Lime Energy Completes Energy Efficiency Projects for Jetro

Lime Energy announced it recently completed the first of 13 energy efficiency retrofit projects for Jetro Cash and Carry, the restaurant supply firm. The first project in Jersey City, New Jersey is expected to save $43,000 per year from reduced energy costs and will pay for itself in 13 months. “The new lighting fixtures actually make the store brighter even though they use less energy,” said Richard Kirschner, Chief Operating Officer of Jetro Cash and Carry/Restaurant Depot. In addition to the hard dollar savings, the permanent reduction of 334,745 kilowatt-hours per year in energy use provides the following environmental benefits each year:

— 602,541 pounds of Carbon Dioxide
— The leading cause of Global Warming
— 7,659 pounds of sulfur dioxide
— The leading cause of Acid Rain
— 2,578 pounds of nitric dioxide
— The leading cause of Smog and Acid Precipitation
— 52 passenger cars removed from the road each year

In discussing the merits of energy retrofits in retail operations, “this project has a return on investment of nearly 100% in one year, which certainly meets our criteria,” commented Kirschner. “Aside from the great financial return, Lime Energy performed all of the work in a ‘turn-key’ fashion so our staff did not really have to do anything. They even obtained the full $26,000 rebate from the New Jersey SmartStart program on our behalf. In the past, we worked on some projects in-house with our contract electricians, but found this process with Lime Energy to be a lot smoother.”

“There is a substantial amount of money to be saved from reduced energy use these days because of the high rates,” said Peter Claro, Vice President of Jetro/Restaurant Depot. “Next, we are going to ask Lime Energy to look at the refrigeration system for our freezers and solar energy for our rooftops, and we hope to find more cost-effective projects there.”

“The next 12 contracts were granted to Lime Energy because of our outstanding performance on the first project all the way through from the sale to the installation,” said Megan Kleven, Account Executive with Lime Energy in New York. “What’s interesting is that our audit process turned up some opportunities that were overlooked previously, which adds another reason why the decision makers at Jetro are confident in turning to Lime Energy for advice. We are glad to find more ways to improve their bottom line and look forward to furthering our relationship.”