MARS HILL, Maine — Pineland Farms of Mars Hill, a division of Michael Foods, recently replaced its entire plant with energy-efficient LED lights with a $65,700 assist from Efficiency Maine.
Darrell Cooper of Energy Audits Ltd., a qualified partner with Efficiency Maine, assisted in navigating Pineland Farms through the rebate process.
“Pineland is a perfect example of corporations wanting to be energy efficient and at the same time be climate responsible,” Cooper said. “Pineland operates 24/7, which created the perfect opportunity to generate huge reductions in carbon emissions with these lights.”
Cooper estimated the food processing plant would see an annual reduction of 245,000 kwh, which will reduce operating cost. The new lights are rated to last at least 60,000 hours, reducing replacement time and maintenance costs as well.
“Because of the assist from Efficiency Maine, the payback period is estimated to be two years,” Cooper said.
Even though Energy Audits is located in southern Maine, staff are always eager to come to Aroostook County.
“We have found County businesses to be very receptive to the opportunities available from Efficiency Maine,” Cooper said. “We were up in Monticello looking at Catholic Charities Maine distribution center for a lighting retrofit. We had some spare time and starting knocking on doors. It was a cold call that introduced us to Pineland Farms.”
Another advantage to Efficiency Maine’s programs is that, so far, all the work in Aroostook County has been done by local contractors, Cooper said.
He explained that besides being energy efficient, LED lights provide greater luminosity and longer life. Many studies have shown that brighter lighting improves productivity and reduces waste.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LEDs use at least 75 percent less power than incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer.
Efficiency Maine offers other programs dealing with heating, HVAC and heat pumps, and also offers specific programs for agriculture such as rebates for cannabis grow lights, milk house and potato storage equipment.
