In 2010, Energy Trust trade ally contractor Reese Electric in North Bend completed 20 commercial lighting retrofit projects at North Bend School District and City of North Bend facilities, several county buildings and private businesses. Projects totaled $628,000 in contracts, according to Randy Rema, owner. "Practically 100 percent of our involvement with Energy Trust of Oregon has been in the area of lighting efficiency upgrades in local businesses and government buildings," said Rema.
Annual energy savings for all projects total 1,247,832 kilowatt hours—enough to power 98 average homes for a year. “That’s roughly $80,000 in annual savings. With everyone's budgets being very tight, these savings are a very welcome thing to achieve," said Rema. The jobs typically require a crew of six to eight, and Energy Trust-related jobs have generated more than 3,800 hours of labor for the company. "We hired two additional people during the period that we were heavily involved in these [projects]," he said.
[Reprinted with permission from the The World]