On Thursday, July 14th, over 20 people gathered in Sauk Centre for a tour of LED lighting for businesses and farms. The town was bustling with Sinclair Lewis Days, but CERTs was there to geek out about energy efficient lighting!
Starting at ElmerZ in Sauk Centre, guests learned about REAP, PACE, utility rebates and a variety of useful resources. William Little, Chief Technology Officer for LumenPros, gave an overview of LED technology and Paul Streitz, Founder & CEO of LumenPros not only gave an overview of the day’s tour but also showed people his trailer containing a solar-powered back up system (similar to what a diesel generator does) that can be used in case of emergencies.
After a short tour of ElmerZ’s restaurant with owner Chris Zimmer, the group boarded a bus to see LED lighting retrofit at the Malecha Dairy Free Stall Barns. From there we toured LED high bay lighting at Blue Lake Plastics.
“We couldn’t be happier,” said Blue Lake Plastics owner Chris Kerfeld. “We like the instant on of the LEDs; we have some T-8s in another building and in the winter they take several minutes to warm all the way up. When we are working early in the morning or late at night, these have been fantastic.”
During the tour Amy Collins with Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) gave an overview of their resources and available rebate dollars. “I love my job because I get to give people money for saving energy,” she said. Click here to learn more about MRES rebates.
Finally, the tour stopped at the Palmer House Hotel (#1 for Haunted Hotels in Minnesota!) to see their LED retrofit and speak with owner Kelley Freese. “We had over 500 bulbs replaced through the hotel,” Kelley noted. “Now I’m not changing light bulbs all the time; I don’t think I’ve had to change one yet and I used to change a bulb out practically every day.” Amy and Kelley also commented that lighting rebates from MRES covered around 75% of the project’s costs.
The tour ended back at ElmerZ with networking and light snacks. With PACE financing available in Stearns County and generous rebates often available with the local utilities, there was a lot of hope from the farmers, business owners, municipal representatives and others in attendance that more LED lighting projects will be coming to the area soon. Well done, Sauk Centre!
See photos from the event:
