Success Story: Hebron Baptist Church

Partner Information

Hebron Baptist Church, Dacula, Georgia
Annual cash savings: $32,000
Annual kWh savings: 450,000
Prevented 1 million pounds of CO2 emmission

Service and Product Provider

U.S. Energy Capital Corporation 
1540 Highway 138, Suite 3D
Conyers, GA 30013
Jim Borland, President
Phone: 1-800-562-1659

The Hebron Baptist church in Dacula, Georgia is illuminated not only by its bright and cheerful congregation, but by a new and improved energy-efficient lighting system! The Hebron Baptist church cares about the stewardship of creation, and understands how important it is not to waste energy or their operating budget. That is why they completed an energy-efficient lighting upgrade project that will ensure energy and dollar savings, and prevent pollution for many years to come. Hebron Baptist’s efforts can be appreciated by all who care about the environment and want clean air for future generations.

Hebron Baptist’s lighting upgrade was managed by Jim Borland’s U.S. Energy Capital, which provides innovative financing and management for energy efficiency upgrade projects all across the country. According to U.S. Energy Capitol, most financing packages can be structured to always produce positive cash flow for the end user. In the case of Hebron Baptist, after receiving almost a thousand new high quality energy-efficient lamps, their monthly loan payment was approximately $1,300 but their utility bill savings were over $2,700 per month! That’s $1,400 a month savings for the life of the equipment that goes directly to Hebron Baptist. Now that’s a good deal.

Over 900 fixtures were enhanced during the lighting upgrade project at Hebron Baptist. Older, inefficient lights were replaced by new T8 flourescent lights with electronic ballasts, reflectors were installed to improve light output, and 300 exit signs were converted to energy-efficient LED lamps. In addition to the energy and pullution savings provided by the new and more efficient lights, the overall quality of lighting was improved throughout the church.

The lighting project at Hebron Baptist is saving approximately $32,000 a year in church expenses, 450,000 kilowatt hours of energy, and preventing the release of more than 1 million pounds of CO2 (a greenhouse gas) from entering the air we breath.

The best part is that Hebron Baptist Church achieved savings and prevented tons of extraordinary energy pollution with no out of pocket expenses. This is a great example of creation stewardship benefiting the earth and a congregation’s budget.

Success Story: Vic’s Market

Partner Information

Vic’s Market, Sacramento, California
29,000 Sq. Feet
Annual Cash Savings: $48,000
Annual Energy savings: 685,715 kWh
Payback period: 3 years
Prevented 850,286 pounds of pollution

Service and Product Provider

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)

Numbers Speak for Vic’s Market

When Vic and LaReece D’Stefani saw the difference a lighting upgrade made for the atmosphere in a nearby supermarket, they considered doing the same in their Sacramento grocery store. With the help of an energy specialist from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the D’Stefanis began an energy-upgrade project that brought results beyond their expectations.

Brighter Lights, Lower Costs

In late 1993, Steve Sheckells, a SMUD energy specialist, worked with lighting contractors to replace old lighting in Vic’s Market. With accompanying reflectors, the new 4-ft. high-output, T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts increased light levels by 20 percent but lowered electricity bills by $1,800 a month. SMUD helped finance the first portion of the upgrade with a 50-percent rebate, so the payback period was less than a year long.

New Freezers, Cool Savings

“The D’Stefanis knew right away that this was a good thing,” says Sheckells of the energy upgrade. “Next they were ready for a new, 80-foot row of enclosed freezers to replace the 80 feet of open multideck freezers.” Glass doors for display cases bring a modern look and keep cold air where Vic wants it--with the food instead of cooling the aisles and making customers uncomfortable.

Not only did the new freezers save Vic’s Market an additional $1,600 in electricity bills, but they also made customers happy. “People complained that it was too cold in the freezer aisle before, so with the new equipment they shop longer,” explained D’Stefani.

Compressing Energy Costs

The energy upgrade did not stop with the new freezers, however. SMUD also helped finance phase III, a replacement of the compressor room and the purchase of new deli, meat, and freezer cases for Vic’s Market. “This part of the upgrade brought Vic’s another $2,500 in monthly savings and it helped us nearly phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) entirely,” claims Sheckells.

The major challenge that the refrigeration industry faces is the mandated phaseout of CFCs. Until recently, many refrigerators used CFC-based refrigerants. Because CFCs deplete the ozone layer and contribute to global climate change, new refrigerants have been developed to replace CFCs and are currently available in new units or as replacements for old units.

Big Savings For Bigger Profits

The list of benefits seems to be endless, as Vic’s Market continues to save money and bring in greater profits. “In my 50 years in the business, I had heard what a facelift and new lighting could do for your business,” says Vic D’Stefani, “but this project has increased our sales beyond what we expected.” More specifically, Vic’s Market now takes in 15 percent more in sales than it did before the upgrade. So what comes next? “We are buying a new store and hoping to do the same upgrades,” D’Stefani says.

