The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week recognized the winners of the 2007 Energy Star Award for Small Businesses and Congregations, including three in Pennsylvania.

The businesses included Central PA Settlement LLC of Bedford, Bedford County, and Sendell Motors Inc. of Greensburg, Westmoreland County, who were winners in the Energy Star Small Business category. The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center was given a special award for notable achievement in energy efficiency.

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center was recognized for its development of the Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) that assists small businesses in recognizing and implementing the steps needed to increase profitability by cutting energy costs.

Since its inception in 1980, Pennsylvania SBDC has evolved into a network of 18 university-based centers and more than 90 outreach locations operating under the guidance of a state director. Since 1990, the SBDCs have helped Pennsylvania entrepreneurs start more than 22,000 new businesses and obtain $1.8 billion in start-up and expansion capital. More than 97,800 new jobs have been created.

Tom and Linda Bullington, owners of Central PA Settlement LLC, purchased an old building in Bedford in 2003. They began operating three small businesses on the first floor and leased six apartments on the second floor. They quickly realized their building needed to be more energy efficient. The Bullingtons began by replacing all 70 windows with Low-E energy efficient windows and increasing insulation in the attic to R38.

The next hurdle to overcome was an old boiler that was only 50-55 percent efficient. The Bullingtons turned to the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center at St. Francis University and its Environmental Management Assistance Program for guidance.

The EMAP environmental specialist assisted the Bullingtons in reviewing contractor estimates and making equipment selections for a new boiler with an efficiency rating of 87 percent. EMAP also helped the Bullingtons obtain state assistance through the Small Business Advantage Grant administered by the Department of Environmental Protection. This enabled them to recuperate 50 percent of the boiler upgrade.

As a result of their new boiler, the Bullingtons are saving approximately $6,200 from their gas bill, a reduction of over two-thirds and a savings of 4100 therms. Plus, they are saving by not running the air conditioner so frequently. Because of the state's grant, the Bullingtons began seeing a return on their investment in just 8 months. Their more efficient boiler is also preventing about 61,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere each year.

Sendell Motors of Greensburg, has grown since William M. Mohler first purchased the Buick dealership in 1980. The addition of Volkswagen, Oldsmobile and Mitsubishi franchises has required the purchase of an extra 3.7 acres of land and 13,500 square feet of facility space. Prior to expanding and building a new combined showroom and reconditioning garage, Mohler compiled three years of utilities records on the existing structures. Then, he and his staff set a goal of reducing energy use by 10 percent, even with 3,100 square feet of additional space.

Heating was the first area of focus. A waste oil boiler was installed to provide in-floor radiant heat. The multi-faceted environmental impact of this move eliminated the need for externally purchased natural gas by using the vast majority of used waste oil generated in the service department. Controls enable different areas of the building to be heated separately.

To increase electric energy efficiency, all existing exterior lot lighting was placed on controlled timers. Interior lighting in the new space is high-efficiency T5HO. The space uses solid aluminum windows with Low-E glass throughout the showroom area and a 40 percent smaller surface area is exposed for light penetration.

Finally, a high-efficiency rooftop air conditioning unit was installed. Underground cabling was used to tie all electric service, Internet and television cabling, overhead music, paging and other electronics to the existing buildings. This eliminates costs as well as redundancies. Water savings were achieved with the installation of low-flow/high-efficiency toilets and water fountains to keep water usage constant even with the addition of two rest rooms, sinks and water fountains.

As a result of these efforts, Sendell Motors is saving over $8,000 annually in energy costs. Electric consumption was reduced by 40,000 kWh, natural gas by 3300 therms, and CO2 emissions by over 112,000 pounds per year.

Launched in 1992, Energy Star is a government program that helps businesses and consumers protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. In 2006, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved $14 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 25 million vehicles annually.

More information, visit the 2007 Small Business Award Winners webpage.

NewsClip: PA Small Business Development Centers Recognized for EMAP

9/14/2007