Donald’s Uniform and Apparel earns Energy Star recognition

ST. PAUL – Last summer, Energy Smart did an on-site energy consultation at Donald’s Uniform and Apparel as part of a community focus along St. Paul’s Payne Avenue. Noticing the building seemed very efficient, Energy Smart offered to help Donald’s enter its building and utility data into the federal Energy Star program’s Portfolio Manager.

After inputting all 12 months of consecutive utility bill information and other required data, results were encouraging: Portfolio Manager showed that Donald’s scored an 87 on the 1-100 scale. A score of 75 or above means it is among the most energy-efficient buildings for its size nationwide. The Energy Star Building program helps buildings get useful data about their energy usage and how they stack with other similar types of building on energy use.

The East Side Neighborhood Development Company provided a small grant to help Donald’s hire an engineer to verify the building and utility data’s accuracy and submit the application to the Energy Star program.

Just recently Donald’s was notified that it received the Energy Star building label for 2010 and was sent a bronze plaque for its building. “We’re very happy to achieve the award,” says Larry Laughlin, owner. “When we make decisions that are good for the business and the environment, it’s a win-win situation.”

After helping Donald’s achieve Energy Star status, Energy Smart applied to become an Energy Star partner and help other Minnesota businesses and organizations pursue the certification and recognition. It was recently given partner status.

Want to see how your building compares to others nationwide and get your Energy Star rating? Contact Energy Smart at (651) 292-4653 or info@mnenergysmart.com.

Replace T12 fluorescents before incentives disappear

T12 fluorescents, the thicker, less-efficient fluorescent tube lights, are being phased out by the federal government and will become harder to purchase by mid-2012. Businesses and organizations should replace any T12s in their facilities before that happens.

Already, some Minnesota utilities are planning to discontinue rebates for replacing T12s with the more-efficient T8 or T5 fluorescents. Xcel Energy, for instance, will end T12 retrofit rebates after 2012 but is offering a 50% bonus rebate to commercial customers that replace T12s before March 31, 2012.

If you have questions or need help, contact Energy Smart at (651) 292-4652.

Save money with high-efficiency spray valve

Run a foodservice business or restaurant? Make sure you have a high-efficiency spray valve.

Most restaurants rinse food debris off dishes with sprayers before putting them in the dishwasher. But these sprayers can use 3 gallons of water or more per minute. Installing a high-efficiency spray valve with a flow-rating of 1.28 gallons per minute can save your business $160 a year on energy costs.

Clean Energy Resources Teams is now offering a bulk-buy campaign where businesses can get a 60% discount on high-efficiency sprayers.

For more news about Energy Smart and the success of Minnesota businesses, visit our news coverage page.