CHICAGO, June 6, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lime Energy (Nasdaq:LIME) announced that it has recently completed energy efficiency upgrades at two of the largest US Postal facilities in the Mid Atlantic area. The 510,000 square foot Network Distribution Center (NDC) in Philadelphia, and the 190,000 square foot Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Wilmington, Delaware received new lighting and advanced lighting controls from Lime Energy.
The new lighting design includes high efficiency fluorescent lighting that uses about one-half the energy of the existing fixtures. Additional energy savings are projected from the Internet Protocol (IP-based) control system that allows building operators to turn on individual lights as needed, and maintain other areas of the buildings at minimal light levels as necessary to match work flows.
"Keeping lights off is the best way to save the most energy and operating cost," said Jim Smith, President of the Public Sector division at Lime Energy. "Not only are you saving energy directly, but also saving air conditioning costs due to less heat. Keeping lighting at low levels when areas are not in use also extends the life of the lights and saves maintenance costs because they will not need to be replaced as often. With today's electronics and web-based interface, any facility that has variable operating patterns can benefit from these individually-addressable light fixtures," explained Mr. Smith.
Total savings from these two large projects are expected to exceed 2,800,000 kWh per year and save the USPS $429,184 in annual operating costs. Since January of this year, Lime Energy has installed energy efficiency upgrades that are projected to save $684,946 in annual energy costs for the Eastern Region of the USPS. In addition to saving significant operating costs, these retrofit projects contribute additional environmental benefits annually by eliminating:
- 3.7 million pounds of Carbon Dioxide
- the leading cause of Global Warming
- 14,560 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide
- the leading cause of Acid Rain
- 9,230 pounds of Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)
- the leading cause of Smog and Acid Precipitation
- which is equal to 322 passenger cars removed from the road.
"For the past eight years, we have upgraded millions of square feet, and are saving millions in operating expenses for the USPS. We salute their commitment to reducing the use of fossil fuel, saving costs, and improving the environment," added Mr. Smith. "Our clients nationwide are seeing the value from reduced energy and maintenance cost because energy efficiency upgrades include new equipment that often replaces aging infrastructure and associated maintenance expenses. In the case of the USPS, they are providing true leadership under tremendous pressure to reduce costs in their organization by identifying opportunities to eliminate unnecessary energy costs and reduce maintenance expenses. Lime Energy is proud to have the opportunity to support the USPS in several regions in this effort."
These two projects in Pennsylvania and Delaware are part of a multi-site contract with the USPS under a Job Order Contracting (JOC) process established by the Gordian Group to connect USPS purchasing with providers like Lime Energy. The Gordian Group has been assisting the USPS with JOC services since 2002.
About Lime Energy Co.
Lime Energy is a leading provider of energy efficiency solutions. Our services include integrated energy engineering, consulting and implementation of solutions which enable our customers to reduce their facilities' energy consumption, lower their operating and maintenance costs and reduce their carbon footprint. We focus on solutions which include lighting, mechanical and electrical upgrade services, water conservation, weatherization and renewable project development and implementation. We provide these solutions to the commercial and industrial markets, utilities, energy service companies (ESCOs) and the government sector across a wide range of facilities including high-rise office buildings, manufacturing plants, retail sites, mixed use complexes and large government sites. The company's stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol LIME. Additional information is available at the company's website at www.lime-energy.com or by calling 847-437-1666.
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About The Gordian Group
The Gordian Group, www.gordian-group.com created EZIQC and other construction procurement systems, including Job Order Contracting (JOC); and remains the only full-service JOC consulting firm in the nation. It provides all products and services from project start to finish, including development of a customized catalog of construction tasks, general conditions and bid documents, and PROGEN®, a proprietary information-management and proposal-preparation software. Each year, more than $1.5 billion in public construction is procured using the Gordian Group's EZIQC and other systems, saving agencies not only millions of dollars, but also countless hours in procurement and project-management time. The Mauldin, S.C.-based company is a member of the Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., a New York-based private-equity firm.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements that reflect Lime Energy's current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. Lime Energy has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words and phrases such as "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "plan," "should," "typical," "preliminary," "hope," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Lime Energy and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause Lime Energy's actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities in the future to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward- looking statements. These risks include those risks referenced in Lime Energy's current Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or as may be described from time to time in Lime Energy's subsequent SEC filings; such factors are incorporated herein by reference.