SRP honored seven innovative businesses and organizations for their energy-efficiency efforts and savings at the inaugural Champions of Energy Efficiency Awards event today. The awards are part of SRP’s efforts to encourage commercial customers to take advantage of the SRP Business Solutions programs to reduce energy use and save money.
“Utility costs can be one of the biggest expenditures for businesses, and SRP has made an effort to assist companies in reducing those costs,” said Dan Dreiling, SRP director of Market Research and Customer Programs. “The organizations we recognized today are to be commended for their efforts to implement new technologies, institute behavioral change and forge paths for energy efficiency.”
Through its Business Solutions programs, SRP partners with commercial customers to help them decrease their energy use, which defers the need for future energy generation, reduces emissions and helps control costs. As a result of these efforts, last year SRP surpassed its energy-efficiency goals with commercial customers providing a combined annual energy savings of 195 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is equivalent to powering more than 10,000 homes for one year.
Helping local firms grow is the cornerstone of SRP’s economic development efforts. The utility’s award-winning customer service team helps local business owners by providing critical information about potential sites and money-saving rebates on energy-efficient upgrades and new construction.
SRP’s Sustainable Portfolio Principles, which guide decisions regarding energy-efficiency measures and the acquisition of renewable energy resources, have established a goal of meeting 20 percent of expected retail requirements with sustainable resources by the year 2020.
Today’s award recipients, chosen from 14 finalists, are listed below. Profiles of all 14 finalists can be found at srpnet.com/awards.
Large Business – Fry’s Food and Drug: The retail food company took advantage of the SRP Business Solutions rebate programs to implement 50 projects in 30 metropolitan Phoenix stores, encompassing roughly 2.1 million square feet of store and administrative space. So far, Fry’s has realized 1.2 million kWh in energy savings per year and shaved peak demand by more than 140 kilowatts.
Midsize Business – Capri on Camelback, Greystar: The organization implemented a lighting retrofit in which every light bulb on the property was replaced with energy-efficient lighting, resulting in annual energy savings of more than 600,000 kWh – enough to power more than 50 occupied apartments for an entire year.
Small Business – Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley: A lighting-retrofit project reduced annual energy use by 47,000 kWh, resulting in an overall annual savings of 50 percent.
Schools K-12 – Isaac School District: The district’s HVAC systems were upgraded, saving nearly 500,000 kWh of energy use annually, which is enough energy to power one school for an entire year.
Colleges and Universities – Maricopa Community Colleges: The college district realized an annual savings of 1.1 million kWh (enough to power more than 60 homes for one year) through retrocommissioning and upgraded lighting projects.
Charitable and Nonprofit – St. Daniel the Prophet Roman Catholic Parish: The parish developed a new energy-saving strategy for the entire campus – replacing old, outdated lighting with new lighting technology – resulting in a 46-percent savings in energy costs.
Outstanding Achievement – Banner Health: Cardon Children’s Medical Center implemented low-cost,energy-efficiency measures that resulted in savings of more than 2 million kWh in the first year. Banner updated several buildings under the SRP Standard and Custom business solutions programs, resulting in 1.5 million kWh of savings. The combined energy savings are equivalent to powering more than 190 homes for a year.
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