EnergySmart Jobs Program delivers more than $10,000 in rebates to first participants
Save Mart Supermarkets and Ken’s Liquor lead the pack of businesses saving energy and creating jobs through innovative new program.
SAN FRANCISCO – March 3, 2011 – EnergySmart Jobs is off and running and businesses across California are quickly taking notice. The innovative program, an initiative of Energy Upgrade California, focuses on creating new jobs through the implementation of energy-saving upgrades that help commercial retailers lower their operating costs. In the past month, EnergySmart Jobs formally debuted by issuing rebate checks to its first participants. Save Mart Supermarkets and Ken’s Liquor were among the happy recipients of these initial rebates, making them the first in what’s sure to be a long line of stores cashing in on the energy savings presented by the program.
EnergySmart Jobs aims to meet the state’s urgent need for increased energy efficiency, while building a new sustainable workforce in the process. Specifically, the program trains energy surveyors from the California Conservation Corps and sends them out to conduct energy surveys of commercial retail outlets. Contractors participating in the program then work with these stores to install energy efficiency retrofits based on opportunities identified in the survey. Finally, the program provides rebates and incentives to help lower the cost of these retrofit projects. It’s expected that the EnergySmart Jobs Program will create more than 200 new jobs in California, and help retain more than 200 contractor and energy surveyor positions throughout the state. Close to 400 people will receive energy efficiency job skills training, vaulting these individuals to the forefront of this quickly-expanding industry.
For Save Mart and Ken’s Liquor, EnergySmart Jobs provided a streamlined process to quickly realize significant cost savings through energy-efficient upgrades. By working with EnergySmart Jobs, both businesses offset the upfront costs of these upgrades with program rebates and incentives.
Save Mart Saves
Already a pioneer when it comes to energy-efficient grocery practices, Save Mart wasted no time partnering up with EnergySmart Jobs. Through the program, Save Mart was able to save more than $8,000 on a high-efficiency LED lighting retrofit for its Ripon, Calif. store location. In collaboration with EnergySmart Jobs, Pacific Gas and Electric Company also provided Save Mart with $11,462 in incentives for this energy efficiency project through PECI, which designs and executes the EnergySmart Grocer program.
By installing LED case lighting with motion sensors, Ripon Save Mart will receive an estimated energy savings of 83,701 kWh annually. A lower utility bill was only part of what attracted Save Mart to the EnergySmart Jobs Program, however. Said Ray Agah, Save Mart’s Vice President of Engineering, “For us the number one factor was job creation. We are that kind of company. We want to help people. It’s a very progressive program. You help the community. You put some money in your pocket. You save resources.”
Ken’s Liquor Sees Quick Return
Soo Chang Pak, owner of Ken’s Liquor, chose to improve the efficiency of his store by having motion-sensitive LED case lighting installed in his reach-in coolers. This is one of several high-efficiency measures, all of which focus on refrigeration and lighting, offered by the EnergySmart Jobs Program. For the Ken’s Liquor LED case lighting installation, rebates and incentive coupons from EnergySmart Jobs covered 82 percent of the total project cost.
The new lighting will save the store money through lower energy bills as well as reduced maintenance. Pak said, “The LED lights use less energy, and because we installed motion sensors, the lights turn on and off as needed, so I can clearly see that I’m saving energy.”
Pak continued, “I used to have to replace my lights every year. Knowing my new LED lights are covered for at least five years played an important part in my decision. I think this is a great program and I hope other stores will also participate and see the benefits of saving energy, and the benefits of switching to LED lights.”
All told, EnergySmart Jobs is expected to fund up to 5,000 high-efficiency retrofit projects, saving participating businesses an estimated $41 million in energy costs over five years. For more information on the program, visit www.energysmartjobs.org or call 1-877-562-4674.
About EnergySmart Jobs
EnergySmart Jobs is a groundbreaking program designed to answer California’s immediate need for job creation, long-term energy savings and new technology adoption. By working to make commercial facilities throughout California more energy-efficient, EnergySmart Jobs is helping businesses save energy and money, while building a new sustainable workforce in the process. In an era of rising energy prices and falling profit margins, this mission is incredibly important. The EnergySmart Jobs Program is an initiative of Energy Upgrade California (www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org); administered by PECI. Funding for the program is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 through the California Energy Commission. Visit www.energysmartjobs.org for more information.
About PECI
PECI is a leader in the field of energy resource management, with expertise in designing and implementing energy efficiency programs for utility and government agency clients. PECI creates solutions that achieve reliable energy savings and reach millions of residential, commercial and industrial customers. A nonprofit corporation dedicated to creating the new energy economy, PECI was founded in 1980 and has offices in San Francisco, and Portland, Ore. To learn more, visit www.peci.org.
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CONTACT: Melanie Adamson, PECI
503.575.4215, madamson@peci.org
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