Turkey, potatoes, apple pie and beef stew are some of the traditional winter meals we all love, offering enough warmth and spice to turn an otherwise cold and bleak season into something special. Considering the origins of these foods, however, we find that they are a recipe for environmental problems.

Tracing winter delicacies like roasted chicken and vegetables back to their roots, researchers pinpoint the methods and philosophies employed in raising and producing these foods as leading contributors to land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, perhaps the ultimate environmental concern. Just how do these foods cause environmental problems? Here is a list of the top problems our food causes and their key culprits.
1. Land Degradation
Referring to the loss of nutrients in landscapes such as soils, land degradation is a primary result of many of the United States’ agricultural processes. Through poor farming techniques that leave soil susceptible to erosion and overgrazing by livestock, it is estimated that the cost of erosion in the U.S. is $44 billion dollars a year.

Cereals, vegetables and any animal that is fed a crop product including cows, chickens and pigs all affect the rate of land degradation. With U.S. cows eating up to 30 pounds of feed a day, we can get an idea of just how much corn, soybean and other grains are grown to feed them. To keep up with this demand (and government subsidies) many farmers are growing record-breaking amounts of feed– and destroying the land in the process.

2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide , methane and nitrous oxide are released from a variety of sources along the food-processing chain. Between the equipment used on farms to cultivate crops to manage manure and to the machinery used to clean and process meats and other farm products after they leave the farm, our agricultural system is responsible for 6.3percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Beef is one of the most environmentally hazardous foods, contributing 13 times as much carbon dioxide as chicken per pound.* Beef (and dairy) cattle are also responsible for the bulk of methane emissions from agricultural activities. Nitrous oxide emissions hail chiefly from soil management with potatoes bearing some of the heavier costs.

A tool that measures greenhouse gases emitted from the soil. Scientists are developing tools such as these to better measure agriculture's gas emissions.

Aside from the “maximize feed and maximize food” mentality employed on factory farms and feed lots across the U.S., the refrigeration and transportation of food also contributes to the environmental cost of food. In a world where climate change is being taken more seriously worldwide, it might be time for us to look beyond the pounds our foods are measured in– they weigh more than that.

For more information, check out the following government reports and news articles: EPA, Scientific American and Fat Knowledge.

-Alivia Ashenfarb

Photo Credit: Flickr/Just George 2, Flickr/LandLearnNSW, Flickr/CIMMYT

Best Buy Co., Inc. launched its Home Energy™ retail concept, via an Online Learning Center on BestBuy.com and physical departments within three U.S. Best Buy stores, to provide technology products, solutions and services that help consumers understand, control and reduce their energy consumption and costs. Both the online experience and the physical departments, located within three Best Buy stores in Chicago, Houston, and San Carlos, Calif., provide unique services including self-assessment tools, home energy survey and audits and product installation.

“Through several small-scale experiments over the past two years, from home energy audits to installation of home charging stations for electric vehicles, we have learned there is real consumer interest in options to cut energy costs and use in their lives, particularly in the home,” said Neil McPhail, senior vice president, new business customer solutions group, Best Buy.” 

The learning center and retail departments provide customers, not only access to information, but to tools that help reduce their home energy consumption through a dynamic experience as follows:

• Interactive vignettes to educate consumers on technology that manages home energy and electricity consumption
• Energy consumption self-assessments and audits
• Self-guided product and solution selection and demonstration tools
• ENERGY STAR rebate finder 

“Our role is to help consumers make the most of the technology in their lives, and the Home Energy concept is our latest experiment that will demonstrate the knowledge and expertise of our employees, and how our brands and our channels can help consumers understand how to own, use, and maintain energy efficient technologies,” McPhail said.

Alternative energy is not only good for the environment; it’s good for job creation, too. According to the Solar Foundation, 100,237 Americans are now working in the U.S. solar industry. The statement is based on preliminary data from National Solar Jobs Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce.

Solar businesses added 6,735 new workers in all 50 states since August 2010, which represents a 6.8 percent growth rate. The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 measured solar employment during the period between August 2010 and August 2011. 