Success Story: Thomas Mott Homestead Bed & Breakfast

Partner Information

Thomas Mott Homestead Bed & Breakfast, Alburg, Vermont
4,200 Sq. Feet lodging
Annual Cash Savings: $10,000
Annual Energy Savings: 140,000 kWh
Payback period: 6 years
Prevented 240,000 lbs. of pollution

Rustic Bed & Breakfast Offers ENERGY STAR Efficiency

At the mouth of the Missisquoi River, on Lake Champlain’s northern shore in Alburg, VT, sits the Thomas Mott Homestead Bed & Breakfast — a delightful, five-guest room, fully restored, pre-Civil War house that is not only charming, but also energy efficient. For its efforts to save energy while increasing profits, the bed and breakfast has received a 2000 ENERGY STAR for small business Award.

Thanks to the efforts of Patrick Schallert, president of the company, the inn has dramatically lowered its energy cost while becoming even more comfortable and attractive to guests.

Pretty Inn, Beautiful Savings

The inn was originally a farmhouse that was constructed in 1838. During the recent renovation of the building, Schallert opened all of the interior and exterior walls and filled them with insulation. All of the aluminum wiring was removed and replaced with copper wiring.

That was a good start to making the building tighter to prevent heat loss in the winter and cool air loss in the summer. But Schallert was just getting started. He replaced 39 double sliding glass windows and replaced them with highly efficient windows designed to minimize heat loss.

Now that the inn was tighter and less drafty, Schallert was ready to move on to the next stage.

Rustic Inn, State-of-the-Art Energy Technology

Sometime in the early part of this century, electric baseboards were installed to provide heating. Although in its day this technology was a viable way to heat buildings, by today’s standards it’s highly inefficient. Schallert switched to a continuous flow hot water system with a state-of-the-art boiler. He also converted the inn’s cooking facilities from electric to gas.

But Schallert wasn’t done yet. He also retrofitted highly efficient compact fluorescent lamps and planted trees to provide shade and reduce heating costs in the winter.

Inn-Credible Value

The results of Schallert’s efforts? In 1991, the inn spent $9,362 on electricity. In 1999, after the renovations were completed, the electricity bill was $1,370. Combine the savings from renovations with money saved on oil purchases, which, in addition to electric baseboards, was used to heat the inn, and Schallert’s total annual savings are approximately $10,000.

The journey to an energy efficient inn was not all-smooth sailing, however. At first, Schallert removed the 39 glass windows, installed insulation around the frames, and replaced the windows. It didn’t work, and Schallert had to remove the windows again. This time he used highly efficient glass windows. “I hate to do a job twice!” Schallert says.

His advice? “Do it right the first time by using the best materials…so you will never have to do it again.”

Now the inn is not only saving thousands of dollars a year on energy costs, it’s become more comfortable for its guests.

To Learn More…

To learn more about this beautiful bed and breakfast that boasts a perfect view of Mt. Mansfield, check out its Web site at http://www.thomas-mott-bb.com.

Thomas Mott Bed & Breakfast — a great vacation for its guests, an ENERGY STAR for Small Business value for its owner.

Success Story: Subway Sandwiches

Partner Information

Located in Norman, Oklahoma
8500 Sq. Feet
75 Employees
Annual cash savings: $20,000.00
Annual kWh savings: 235,294
Payback period: 36 Months

Twenty thousand dollars can buy a lot of bread. That’s what Subway franchise owner Steve Kaplan is saving by installing energy-efficient lighting, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, and ice makers throughout seven Subway locations in Oklahoma. With these improvements he’s reduced his energy costs by 40 percent and made his restaurants more attractive and comfortable for customers.

Kaplan, a Partner in EPA’s Green Lights program, credits EPA’s impartial technical information with helping him to understand how he could accomplish two goals - better lighting and higher energy efficiency — without having to become an expert himself.

In addition to maintaining properly lit restaurants, Kaplan makes his energy-efficient equipment upgrades where he will get a 3-year simple payback or better. Because Kaplan leases the space for all seven of his Subway franchises, he only upgrades when he plans to renew a lease that is at least three to five years in length, ensuring a 3-year payback.

Just the Right Light To Whet Your Appetite

Kaplan changed his stores’ lighting from 40-watt T-12 lamps with magnetic ballasts to 32-watt T-8 lamps with electronic ballasts. He says customers think the produce looks fresher and more appealing, a result of the higher color rendering index of the T-8s he installed. Subway franchises are required to have a high light level, and Kaplan’s lighting upgrades maintain this very bright level even though each fixture was de-lamped from four bulbs to two.

