Energy-efficiency investments paying off
By
August 22, 2011 2:00 AM
Seacoast Volkswagen owner Doug Miles said his dealership's strides in energy efficiency are consistent with the goal to sell more fuel-efficient cars at the Greenland business.Deb Cram/dcram@seacoastonline.com
"We've had so many different projects, and we're just fortunate to be in the position to pursue them," Miles said of the various state and federal grants and tax incentives he has utilized to add one piece of the energy efficiency puzzle after another.
Though energy prices are down from a year to two years ago, commercial electricity and energy costs have been a consistent top concern for business owners in the region, along with skyrocketing health care costs, taxes and regulation.
Michael Licata, an energy policy expert with the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association, said energy costs overall in New England have been higher for more than two decades, in part because the regional power grid has been more reliant on natural gas for electricity generation than most any other part of the country.
"Right now natural gas is really cheap and there are a lot of reasons. It's simple supply and demand. The economy is really bad and people aren't using as much," Licata said.
While natural gas prices have been volatile, deregulation has given large-scale energy users the opportunity to find favorable electricity contracts. "Businesses need to be on the cutting edge to remain competitive in a global marketplace. They have been able to find pretty favorable contracts on the open market," he said.
Numerous companies, such as Seacoast Volkswagen, are trying to shape as much of their energy cost destiny as they can with long-term calculations. Miles said his recent investments have cost $225,000. The photovoltaic panels can generate between 20 percent and 26 percent of the dealership's daily electricity use and will pay itself off in eight years, he said. The parking lot lamp bulb shift to energy efficient LEDs (light-emitting diodes) is already paying off with a decreased electricity usage amount for those lamps of almost 75 percent — he estimates the total payoff will come in 2½ years — and a decreased maintenance cost.
Alec O'Meara, spokesman for Unitil, the state's second largest electricity provider, said businesses of all types and sizes are becoming more proactive and innovative in finding ways to reduce energy costs.
"We constantly get calls from folks to help them with their bottom line," O'Meara said. He said Unitil helps walk clients through every step of the process, including finding the right energy audit firm for their specific needs.
O'Meara said the innovation thrust has spread to a wide range of so-called "low-hanging fruit" efficiency solutions that can be easily implemented without a major investment. He cited one example using LED bulbs in the refrigerated cases at grocery stores. Not only do the bulbs reduce electricity consumption, but they have the added benefit of generating less heat, which requires less electricity to keep the case at a cooler temperature.
Petersen Engineering in Portsmouth practices what it preaches when it comes to "low-hanging fruit" solutions. Owner James Petersen said his six-employee company, which specializes in energy-efficiency design, has turned its office into a test lab for energy efficiency. The former residential house on Maplewood Avenue has hyper-efficient heating and cooling systems, but Petersen acknowledged there is only so much a small office business can do even as it strives to make a larger environmental statement with its work.
Yet, Petersen Engineering has made it a practice to cut electricity costs by turning off every electrical device as often as possible — computers, copiers, and lights — whenever they aren't being used. "Employees can make such a difference," Petersen said. "As a business owner, I've seen the drop in electricity costs when I get the bills just by doing these simple practices."
At Seacoast Volkswagen, Miles said the energy-efficiency focus helps his bottom line and fits with the larger mission of offering more fuel and economically efficient cars. He said customers ask about one or another project and are appreciative — even if they aren't sure exactly what's happening.
"We put the wind turbine in last fall and it's been great. Some thought the turbine was a sculpture, and they have thanked us for the modern art," he said.
Seacoast Volkswagen party touts push with Green Alliance, new Passat rollout
User Submitted News |
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
GREENLAND — Since relocating to Greenland in 2004, Seacoast Volkswagen has grown to become one of New England’s most successful – and most sustainable – car dealerships.
On Friday, Aug. 26, the 50-year-old family-owned dealership will be putting their green mettle on display. Teaming up with Green Alliance, the local “green business union”, Seacoast Volkswagen is planning a green gathering and rollout of their new 2012 Passat model at their Ocean Road digs.
