Jolly Farmer Products Inc, Northampton, NB |
---|
Energy Efficiency Programs: Commercial Building Retrofit Program |
Program Participant: Jolly Farmer Products Inc, Northampton, NB |
Total Company Investment in Project: $754,410 |
Total Rebates Received: $75,000 |
Efficiency Upgrades Completed: Replaced inefficient light fixtures with LED fixtures. |
Total Annual Energy Savings Estimate:: $94,600 |
“We are very happy with the results. The process was smooth and seamless.” - James Darrow, general manager. |
Located in the Saint John River Valley in scenic Northampton, New Brunswick, Jolly Farmer produces over 3000 different varieties of plants in a 13-acre greenhouse for wholesale distribution. The business has been selling plants to customers in Canada and the U.S. since 1967 and pride themselves in being ahead of the curve. This means they are always looking for ways to improve their business and this time, their focus was on their lighting system.
“To make sure we were purchasing a product that fit our needs, we ran trials for over four years before deciding to make the switch,” James Darrow, general manager, explains. Once they settled on their choice, they reached out to Capitol Management Engineering Ltd. to carry out an energy audit. They found that by updating their lighting system they could cut their lighting-related energy consumption by more than half. Even better, they learned NB Power’s program for energy efficiency would be able to help them with advice and incentives to make upgrades to their equipment.
Jolly Farmer replaced thousands of inefficient light fixtures with highly efficient LED fixtures and received $75,000 in rebates from NB Power. Thanks to the upgrades, Jolly Farmer is estimated to save $94,600 annually in electricity costs. The new lighting system has also resulted in denser, healthier plants that grow faster and with more predictable growth rates. In short, the lighting upgrade is not only saving on energy costs at Jolly Farmer, but also improving their product and customer service.
James says he would participate in the program again, and highly recommends other businesses investigate how they can benefit from upgrades and incentives, too. “We are very happy with the results. The process was smooth and seamless.”