Customer Comfort Comes First

Keeping his stores comfortable for clients is important for Kaplan’s business. So, whenever Kaplan has opened a new franchise, he has installed an energy-efficient air-conditioning unit with double the capacity of the current unit to suit his cooling needs. Additionally, when a unit breaks down, Kaplan compares the unit replacement and repair costs for profitability. When he has to replace, he buys an energy-efficient unit.

Ceiling fans are another addition to these stores that helps maintain comfort. They increase energy efficiency in a retail food service establishment, and they are decorative. Ceiling fans allow Kaplan to reduce the cooling temperature of his air-conditioning unit (which runs 365 days a year because of the heat generated by the kitchen equipment) by three to five degrees.

One particularly heat-generating piece of equipment in the kitchen is the ice maker. Kaplan chooses one of two options to help reduce the heat generated from these machines. One is a water-cooled ice maker that dumps the heat in the form of hot water down a drain. The other is an air-cooled ice maker that puts the onus on the air-conditioning unit to cool this additional heated air. Because utility rates for water and electricity vary at different store locations, Kaplan installs a water-cooled ice maker where water is less expensive to use. Where electricity is less expensive to use, he installs an air-cooled ice maker.

Subway Upgrades Stack Up

In three of his stores, Kaplan replaced electric water heaters with energy-efficient gas units and received a payback in one year because of low gas costs. This payback includes the cost to build a fire-retardant closet and a roof vent necessary for the gas unit.

In addition to replacing large, energy-consuming equipment in his stores, Kaplan changes smaller pieces of equipment like refrigerator and freezer gaskets as needed, so that cold air stays in and hot air stays out. Except for heavy tint on a high glass window that Kaplan installed, window film was already in place in all of the stores to keep the sun’s heat outside.

Although his work for now is complete, Kaplan, who is always on the lookout for energy-efficient technologies that can save him money, is exploring the idea of venting the heat from air-cooled ice makers to the outside to reduce cooling costs.

Success Story: Boulder Book Store

Partner Information

20,000 Sq. Feet
55 Employees
Annual cash savings: $ 4,800.00
Annual kWh savings: 1,429
Payback period (approx.): 36 Months

When you live in an area like Boulder, Colorado, where there is a view of the Rockies from every direction and the air is clean and fresh, environmental protection and energy conservation are not just catch phrases, they are a way of life. So when Boulder Bookstore owner David Bolduc was asked why he joined EPA’s voluntary ENERGY STAR for small business Program, he answered, “Why wouldn’t I?”

In 1991, Bolduc moved his 7,000-square-foot bookstore a half a block to a facility three times that size; however, the electricity bill only increased by one-third. Since the move, Bolduc has saved thousands of dollars in electricity bills per year - a plus for any retail owner. Bolduc’s upgrades earned the bookstore between $1,200 and $1,800 in rebates from its public service company, and Bolduc recouped his energy investment in just 3 years.

Once Upon a Time There Was a Bookstore

The old Boulder Bookstore was lit with mostly 40-watt, T-12 lamps with standard magnetic ballasts. When Bolduc moved, these lamps were replaced with 34-watt, T-12 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts. Additionally, Bolduc installed deep-cell ceiling fixtures with electronic ballasts, 17 metal halide 400-watt fixtures, and about 30 halogen flood lamps.

Bolduc is now upgrading the 34-watt, T-12s to energy-efficient 32-watt, T-8 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts. The T-8s, in addition to having a higher energy efficiency, maintain a higher color rendering index. These features, Bolduc says, are a must for lighting a retail establishment where product merchandising is important. Bolduc believes the brighter light levels enhance the appearance of the books, which probably keeps customers in the store longer, reading—and buying—his books.

In addition to upgrading the various lamps throughout the sales floor, employee offices are also lit efficiently. In the new store, overhead lighting was reduced in offices and combined with more efficient task lamps on desks.

Bolduc also installed 12 light-emitting diode (LED) exit signs. Since these only use 1 to 2 watts and last up to 20 years, Bolduc is assured that he is not wasting energy on them.

Bolduc’s experience with the lighting upgrade was not all smooth sailing. While he highly recommends working with a contractor, he warns the famous “buyer beware” adage. When Bolduc ran into some snags with his new lighting, the contractor was nowhere to be found. His lesson to others is know your contractor well. Know their track record and get some references before you hire them. This can save a lot of time, money, and headaches in the future.

The Plot Thickens

In addition to lighting upgrades, Bolduc also conserves energy throughout the building envelope. He installed low-emissivity (Low-E), super-insulated, double-paned windows that not only limit the amount of solar heat entering the store, but also limit heat loss in the winter. The windows also cut down on the admission of ultraviolet rays, which fade the books.

