| Sonoma
Handcrafts Store Has a Gift for Saving Energy, Money and the Environment
The Business
Baksheesh is a fair trade store (Artisans and farmers are paid fairly
for what they produce) that creates jobs by selling unique, handcrafted
gifts from economically developing regions, such as Asia, Africa and Latin
America. The store even sells bean soup and salsa mixes from the Women’s
Bean Project, a women’s job skills training program based in Denver,
Colorado.
The
Challenge
Traditional incandescent flood lamps in the store’s halo track system
were sending the electrical bills soaring higher than the fifteen-foot
ceilings. The lights also produced an unattractive glare in the 1,400
square foot space.
The
Solution
Lighting a store with incandescent bulbs is a little like driving a gas-guzzling
SUV. It’s not the most efficient way to do the job. The Small Business
Energy Alliance replaced energy-guzzling 75-Watt flood lamps with 32-Watt
compact fluorescent lamps and new track heads.
The
Outcome
“The change is dramatic,” said owner Candi Smucker. “I
can’t believe we are getting more light with less power without
the harsh glare of the old system.”
The
Savings
When Smucker received her first electric bill after the lighting retrofit,
she discovered that a little change can make a big difference. Baksheesh’s
electric bill was reduced by more than 25%.
The
Icing on the Cake
Since one of the principles of Smucker’s business is to promote
environmentally sound practices, she automatically made the leap that
saving energy would save the planet. “Whether it’s insisting
on non-toxic paint in Sri Lanka or reducing energy consumption in Sonoma,
the end result is the same,” she declared. “We’re helping
to save the environment.”
The
Bottom Line
With partial state-sponsored funding from the Small Business Energy Alliance
and the remainder of the tab picked up by the City of Sonoma, the lighting
retrofit was completed for no cost to the owners of Baksheesh. Smucker
recalls, “When an SBEA representative came to tell me about the
program, he asked if I wanted better light and lower electric bills without
having to pay for anything. I said, ‘You bet!’”
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