The figures reveal that the job growth within the U.S. solar industry outpaced the overall economy and fossil fuel based electric generation when compared to overall economic data from Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI). During the same 12-month period, jobs in the overall economy grew by only 0.7 percent, while fossil fuel electric generation lost two percent of its workforce. 

“The U.S. solar industry is creating jobs at a far greater pace than the economy as a whole,” said Andrea Luecke, executive director of The Solar Foundation. “The National Solar Jobs Census series provides a definitive measure of the U.S. solar workforce and its growth over time. It proves where smart solar energy policies are having the most impact both in terms of states and across the vast solar supply chain.” 

The full National Solar Jobs Census 2011 report became available at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas on October 17. The Census examines employment along the solar value chain, including installation, wholesale trade, manufacturing, utilities and all other fields and includes growth rates and job numbers for 31 separate occupations. It also examines solar employment at the state level. 

The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 was conducted by The Solar Foundation and Green LMI (a division of BW Research Partnership) with technical assistance from Cornell University.

“By using high-quality research methodology, we can ensure that these numbers are as accurate as possible,” said John Bunge, associate professor in the Department of Statistical Science at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations. “Using both primary and secondary data sources, along with careful statistical analysis, gives us high confidence in the results.” 

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

Photo Credit: Flickr/valli_mark

Congressman Barney Frank and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. joined the City of New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang to launch a city-wide, multi-site solar power initiative that will use solar panels that are exclusively manufactured in the United States. This will reduce the City’s overall energy spending through a goal of installing up to 10 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy, enough to power approximately 1,500 homes.

The program is the first of its kind in a Massachusetts municipality.

The City of New Bedford will install rooftop and ground-based photovoltaic units at city-owned sites using panels that are exclusively manufactured in the United States. Locations will include municipal buildings, schools and selected municipal land parcels.  All installations are expected to be operational by 2013.

In addition to decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, production of solar energy is expected to equate to 25 percent of electricity consumed by city-owned facilities when all installations are completed. City officials said total savings could reach as high as $10 million by the year 2033.    

“This creative solar program will help the people of New Bedford save money while they protect the planet,” said Mayor Lang. “We will be adding value to our City’s facilities and underutilized space by using roofs and unused parcels of land to collect clean and renewable solar power. Our ultimate aim is to further the development of renewable energy by building out this precedent-setting program to a full spectrum of private-sector energy consumers.”

The City is undertaking the project in cooperation with two private-sector partners, Boston-based BlueWave Capital, LLC and Consolidated Edison Solutions, Inc. (ConEdison Solutions) of Valhalla, NY and Burlington, Mass. BlueWave Capital and ConEdison Solutions, along with their engineering, construction and community partners, were selected by the City to develop up to 10 megawatts of solar photovoltaic projects on city-owned properties.

BlueWave will also partner with the City in a program aimed at bringing third-party-financed solar energy to New Bedford businesses and homeowners, and will also work with the City to maximize an array of added benefits delivered by solar power, including local job and apprenticeship opportunities, the re-use of brownfields and other surplus land, and educational programs in New Bedford schools. To help boost area employment, Mayor Lang said that ConEdison Solutions has agreed to maximize its use of local construction contractors for the project.

“With the help of municipalities like New Bedford, we’re closer to meeting our nation-leading renewable energy goals, which create jobs, decrease energy consumption and lower energy costs,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “The number of solar projects installed or in construction or under contract has increased 30-fold since 2007. We’ve gone from 3.5 megawatts of solar in 2007 to nearly 100 megawatts installed or the pipeline today.” 

ConEdison Solutions will own the solar installations on City sites and will enter into long-term power purchase agreements with the City. ConEdison Solutions will also be responsible for installation, ongoing operations and maintenance — and will provide for financing of the projects.

Beaumont Solar Company of New Bedford is designing and constructing the fast-tracked roof-top projects to be completed in 2011. They are providing similar services for other ground and roof projects within New Bedford that are to be operational in 2012.

Alteris Renewables, a Real Goods Solar Company, is designing and constructing the largest of the proposed New Bedford projects, an approximately 4 MW ground system on land owned by New Bedford in Freetown near the Quatticas Reservoir. This facility will serve the Water Treatment Plant and is expected to be complete in 2012.