Another energy investment Bolduc made was the installation of an energy-efficient evaporative cooler. This unit cools air through evaporation in the summer and heats air with a gas-fired heating chamber in the winter.

In addition to energy conservation, Bolduc also implemented water conservation measures by installing efficient toilets and aerators in faucets. While the dollar savings from these upgrades are not as significant as those from the lighting upgrades, they conserve resources - all part of the Boulder Bookstore philosophy.

Putting It on the Books

When asked how these improvements help the bookstore’s image Bolduc replied, “Although becoming an ‘environmentally conscious’ bookstore was never our main mission, we are now known as one.”

Since the installation of most of the newer, energy-efficient equipment occurred in tandem with the move to a new site, Bolduc doesn’t really consider it to be an upgrade per se. When they moved, they had an opportunity to make some energy- and money-saving choices, and they made them. Another benefit to doing it this way was there was no disruption to business. Moreover, Bolduc says he will consider more upgrade projects in the future, as newer technology becomes available.

“Boulder Bookstore is proud to be a part of the EPA’s movement to reduce atmospheric pollution. In addition to being the ‘right thing to do,’ the energy efficient measures we have taken have helped to lower overhead and operating costs, which has been really valuable.”
—David Bolduc, Owner, Boulder Bookstore

Success Story: A.O.K. Auto Body

Partner Information

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
35,000 Sq. Feet
Annual Cash Savings: $5,577
Annual Energy savings: 40,150 kWh
Payback period: 1.4 years
Prevented 68,255 pounds of pollution

Auto Body Shop Owner Thinks Energy Savings are “A.O.K.”

Most people might think Ed Pollitt, building manager of A.O.K. Auto Body Shop in Philadelphia, is nuts to get excited about receiving his energy bill. But then, most people also have little reason to enjoy ripping open the envelopes containing their own utility bills. Pollitt, however, has a good reason for his excitement: he can’t wait to see how much he’s been able to cut his energy costs.

Big Savings, Light Investment

Pollitt’s energy bill has shrunk because he’s replacing 400 8-foot T-12s in 200 fixtures with 800 4-foot T-8s in 400 fixtures. He is also taking out the magnetic ballasts that regulate the T-12s and replacing them with electronic ballast. He hasn’t completed the retrofit yet, but he’s already seeing huge savings.

His shop also had a number of fixtures that used 75-watt bulbs. He’s replacing those with 60-watt bulbs, and in many cases, also reducing the number of bulbs in a fixture from four to two. “No one’s noticed yet,” he said, “so I guess everything is fine.”

Recently, he bought an old building next to his shop that he plans to convert to a parking garage. The building had outside flood lamps that were on all night. He has now installed motion detectors so that the lights come on only when needed.

Common Sense Savings

Much of the savings Pollitt is enjoying results from common sense thinking. He’s installed motion detectors in the bathrooms, he’s placed timers on the water heaters and coffee pots, and he’s added programmable thermostats in the whole facility.

Pollitt has simply replaced some equipment that was performing inefficiently with new, efficient models, including an old refrigerator used by employees to stash their lunches, an old air conditioner, and some old electric heaters.

Part of Pollitt’s success can be attributed to simply encouraging his employees to turn off lights when not in use.

Fast Savings, Fast Payback

Pollitt’s energy efficiency upgrades are ongoing, but he estimates that he is already saving approximately $5,577 a year. His investment in energy efficiency upgrades is an estimated $7,832, giving him a payback of 1.4 years. It’s no wonder Pollitt can’t wait to get his energy bills!

ENERGY STAR For Energy Savings

Back in 1996, Pollitt attended several ENERGY STAR for buildings’ Building Momentum workshops that suggested a host of energy efficiency upgrades. He joined ENERGY STAR for small business, which he says has been of enormous help.

“ENERGY STAR is really good about providing objective information,” he said. “If you talk to a salesman, he’s just going to try to sell you whatever he has in stock. But, ENERGY STAR isn’t selling anything — it’s just going to get you good, solid information.”

Pollitt is a believer now — he’s seen the savings that wise investments in energy efficiency upgrades can make. “Right now I’m saving about 110 kWh a day. That works out to about $500 every month. Now I can’t wait to get my energy bill!”

If you’d like to reap the savings that Pollitt and hundreds of other small business owners enjoy, consider joining ENERGY STAR for small business. The program, run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a no-cost, voluntary service that helps small businesses cut their energy bills.

Why is the EPA willing to help? Because the less energy businesses waste, the less energy utilities need to produce. Producing power creates air pollution, so a smaller demand for power leads to less air pollution. By joining ENERGY STAR Small Business, you not only save money, but also help preserve the environment.

“Now I can’t wait to get my energy bill!”

Ed Pollitt
Building Manager
A.O.K. Auto Body