I work at NextEnergy, a non-profit convener, collaborator, and service provider that accelerates the development and growth of advanced energy technologies and industries. What they do is hard to explain. Whether it’s developing the smarthomes of tomorrow or popularizing the electric vehicles of today, NextEnergy works on a variety of innovative ideas. In my time here at NextEnergy, I am working on several small projects, including one that embodies social entrepreneurship.
Over the past ten years, NextEnergy’s campus has undergone several lighting upgrades. A few years ago, it made the switch from metal halide lightbulbs to fluorescent ones, and even more recently, it’s upgraded to LEDs. NextEnergy has been collecting data on its energy usage but never done anything with this information. They’ve asked Shelby and I to change that. After meeting with several employees and combing through data, we’ve begun to see NextEnergy’s incredible potential for innovation. Based on our preliminary calculations, we estimate NextEnergy has reduced its lighting costs by more than 96% since switching to LEDs. That’s a huge reduction considering lighting consumes half of most utility costs.
NextEnergy exemplifies social entrepreneurship; the non-profit has successfully cut its operating costs while also practicing environmental sustainability. Their switch to LED lights has saved over 60,000 kilowatt-hours each year; that’s enough to power a television continuously for seven years. NextEnergy will use our research to educate Michigan-based businesses, helping these companies use environmental responsibility to improve profits. #BasicallyGettingPaidToCelebrateEarthDayEveryday
Over the past ten years, NextEnergy’s campus has undergone several lighting upgrades. A few years ago, it made the switch from metal halide lightbulbs to fluorescent ones, and even more recently, it’s upgraded to LEDs. NextEnergy has been collecting data on its energy usage but never done anything with this information. They’ve asked Shelby and I to change that. After meeting with several employees and combing through data, we’ve begun to see NextEnergy’s incredible potential for innovation. Based on our preliminary calculations, we estimate NextEnergy has reduced its lighting costs by more than 96% since switching to LEDs. That’s a huge reduction considering lighting consumes half of most utility costs.
NextEnergy exemplifies social entrepreneurship; the non-profit has successfully cut its operating costs while also practicing environmental sustainability. Their switch to LED lights has saved over 60,000 kilowatt-hours each year; that’s enough to power a television continuously for seven years. NextEnergy will use our research to educate Michigan-based businesses, helping these companies use environmental responsibility to improve profits. #BasicallyGettingPaidToCelebrateEarthDayEveryday
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