The solar initiative is the latest in a series of innovative programs designed to position New Bedford as a national leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The City’s overarching energy program targets municipal, commercial, transportation and port-related end-users. The municipal component has set a goal of reducing energy use by 20 percent within the next five years. The commercial element is helping to enable the City’s business sector to implement a systematic array of energy-saving techniques and strategies. Under the transportation portion, five percent of New Bedford’s municipal vehicle fleet would switch from gasoline to hybrid/electric energy within five years. And the port-related initiative aims to install 42 dockside, electric pedestals as charging stations at New Bedford Harbors Wharves, America’s number-one commercial fishing port.  

Another Consolidated Edison, Inc. company, Con Edison Development, one of the Northeast’s leading developers of renewable and energy infrastructure assets, delivered the largest operating solar installation in New England to date on a site within the New Bedford Business Park, which straddles the towns of Dartmouth and New Bedford.  The ten-acre solar farm began generating electrical power in March. Con Edison Development shares the same corporate parent as ConEdison Solutions.    

The City of New Bedford buys energy today through the SouthCoast Electric Buying Group, an aggregated buying group consisting of various entities and Towns along the South Coast of Massachusetts. ConEdison Solutions is the current contracted supplier of energy to the buying group. Once the new solar program is complete, the City’s purchases of power through the buying group will be reduced by about 25 percent.

“We are off to the races on an exciting and path-breaking venture,” said John DeVillars, BlueWave Capital’s Managing Partner. “This has been and will continue to be a team effort, and we are grateful for the chance to work with the City and an incredibly dedicated and talented team of engineering and financing professionals.”

“The multi-site solar project in New Bedford is a fantastic program and we believe it will change the way towns and cities buy and use energy,” said Jorge Lopez, CEO of ConEdison Solutions. “We are proud to have been selected by the City to help them make energy history. When it comes to embracing renewable energy, New Bedford stands as a model to other municipalities.”

New Bedford used $80,000 of the city’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds to develop a municipal solar strategy. The city developed a procurement strategy for a vendor to supply solar-generated power from onsite generation sources.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s EECBG Program, funded for the first time by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009, represents a national priority to deploy the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable energy technologies we have — energy efficiency and conservation — across the country.

New Bedford is one of 44 communities in Massachusetts that received a total of $43 million to develop, promote, implement and manage local EECBG-funded projects.

Office Depot's first LEED Gold Certified store in Austin, Texas opened in 2008. Photo Credit: Office Depot

The global headquarters of the office supply and service store earns certification for superior energy efficiency for its facility performing in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide. 

Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), celebrating 25 years as a leading global provider of office supplies and services, announced last Friday that the company’s global headquarters, located in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification. The certification signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

 “Office Depot is pleased to accept EPA’s Energy Star certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Edward Costa, vice president of construction for Office Depot. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.” 

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s Energy Star certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Office Depot improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire organization and by making cost-effective improvements to its building.  

“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the Energy Star Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s Energy Star certification.” 

Energy-saving actions that Office Depot took to earn the certification included retrofitting most of the lighting on the global headquarters’ campus, which consisted of:

• Replacing all T5 lamps with 27-Watt, 4100 Kelvin lamps.
• Changing all parking garage lights from 150-Watt metal-halide to 42-Watt florescent lamps.
• Reducing the amount of lamps that are on during the daylight hours by 70 percent. 

Over the past five years, Office Depot has consistently built and operated environmentally sustainable stores and facilities. The global headquarters was Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certified in 2010 and Office Depot opened its first LEED Gold Certified store in Austin, Texas during the summer of 2008. In early 2010, Office Depot announced plans to only open LEED for Commercial Interior certified stores going forward and has opened 15 locations since. Additionally in 2010, Office Depot announced that it will pursue LEED certification at its new warehouse facility in Newville, PA. For more information on Office Depot’s environmental strategy, please visit www.officedepot.com/environment.

Photo Credit: Rexel

Rexel unveils results of the first international survey conducted by Harris Interactive about what’s important to Americans when it comes to energy efficiency. 

