
The Habitat ReStore donates enough money to build one home each year and the money saved by the EPL lighting retrofit will go right back into building new homes.
Editor’s note: Rodney Heller, Certified Lighting Efficient Professional (CLEP), and Jennifer Voichick, Director ReStore, are available for interviews. Please contact Tom Andrews as noted above for interview and photo/video arrangements.
About the Habitat ReStore
Working in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, the Habitat ReStore sells donated building materials to the general public for up to 75% off retail price. Sales from the Habitat ReStore provide enough income to build two Habitat for Humanity homes in Dane County a year. Since its inception in 2002, the Habitat ReStore has helped build 20 homes in Dane County. For more information, please visit http://www.restoredane.org.
About Energy Performance Lighting
Founded in 2003 and based in McFarland, WI, Energy Performance Lighting (EPL) works with businesses and consumers to ensure they have the correct lighting and are using energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs. EPL is driving the evolution of best practices in the lighting industry and its groundbreaking research includes collaboration with scientists to explore the physiological and psychological effects of lighting in the workplace. EPL customers benefit from innovative strategies for upgrading lighting, not only to save money but to also increase employee productivity. For more information, call 608.661.5555 or visit http://www.energyperformancelighting.com.
