Santa Barbara-Goleta, Saturday, October 11, 2008

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SCEEP’s Energy-Efficiency Program Pays Off for Local Businesses

By | Posted on 06/23/2008

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New lighting saves enough energy to power about 1,200 homes annually — and $1 million in costs.

Last year, more than 1,000 small- to medium-size businesses and nonprofits from Carpinteria, Goleta, Isla Vista, Montecito, Santa Barbara and Summerland took advantage of a South County Energy Efficiency Partnership program that provided up to $5,000 per customer in energy-efficient lighting, as well as free installation. This program was funded by California utility ratepayers and is administered by Southern California Edison under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.


The cities of Carpinteria, Goleta and Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County and Southern California Edison — all members of the South County Energy Efficiency Partnership — are pleased that not only did this initiative help local small and medium businesses and nonprofits save money, it also saved more than 1 million kilowatt hours of energy — enough energy to power about 1,200 homes annually.

“The savings inspired us to replace two old appliances for new energy-efficient models. The new lighting installed works great and is brighter than the old,” said Eric Onnen, CEO of Santa Barbara Airbus. “The entire process was easy, professional and pleasant and didn’t cost us a thing. Reducing our environmental impact and saving money at the same time is definitely a win-win situation.”

“It is especially gratifying, in today’s economy, that we were able to cut energy costs for so many local businesses and nonprofits and, at the same time, reduce our environmental footprint,” said Jane Brown, SCEEP spokeswoman and SCE’s public affairs manager. “These cost savings are permanent and reflect what will now be saved, at a minimum each year,” Brown said.

Here’s a breakdown of the number of businesses and the number of kilowatt hours and money saved in each city.

» Carpinteria: 199 businesses, 1,202,115 kilowatt hours and $180,317.25.

» Goleta: 288, 1,844,756 and $276,713.40.

» Greater Santa Barbara: 566, 3,838,816 and $575,822.40.

» Total: 1,053, 6,885,687 and $1,035,853.05.

Marjorie Wass of SurfMedia Communications represents the South County Energy Efficiency Partnership.

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