Energy efficiency aims to reduce energy consumption without deteriorating the level of service and therefore reduce economic, ecological and social costs. Professionals in this field are very familiar with the issue, but how do American citizens perceive energy efficiency? How do they go about saving energy in their households? Are they prepared to make sacrifices and change their habits? And how do they view energy efficiency, as compared with citizens in France, England and Germany?

Rexel, a leading worldwide distributor of electrical supplies, called on Harris Interactive to ask a representative population from the United States, France, England and Germany for their answers to these key questions. 

The results of the survey reveal that, for most people, energy efficiency is important and requires action. In fact, respondents from all four countries see the subject of energy efficiency as important: between 86 percent and 95 percent of respondents judge the subject as important, of which nearly two-thirds say it is “very important.” 

The survey also found that Americans consider themselves responsible for electrical efficiency and its promotion. They have already adopted some new habits and select applications according to their energy consumption. The issue of energy efficiency also appears to be inextricably linked to financial considerations, as 54 percent of Americans cited the excessively high price of low-energy products as an obstacle in becoming more energy efficient. Consumers are keen to invest in order to reduce their electricity bills as long as they can measure the impact, and see the return on their investment. 

Among all respondents, nine out of ten citizens view energy efficiency as an “important” issue, but after looking at the data they only have a superficial understanding of the measures already taken. 

Although Americans are aware of energy efficiency issues, and believe they are informed about the measures taken in their country, their knowledge is actually somewhat limited. In the U.S. three out of four people claim to have heard that incandescent light bulbs are being phased out, but only 46 percent know exactly what the incandescent lamp phase out means. Similarly, in the U.S., 88 percent of respondents have heard of the Federal and State Government tax incentives related to home heating and ventilation systems and renewable energy devices, however, only 34 percent of them know exactly what it is. 

U.S. respondents said that improving energy efficiency is justified for three important reasons: the desire to reduce expenses (97 percent said good reason, of whom 75 percent consider this to be a very good reason); the guarantee of energy security (95 percent said good reason, of whom 53 percent believe this to be a very good reason); environmental protection (91 percent said this was a good reason).

“This survey shows that we are moving towards a new energy model. As market leader, Rexel is particularly involved in accelerating change through innovative solutions and education that informs our clients how to adopt eco-efficient solutions. As a distributor we continue to play a driving role in energy efficiency issues within the electrical field,” Chris Hartmann, CEO of Rexel Holdings USA, said. “It is also important for people to know that energy efficiency is not a one size fits all approach. Everybody can do their part even on the smallest level by simply upgrading to energy efficient light bulbs, but Americans should know that there are solutions available to accommodate varying levels of budget and energy objectives.” 

American respondents also said that while they pay attention to their energy consumption (89 percent), many lack information about practical steps they can take towards improving their own energy efficiency. Only 33 percent regularly defrost their freezer and refrigerator, 52 percent fill the washing machine to the top before starting the wash cycle and 56 percent shut off electronic devices rather than switching to stand-by.

By publishing this study, Rexel solidifies its role as an industry leader in providing energy efficient solutions within the electrical sector and its active participation in developing partnerships with manufacturers and contractors. Rexel has also set up an information site, www.electrical-efficiency.com/, in order to promote awareness of electrical efficiency issues.  

From small everyday habits to dedicated applications, our households are committed to the issue:
Americans are very aware of energy efficiency issues and to some extent have already changed their everyday habits to save energy. For example: 69 percent of Americans purchase low energy light bulbs and 64 percent use power strips. 

As far as investments are concerned, 72 percent of Americans have already, or are willing to, install an environmentally-friendly hot water system, and 75 percentwould consider installing an eco-efficient heating system. 

The issue of energy efficiency is strongly influenced by financial considerations: 
Respondents say they would make 3 types of effort to improve their energy efficiency: efforts in terms of time (76 percent in France, 82 percent in the UK, 75 percent in the USA), investment in equipment that is more expensive to buy but with long-term savings (69 percent in France, 78 percent in the USA), or giving up certain comforts (71 percent in the UK, 61 percent in France, 52 percent in the USA). Respondents were interested in the impact on their personal finances and tended to be torn between spending less in the short term and investments that reduce energy costs in the short and medium term. 

