For further Information contact:
Dave Cary, Communication Specialist
Orion Energy Services
dcary@oriones.com
(920)-892-5804
Andy Haros, General manager
Don Jacobs Toyota Inc.
5272 S. 27th St., Greenfield WI
The term ‘environmentally friendly’ doesn’t usually bring to mind automakers or auto dealerships. But because it reduced the amount of electric power it uses for lighting by some 154,164 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, the Don Jacobs Toyota dealership of Milwaukee has been presented with the Environmental Stewardship Award given by Orion Energy Services of Plymouth.
The power reduced benefits the environment because it no longer has to be generated at all. According to Federal EPA formulas, a 154,164 kWh reduction will mean that., over the 20-year expected life of the Orion fixtures, some 3,006 tons of carbon dioxide, 820 tons of carbon, 13 tons of sulfur dioxide and 6.3 tons of nitrogen oxides will not be released into the atmosphere.
The reduction is the air-scrubbing equivalent, according to similar federal formulas, of creating a 28-acre forest or taking 25 cars permanently off the road. It is also the conservation equivalent of saving 12,726 gallons of gasoline or 303 barrels of fuel oil each year.
“We’re pleased to receive this award,” commented Don Jacobs Toyota General Manager Andy Haros. “Toyota is an aggressive company in pursuing environmental benefits. When I learned that these lights would give us cost savings and better light — and be environmentally-friendly,– the decision became a no-brainer.”
All in all, the Don Jacobs dealership replaced 357 traditional fluorescent and metal halide fixtures to state-of-the-art T8 fluorescent lighting form Orion Energy Services. The move dropped the company’s lighting power usage from an annual 316,948 kWh to 162,774, a drop of 47 percent that gave the project a return on investment of 56 percent, this meant a payback significantly less than two years.
“We’re satisfied very, very much that Orion’s estimates are borne have been borne out in fact,” Haros said.
“The lights are awesome. Everybody was impressed by the additional amount of light we had throughout.. The showroom — my God, it’s beautiful! The colors of the cars are a lot more natural than they were before. Everything was too yellow before.
“It’s the same in our service department — the mechanics have been saying it looks like daylight, and service guys describe it as daylight inside the store now.”
“We’re certainly glad to see Don Jacobs get better ‘mileage’ out of their electric bill,” commented Orion president and founder Neal Verfuerth. “What they did will not only help their bottom line, not only help freshen the air we breathe, but will tend to stabilize energy prices by reducing demand for fuel to generate it.”
“And I’m sure they’re on the right road.”
Located at 5272 S. 27th St., Greenfield, Don Jacobs Toyota is one of several dealerships in the Don Jacobs Automotive Group, which was founded in 1974. This includes, in Greenfield, Don Jacobs Scion, Don Jacobs Mitsubishi, and in Waukesha, Don Jacobs Buick and Don Jacobs Mitsubishi. All are full-service dealerships offering new and used car sales, leasing, parts and service. Visit the company’s website at http://www.donjacobstoyota.com/
Located in Plymouth, WI, Orion Energy Systems has been innovating in the energy and lighting business since 1996. Orion’s innovative Illuminator ® fixture, an energy-efficient lighting platform for industrial applications, has been awarded a series of 14 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, Orion has applied for numerous other patents related to metering and control technologies for lighting.
Neal Verfuerth, Orion President, received one of Wisconsin’s most prestigious awards, the Ernst & Young 2004 Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year.
Orion provides capacity displacement solutions for supply side management, transmission management, and demand side management for the electricity industry. Visit the Orion website at http://www.oriones.com/.
