Prime targets for retrofit are the fluorescent T12 style lamps and ALL HID Lamps. A T12 lamp is a 1” diameter tube lamp usually in 2 foot, 4 foot and 8 foot lengths. They have stopped making the ballasts for this type of fixture and will stop making the lamps in July of 2012. HID lamps or High Intensity Discharge lamps are typically sized from 75 to 1000 watts. They are a better heater than they are a light producer. Both of these types of lamps have much more efficient options that can be easily retrofitted at your site. Give us a call and we can help you determine what lights you have and give you options to change them out. Our audits are free and there is no obligation to you. Not sure what lamps you have, check out the American Lighting Association’s lamp style guide http://www.americanlightingassoc.com/Lighting-Fundamentals/Light-Sources-Light-Bulbs.aspx

The first step is to contact Green Energy and Electric to discuss your needs! GEE will gather more information about your building and perform an energy audit on your facility. It is helpful to have several months worth of electrical bills to share with Green Energy and Electric’s auditor (contact your local utility provider). GEE will calculate your energy savings through the use of basic formulas which are used industry wide. Your lighting equipment consistently uses measurable amounts of energy. By removing a specific amount of energy from that system, through new lighting and control systems, we are able to calculate the amount of energy and the resulting amount of money you will save each year from that point forward. We will provide you a detailed report showing project costs and expected return on investment. Our goal is to provide you with a brighter, cleaner, and more comfortable work or living environment that consumes considerably less energy and pays for itself very quickly.

Joe’s Commercial Warehouse is considering a lighting retrofit. After they call Green Energy and Electric they obtain the previous 12 months of their electrical bill. We audit the building and it contains (50) 400W HID high bay lighting fixtures. We plan to replace the existing lighting with (50) 6 lamp T8 Fluorescent high bay.

Basic Calculation for Joe’s Commercial Warehouse:

Green Energy and Electric will take care of all the lighting rebate paperwork. Prior to our audit it will be beneficial if you call Xcel to get your previous 12 month utility bill. For Further education you may want to visit Xcel Energy’s website at www.xcelenergy.com.

Rebates, also known as utility incentives, are available through local utilities for lighting efficiency and other projects. Many utilities have several different plans including prescriptive rebates and custom rebates depending on the type of lighting retrofit. Green Energy and Electric works on our customer’s behalf in the application for utility rebates and develops a relationship with the local utility to make sure that we gain every incentive available for each of our projects. For more information on rebates, visit http://www.dsireusa.org

EPAct 2005 is a government tax incentive program designed to encourage businesses (existing buildings) to retrofit and build new with energy efficient systems. EPAct is an accelerated tax deduction which allows you to deduct (without depreciation) money spent on energy efficient upgrades to your:

1. Building Envelope
2. HVAC System
3. Lighting System

As an example, in the lighting area, you could be eligible for up to $0.65 per square foot if your new or recently renovated space exceeds ASHRAE standards for watts per square foot utilization. It is advised that you consult your tax professional to determine whether you are eligible or need a tax deduction and how to file. Green Energy and Electric will provide you with a certificate of compliance with the federal regulations for the program and will provide your accountant with the necessary paperwork to complete the tax deduction. Contact Green Energy and Electric for more information about EPAct 2005.

**Note: Green Energy and Electric not use EPAct tax deductions to calculate our net installation cost as it does not always apply to your application. We provide the information for you on the EPAct tax deduction to make an already good payback better.

Green Energy and Electric will organize all of this information into a professional proposal which will include: energy savings, gross installation cost, rebates, net installation cost, payback years, return on investment (ROI), 5 year cash flow and carbon footprint reduction. Green Energy and Electric organizes this information in a proposal so that everyone in your organization from maintenance staff to your executive team will understand and appreciate the benefits of completing your lighting retrofit.

Financing- Green Energy and Electric has financing options available for your project. In most cases you can pay for your project with the monetary difference created by the energy you save. Financing allows you to complete your project and start realizing your energy savings immediately, and in most cases the investment is paid for in 2-3 years without spending Capital and using only the money you were already spending with the utility.
Capital Lease Example: A lighting retrofit has a gross installed cost of $8,125. Your energy savings equal $362.00 per month, this is money that you were spending with the utility company each month that will automatically stop once you retrofit your lighting. Your capital lease payment is $272.00 per month for 36 months. Without spending one penny out of your pocket, you get a new, energy efficient lighting system that pays for itself in 3 years, and provides you with $90.00 each month in positive cash flow while paying for itself. After the payback period, you realize a savings of $362.00 per month that you will never spend with the utility again! This gets even better as energy costs continue to go up.

In addition to the energy savings and financial benefits of your project, we also include how your project will reduce emissions and make your company a better steward of our environment. We include carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide emission reductions of your project. We recycle all of the lamps, ballasts, and fixtures that we remove from your facility.

Incandescent’s, CFL’s and LED’s are often compared at length for price, efficacy output, return on investment and environmentally friendliness. Click on the picture to enlarge and see a breakdown of the pros and cons of each light bulb.

Wiring is generally the same concept throughout buildings but differs depending on the size of the building and the various applications its being utilized for. These are the basic wires used in residential applications. Click the picture to make it larger.

Recycling is the foundation of a ‘greener’ planet. But waste management companies do not always take everything that can be recycled. So, where do you go to recycle? Visit http://www.earth911.com. Earth 911 allows you to enter your location and the type of materials you would like to recycle then spits out locations near you! Give it a whirl.