Rexel: a market leader committed to promoting efficient electrical solutions: 
For 85 percent of American’s, distributors of electrical material have an important role to play in the promotion of electrical efficiency. Rexel is committed to promoting electrical efficiency by actively participating in debates and discussing the industry’s standpoints, but also by training and informing installers via its 2,200 outlets and the http://www.electrical-efficiency.com/website. 

Present in 36 countries, the Rexel group advises clients and selects the best solutions to master energy in buildings, optimize lighting and heating, install intelligent systems to pilot and regulate electricity consumption.

Photo Credit: GE Energy

An OEM partnership agreement with Inovateus Solar for solar carport charging stations reached while at Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. 

GE Energy Industrial Solutions (NYSE: GE) announced Wednesday, Oct. 5, that it has reached a partnership agreement to work with Inovateus Solar, a U.S. solar-power distribution and integration company, to build new solar carports with electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The announcement of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement was made at a press conference at the annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo, the world’s largest annual trade show dedicated to green building. 

“We’re very pleased to be able to forge this exciting partnership with Inovateus,” said Luis Ramírez, CEO of GE Energy Industrial Solutions. “The renewable energy sources in our portfolio of products and solutions will enable us to continue innovating and leading the future of electrification.” 

GE Energy Industrial Solutions collaborated with Inovateus this year to build a 100-kilowatt-hour solar carport, one of the largest structures of its kind in North America, at its Plainville, Conn., facility. 

The solar carport can generate enough energy to offset the power needed to charge up to 13 electric vehicles per day, using the six installed Level 2 GE DuraStation^TM EV charging stations, as well as all the overhead lighting in the parking lot. 

Now, GE is partnering with Inovateus to bring the same turnkey solar carport solution, scalable to a variety of needs, to a multitude of facilities, including universities, municipalities, office buildings and sports complexes. Inovateus will include GE EverGold^TM Solar combiner boxes, GE DuraStation and WattStation^TM electric vehicle charging stations and traditional GE electrical distribution panels and switches as part of its solar offerings. 

Additionally, GE Energy Industrial Solutions continues to expand its offering in the solar category with the recent introduction of a new line of solar safety switches, also known as photovoltaic (PV) disconnects. 

“This agreement is a fantastic opportunity that will help us bring to market and develop new systems for generating renewable energy,” said T.J. Kanczuzewski, president of Inovateus. “We are very excited to be working alongside GE Energy Industrial Solutions to offer customers the latest innovations in solar carport technology.” 

GE is a participating member of the EMerge Alliance, an open industry association leading the rapid adoption of safe direct-current (DC) power distribution in commercial buildings through the development of EMerge Alliance standards.

Greenbuild is the world’s largest green-building conference and represents all sectors of the green-building movement. GE Energy is among the participants for three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, product displays and networking events featuring the latest technological innovations and new products. 

For more information, visit GE Energy solar power and GE Energy solar products, as well as their Twitter and Facebook.

Isolé IDP-3050 Power Strip Photo Credit: WattStopper

While at Greenbuild, WattStopper displayed how to optimize LEED projects with Digital Lighting Management (DLM) and plug load controls, in other words how to “turbocharge your energy savings!”

WattStopper makes buildings and homes more energy efficient through lighting controls and provides a comprehensive range of products for work or at home. If you’re looking to improve your energy consumption try out the Isolé IDP-3050 Power Strip with Personal Sensor. It’s an ideal energy saver for the office and at home if you need to plug in multiple items. 

If you’re looking to control lighting, try out the Incandescent Multi-way Slide Dimmer, which provides preset dimming control by a slider and an on/off switch. It allows you to set your ideal light level for each room! 

These products provide DLM, which goes beyond the basic energy code compliance to optimize energy performance by automatically configuring controls to the most energy-efficient operation possible out of the box. DLM makes it easy to integrate plug load and lighting control to turbocharge your energy savings. 

To find out more visit http://www.wattstopper.com/ and see how you can put a stop to energy waste!

Photo Credit: Serious Energy, Inc.