The party – in the form of a summer celebration and BBQ– is slated to begin at 5 pm, continues to 8 pm and is open to the public. Many local green business leaders will be on hand to mingle with the green consumer community.
From learning about greener diesel vehicle options to the sustainability details behind a local green moving company, the gathering should to have something for everyone.
Local band Blue Eye Brown will perform live, while Green Alliance members – both Business Partners and consumer members of its buying co-op – will have access to free beer, a keg provided by Green Alliance Business Partner Smuttynose Brewing Company.
Meanwhile, all natural hot dogs and hamburgers will be cooked on a food-grade wood-pellet grill, provided by Seacoast Energy Alternatives (SEA) Solar Store, another of the Green Alliance partnering businesses.
Additionally, Waterline Alternative Energies will also be on hand to discuss and promote the 35-foot wind turbine the company installed in 2009, as well as a forthcoming solar array on the roof of the dealership.
On the heels of the Green Alliance’s successful July cruise aboard the MV Thomas Laighton, Director Sarah Brown hopes to keep her organization’s momentum going forward as summer winds down into fall.
“The cruise was such a great time with such a great turnout, you’d think it would be hard to top,” says Brown, who launched Green Alliance in 2008 as a way of connecting local green businesses and sustainability-minded consumers. “But we can’t wait to try our hand at getting an even bigger turnout at Seacoast Volkswagen. Obviously the beer and food won’t hurt, but we also hope people seriously consider taking a look at what the dealership has to offer.”
The new Passat is just the second North American-made model ever introduced by the German automaker. Last year Volkswagen introduced the North American version of its popular Jetta model, resulting in a 77percent nationwide sales increase.
According to Doug Miles, General Manager at Seacoast Volkswagen, his company expects similar success with the new Passat.
“Like the Jetta, Volkswagen is redesigning the Jetta for American tastes – making it a little bigger, but also a lot cheaper,” says Miles. “It’s a class we’ve never competed in before.”
The new Passats will be built in Chattanooga, Tenn., where plant employees use technologies and practices that maximize efficiency while helping reduce overall environmental impact.
Recognizing that most of the pollution from a car plant comes from the paint shop, all cars at the plant are dipped in paint rather than sprayed, reducing both water and chemical usage by a combined 20%.
What’s more, the excess paint – normally diluted in 50,000 gallons of water – will instead be mixed with limestone powder, where it can then be sent to a cement kiln to be turned into project-ready cement.
Even the cypress shipping pallets are donated locally to make furniture and art projects.
Seacoast Volkswagen has taken similarly comprehensive steps towards sustainability in their own right. For starters, anyone driving by the Route 33 dealership would be hard pressed to miss the giant, 35-foot wind turbine located in front of the showroom parking lot.
Then there’s the forthcoming 80-panel, 19.2 kilowatt solar PV system on the showroom’s expansive roof, which is expected to generate 30 percent of the dealership’s electricity needs on sunny days.
Beyond the big ticket items, Seacoast Volkswagen has instituted a number of smaller green initiatives, including retrofitting all 60 parking lot lamps with LED bulbs – in the process slashing electricity from the lamps by 75 percent.
Inside the building, a comprehensive recycling program – which includes using the garage’s waste oil to heat the premises, recycling all light bulbs, and reusing wash bay water through a water recycling unit – has helped reduce even further Seacoast Volkswagen’s carbon footprint.
For more information:sarah@greenalliance.biz or call 603-817-4694; or meredithw@seacoastcars.com.
To learn more about the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz
For more info on Seacoast Volkswagen, go to www.seacoastcars.com
For Seacoast Energy Alternatives, visit www.seacoastenergyalternatives.com
For Waterline Alternative Energies, go to www.waterlinecompanies.com
NH Automobile Dealership Association
By Maureen Kirk - 09/30/11
Buildings, like automobiles, come with so many components to consider. Lighting, air conditioning, exterior features, fuel type, controls and emerging technologies – we could be talking about either your car or your facility right now.
