The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized 11 small businesses and congregations for their efforts to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency. Through the use of energy management practices and efficiency solutions in their buildings, these organizations reduced annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from the average electricity use of more than 1,000 homes, while saving nearly $900,000 annually on their energy bills.
The 2009 Energy Star Small Business and Congregations Award winners used tools and resources provided by EPA to develop their plans and measure and track their accomplishments.
The 2009 Energy Star Small Business and Congregation Award winners are:
Small Businesses
* Elephants Delicatessen (Portland, OR)
According to Anne Weaver, CEO of Elephants Deli, the business uses ENERGY STAR qualified products when the life span of existing equipment expires. In the kitchen, refrigerators, freezers, and ovens have all been replaced with ENERGY STAR qualified products. New gas convection ovens and a high efficiency freezer were purchased with help from Energy Trust of Oregon.
Weaver admits that like most small business, a sweeping replacement of everything is virtually impossible. “Where we cannot replace we have made efforts to conserve,” she sais. “We have annual scheduled maintenance, we’ve examined our cooking practices and close-the-door practices and eliminated stand-by times on equipment.” Weaver’s list goes on: adding night curtains to display cases, recharging low refrigerant, checking and setting defrost cycles, installing strip curtains in walk-ins, keeping equipment as clean as possible, fixing leaks of all kinds, and even hiring a handy man to assist them in everything from fixing leaks to improving efficiency across the board.
* Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY)
* MAINTCO Corporation (Burbank, CA)
* Old Town Trolley Tours (San Diego, CA)
* Preston Hood Chevrolet (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
* RCC Associates (Deerfield Beach, FL)
* South Coast Mold, Inc. (Irvine, CA)
To read more about each winner, visit www.energystar.gov/SmallBizAwards.
Congregations
* First Baptist Church of Springdale and Shiloh Christian School (Springdale, AR)
James Maxwell, energy manager at the congregation, said, “The most significant things we did were to monitor our usage patterns and become aware of how to better use energy, and train both staff and members on how they could contribute to our energy savings effort. “Our energy-saving program so far is based mainly on awareness and attention to details,” Just 14 months since the First Baptist Church of Springdale (FBCS) and Shiloh Christian School (SCS) began an energy-saving program they have saved nearly $250,000 without any major overhaul or replacement of equipment.
* First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas (Dallas, TX)
* Idlewild Baptist Church (Lutz, FL)
Efforts included Tony Pasley, director of facilities, and Robert Wilson, a member of the building management team, launching a program that was both attentive and aggressive to monitor and curb energy consumption. Quarterly meetings are held with utility providers to understand load profiles and usage. This data is used to set priorities and systematically work on areas to reduce consumption. A full mechanical maintenance contract was signed to cover chiller repair, but also to provide preventative maintenance for the facility’s three chillers.
* Swarthmore Presbyterian Church (Swarthmore, PA)
To read more about each winner, visit www.energystar.gov/CongregationAwards.