This week, the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo kicked off and Eco News Network was there to get the scoop. We toured the expo looking for highlights to share with our readers and will be posting daily for you to stay in the loop!

Greenbuild Exhibitor Highlight: Serious Energy, Inc. 

Serious Energy, Inc. provides a suite of energy software services and advanced building products designed to increase the value of America’s buildings. It increases the value of buildings for both owners and occupants by increasing net operating income, comfort, productivity and health at a lower operating cost. 

One service Serious Energy can provide is “The No-Risk Retrofit.” This will optimize your building and guarantees a 10 percent reduction (or more) in energy costs over the next decade! “Guaranteed” probably stood out for you; well under a contract with Serious Capital, building owners or tenants pay a monthly fee to Serious that’s equivalent to around 90 percent of their utility bill. Then, in turn, Serious pays the utility bills. It works, because SeriousEnergy Manager and light retrofits can achieve a reduce power consumption by 20 percent or more. 

Serious Energy also provides great products. One particular product is iWindows. All building managers, owners and occupants need to maintain their windows, so why not try this new type of window that gets installed on top of existing windows? Why would you do that? First of all, it only takes 15 minutes to install, can increase the thermal performance by 60 percent and glare without impairing visibility. It delivers in energy savings and comfort!   

For more information, visit http://www.seriousenergy.com/.

Enlighted, Inc.^®, a breakthrough building sense and control company, launched the Enlighted Lighting Control system and announced the successful closing of a $14 million round of funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Intel Capital. This funding will support growth plans for Enlighted’s significant project pipeline and its efforts to deploy its innovative lighting and energy management platform. This novel system provides lighting monitoring and control distributed to the level of each fixture in the building that is designed to achieve between 50-75 percent energy savings in existing customer facilities.

In addition to reducing energy use and carbon emissions, the Enlighted platform is designed to enhance the value of real estate and create greater harmony between buildings and occupants. The company’s lighting control technology is already in use at several world class facilities, including Interface Services^®, where the solution has reduced lighting energy use by almost 70 percent and is projected to deliver an 18-month payback. 

“Lighting consumes 25-40 percent of commercial office building electricity and is a major factor in worker comfort and productivity, yet more than ninety percent of existing buildings have little more than a wall switch,” said Tushar Dave, chairman and CEO, Enlighted, Inc. “When asked, facility managers identified cost and complexity as the key reason why they have allowed such wastage in their facilities. Enlighted was founded by people with expertise at solving just these problems in the network management domain.  We’ve created what we believe to be the simplest, most cost effective advanced lighting control system on the market.” 

Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers and Intel Capital provided Enlighted with $14.2 million in financing in 2011 to further its product offerings and growth. 

“Buildings represent one of the single largest opportunities for energy savings and intelligent lighting is the best place to start,” said Trae Vassallo, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “Enlighted’s solution caught our attention because of its strong ROI and its simplicity.  Installation is as easy as changing a light bulb and because Enlighted doesn’t change any existing wiring, there is no risk to mission critical infrastructure. Enlighted is the first step to making buildings smarter and more efficient.” 

Interface Services collaborated with Enlighted in its newest 35,000 square foot facility located in Acworth, Ga. 

“We installed 150 individual lighting fixtures in a diverse range of uses, from cubicles and conference rooms to loading facilities – which allow the granularity and flexibility to light hallways, bathrooms, and work areas with just the right amount of illumination only when needed,” said Pieter van der Toorn, president, Interface Services.  

By leveraging the intelligent lighting capabilities of the Enlighted Lighting Control system, Interface Services was able to reduce overall lighting costs by approximately 69 percent and projects a payback period of just 18 months. 

“I was amazed by the Enlighted solutions,” said Jeff Roman, vice president of Information Services, Interface Companies. “The system installed quickly and employee training took just minutes, plus it improved our work experience by tailoring illumination levels to employee needs while saving energy. We’d been exploring updates for our lighting system for a while but it was an easy decision after we reviewed Enlighted’s capabilities, attitude and service.”   

Enlighted was founded in 2009 by a team that includes Tanuj Mohan, CTO, and Premal Ashar, VP of Software Engineering.