Milwaukee, Wis. – The Phoenix Company has been a leader in the heavy-duty lighting industry for decades, but for years, its own facility in Milwaukee was far from a showcase of its best work.
“We would have people … come in and they would give us the business. ‘You’re a lighting company and this is the lighting you have in your shop?’” laughed Jeff Konkel, VP of Operations for the company.
That changed last year when the FOCUS ON ENERGY® Trade Ally contractor decided to install some of the same lights they were selling.
“It was about finding the right light for the building,” noted Maintenance Manager Mark Chirillo, “and we hung all sorts of other lights in here and it didn’t seem to do what we wanted it to do. So, when this light came, this was actually the right fit for the company.”
The project, which included replacing 139 LED fixtures, resulted in much better lighting across the building.
“The maintenance workers and the machine guys – the fab guys – really seem to be happy with it. And myself, back in the engineering lab, it helped out a lot, too. It’s a lot brighter,” said Jordan Dahl, Product and Applications Engineer at The Phoenix Company.
The light design and manufacturing company earned a nearly $7,000 financial incentive through Focus on Energy’s Business Incentives Program to help offset the initial cost of the project, which Konkel called a triple win.
“First off, we had in-house skilled labor to do the lighting layouts and … replace the lights,” he said. “The second one, we had a very good cost for buying a light we’re already selling. And the third win is our electric bill going forward.”
The project will save an estimated 2,977,380 kilowatt hours of electricity over the lifetime of the lights, which is enough to power 252 homes for one year.
The Phoenix Company is a customer of We Energies, one of the 107 Wisconsin utilities that fund and participate in the Focus on Energy program. All customers of those utilities are eligible for the energy expertise and financial incentives Focus on Energy provides. The most recent independent evaluation found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy programs creates $5.93 in benefits for Wisconsin, including economic benefits, reduced energy costs, and reduced pollution.
About Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin utilities' statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
About The Phoenix Company
Since 1944, Phoenix has specialized in designing and manufacturing lighting fixtures for the world’s harshest environments. Over seven decades later, Phoenix is the most trusted lighting manufacturer for heavy equipment, corrosive conditions, hazardous locations and other demanding applications.
