Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber Official Sees ‘Green’ as Good for Business, Not Just Planet

Sept. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Tom Williams doesn’t see himself as a trend setter.
  Instead, the Director of Real Estate Projects for the Greater Wilkes-Barre, PA, Chamber of Business & Industry sees the city’s recent movement toward green energy as a necessary way of doing business.
  “‘Going Green’ isn’t really a trend in my opinion,” he said. “It is using smart and common sense business practices, which happen to be good for the environment.”          
   The Chamber partnered with Chamber member Commonwealth Energy Group, an energy consulting  business headquartered in Dunmore, PA, which did a major “green” electrical makeover on Public Square Commons -- the Chamber Building, a five-story former department store on Public Square -- and the nearby movie theater parking garage. CEG also has installed energy-efficient lighting at other buildings around Public Square -- the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, the Citi Tower Building and Jewelcor Building.
  Throughout the five floors and basement of the Chamber Building, approximately 1,600 standard fluorescent four-bulb light fixtures were retrofitted to new, modern two-bulb fixtures, Williams said. The retrofit took four weeks to complete.
  Williams said the project “made tremendous sense financially” for the Chamber.
“In addition to reducing energy consumption, it was a great way to reduce operating costs for our organization that operates on a very tight budget,” he said. “These new lights are projected to reduce energy costs by over $50,000 per year, with a payback period of nine months.”
  The movie theater parking garage project replaced metal-hallide fixtures with energy-efficient ballasts and lamps. Williams said this retrofit was important because an internal parking area has lights that are on 24 hours a day. Energy consumption was projected to be reduced by 50 percent and the installation took just a few days. Williams anticipates payback of less than a year.
  A major financial incentive for the projects, said Williams, is the PPL Act 129 rebate for upgrading to more efficient light fixtures, which covered about 60 percent of the project cost. The rebates for the Chamber and other Public Square businesses that switched to green energy were obtained through CEG.
  CEG President Robert Ferrucci said the company has a variety of financing options  available for businesses like the ones on Public Square to minimize their out-of-pocket costs and shorten the payback time. In addition to lighting retrofits, CEG provides energy audits, advanced infrared thermography, HVAC upgrades, motor replacements, alternative energy solutions and other energy-saving measures to commercial, institutional, nonprofit and government clients throughout Pennsylvania.
  “With the current rebate programs, it’s really a no-brainer for businesses and building owners to look at energy-efficient retrofitting because the up-front investment is subsidized, the payback is relatively short and the long-term savings in operational costs are significant,” Ferrucci said.
  Williams said CEG gave the Chamber a comprehensive proposal that covered everything from a lighting analysis, Act 129 rebate paperwork, installation, warranties and positive recommendations.
  “We felt comfortable working with them,” he said.
  While he is happy that forward-thinking businesses in Wilkes-Barre have already made the switch to more efficient energy, Williams encouraged the remainder to do the same. He said industry in Wilkes-Barre would benefit from choosing to go green.
  “Downtown Wilkes-Barre has a mixed fabric of buildings,” he said. “Some office buildings date to the first part of the 1900s and others were rebuilt after the Agnes Flood of 1972. All these buildings are generally inefficient in terms of heating, air conditioning, ventilation and lighting because they were not constructed with the modern specifications of today. Inefficiency translates to high operating costs, and anything that can be done to reduce utility costs makes these properties more competitive in the office space market.”
  In addition to being good for business, Ferrucci and Williams said green energy projects like the ones in Wilkes-Barre can help save the planet. Ferrucci said the Chamber project alone will reduce carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions equal to 76 fewer cars on the road and 109 acres of trees planted annually.
  “Efficiency projects like these make sense in every way,” Williams said. “Reducing energy consumption, reducing the cost of doing business and creating a positive work environment are common sense principles.”
  He noted that maximizing natural light and installing motion activated light switches in offices are other ways to reduce energy consumption.
  Williams said he is glad Wilkes-Barre is part of the green energy movement, which is growing across the United States - a movement that is not a temporary fad but a permanent part of the nation’s future.
  “As we all are becoming increasingly more cognizant of the limits of our natural resources, conservation of energy and efficiency of building design are here to stay,” he said.

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