Five lucky businesses won $3000 each toward new, energy-efficient lighting in the 2008 Save More, Matter More™ campaign sweepstakes. Some have already completed their lighting projects and are enjoying the benefits. Read their stories and then make your pledge. This year, it could be you!
Learn more about last year’s winners:
Lake Grove Garden Center, Lake Grove
Gardening expert Chris Eddy knew the fluorescent lighting in her
Lake Grove Garden Center was old and inefficient. She joined the 2008 Save More, Matter More campaign hoping to win the lighting sweepstakes — and she did!
Eddy decided to upgrade all the interior and exterior lighting in her business, converting T12 fixtures to high-performance
T8s with electronic ballasts and installing
occupancy sensors in less-used areas. All told, the project will save her an estimated 60 percent of her annual lighting electricity use.
The nearly $15,000 project was offset by
Energy Trust of Oregon incentives and state
tax credits totaling more than $10,000. Add the sweepstakes winnings, and Eddy has brighter, more attractive lighting and lower electricity bills for about $1,300.
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FletchCo Properties, Tigard
Jeff Fletcher of FletchCo Properties runs an insurance business out of the 1950’s-era building he owns in main-street Tigard. He also has two tenants — a Mexican restaurant and a bead store. When Fletcher heard he had won the Save More, Matter More sweepstakes, he decided to share his luck: he not only upgraded the lighting in his own office, but also in the other two businesses.
“Since the restaurant owners pay their own utility bill, they’re the ones who will see the savings for their area,” Fletcher says. “That’s good for them — helping them increase their profit margin — but also for me, because I want them to succeed.”
The $17,656 project earned about half that amount in
Energy Trust incentives and
tax credits, and is estimated to save about 60 percent a year in lighting-related energy use. Fletcher projects it will pay for itself in about three years. “Everything after that is pure profit,” he says, “And the whole time, we’re helping save valuable resources.”
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Valley View Canine, Gresham
At Valley View Canine, a dog-training and doggie-daycare center in Gresham, the incentives are usually kibbles and toys. But since winning new lighting, the company is being rewarded with better light and lower energy use.
The facility switched its T12 lighting to high-performance
T8s with electronic ballasts, and decommissioned some unnecessary lights since the new bulbs are brighter. The resulting lights are more attractive and functional, will last longer and require less maintenance. All in all, it’s a real treat.
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Greenway Elementary School, Beaverton
Greenway Elementary School, part of the Beaverton School District, was one of 47 of the district’s schools that made a pledge to save energy with Save More, Matter More in 2008. Their energy-saving actions — from shutting down computers to turning off lights and upgrading equipment — saved the school money.
That’s great news for budget-crunched schools. Even better, says district Energy and Resource Conservation Manager Sheri Stanley, the campaign raised awareness about energy savings among staff and students. Some schools even posted their pledges in the halls and got students to sign on.
Winning one of the lighting retrofits was the icing on the cake for Greenway. The school upgraded lighting, and installed
occupancy sensors. Now, they have brighter halls, lower bills and a more energy-conscious campus.
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