Could it be time for you to give your facility an energy efficiency tune-up?
Dan Bennett, vice president of government relations and the environmental affairs specialist for the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association (NHADA), points out simple steps to get started. Bennett suggests, “First, adopt an Energy Star procurement policy. It makes no sense to buy equipment that is not certified to be the highest efficiency available.”
This sentiment is supported by Andy Crews, president of AutoFair Automotive Group and the
The NHADA’s Bennett also suggests installing controls and timers on items like offices and workstations that use energy even when they are not needed. And, of course, he recommends scheduling a lighting audit and rebate program upgrade.
Historically, lighting has had a tremendous impact on dealerships’ energy bills especially parking lot lighting, as Bennett notes, since lighting can create the mood that elicits an emotional response from the buyer. He states, “Now that LED lighting delivers excellent color rendition along with remarkable longevity, dealers can enhance the appearance of their lots at the same time that they reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs.”
Douglas Miles, President of Seacoast Volkswagen, replaced 56 400 watt metal halide lights with 120 watt LEDs. PSNH and the Public Utilities Commission assisted with funding for the project.
Miles reports, “I was spending $2,000 annually just replacing the old bulbs. Since switching to LEDs, energy bills for the lot lighting have dropped to one third of the cost of the metal halides and the lights boast a 50,000 hour lifespan.”
Both Miles and Roland Gamelin, director of operations for AutoServ Dealerships in Tilton, are elated with the reduction of light pollution that resulted from the LED conversion. LEDs illuminate where they are aimed and accentuate the cars without lighting up the sky.
Beyond lighting retrofits, some energy savings applications have become a standard across service centers, like waste oil furnaces. Even so, Dan Bennett reminds dealerships to look for premium efficiency units that also meet higher air quality standards when planning remodels or replacements.
Seacoast VW president Miles has applied principles of efficiency and economy to his dealership since its construction in 2003.
“I have incorporated elements that make sense,” states Miles. In addition to aggressively insulating the building, Miles introduced radiant heat in the floor and significant passive solar for interior heating and natural lighting. Seacoast even has a Water Recycle System that processes their car wash water.
Miles also utilizes three premium efficiency natural gas fired boilers to heat his 15,000 square foot building. Explains Miles, “During heating season, we rely on a computer program to monitor temperatures inside and outside and determine how many boilers need to run to maintain a steady, comfortable indoor temperature.”
To help with the economics of efficiency projects, AutoServ’s Gamelin preaches the value of using someone else’s money. He notes that many businesses start loan applications through sources like the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) working with the Office of Energy, and he cannot understand why many never complete the process.
There was never any question that Gamelin would see the application to completion to secure a loan offering 0% interest for five years, followed by a low rate of 2% APR.
Gamelin’s message is, “Find a program and stick with it. The pay-off is worth it in the end.”
AutoFair’s Crews adds, “Get your employees involved in the movement, too.”
So, with business being driven by quarterly sales results, how do you get attention and adoption of efficiency programs company-wide? Crews suggests ensuring top-down support for efficiency endeavors by forming a “Green Committee” that includes executives and encourages staff participation.
With guidance from the NHADA’s Bennett, AutoFair’s committee initiated projects that led to a national Energy Star award from the EPA for small business energy efficiency in 2010. Lambert Auto Sales in
As for return on investment, Crews sees AutoFair’s movement toward being “green” as a marketing investment since, as he points out, “More consumers are choosing to do business with companies that embrace environmental responsibility.”
Now he feels AutoFair has legitimacy in participating in the Granite State Clean Cars Program. Crews states, “With all of the projects undertaken by the Green Committee, I no longer feel like it would be hypocritical of AutoFair to ask our customers to buy more fuel-efficient and less polluting vehicles.”
And he can expect to get a lot of mileage out of that.