San Antonio Small Businesses "Seeing the Light" with Energy Upgrades

San Antonio Small Businesses “Seeing the Light” with Energy Upgrades

March 21, 2012 

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KBK to the Trade

Thanks to the City Lights program, this design shop is saving an estimated 25,500 kilowatt-hours and $2,000 on electricity bills each year. | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
Date taken: 05/24/2011 - 15:06

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  1 of 5

  KBK to the Trade

  Thanks to the City Lights program, this design shop is saving an estimated 25,500 kilowatt-hours and $2,000 on electricity bills each year. | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
  Date taken: 05/24/2011 - 15:06
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  Gallista Gallery

  Joe Lopez, artist and owner of the Gallista Gallery, received energy and money-saving lights through the City Lights program. “We compared our bills to last year and we have seen a decrease...They should have more programs like this... Small businesses need help. We struggle as a small business, every little bit helps.” | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
  Date taken: 05/25/2011 - 15:02
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  Ronald McDonald House

  The Ronald McDonald houses in San Antonio serve as a home-away-from-home for families with children being treated at medical facilities in San Antonio. Pat Bivin, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House of San Antonio, says that any money the houses can save by being more energy efficient goes right back to the families that they are serving. City Lights saved the organization an estimated 105,500 kilowatt-hours and $8,600 on electricity bills each year. | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
  Date taken: 05/25/2011 - 16:49
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  Magik Theatre

  Richard Rosen, executive director of Magik Theatre, says that the lighting upgrades have saved money, but more importantly send a message of energy conservation to the students who visit. City Lights is saving the theatre an estimated 11,700 kilowatt-hours and $960 on electricity bills each year. | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
  Date taken: 05/25/2011 - 14:09
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  AJ's Fresh Line Up

  Richard Sanchez, co-owner of AJ'S Fresh Lineup, says he and his parter paid about $20 to have all the lights in their small barbershop replaced through San Antonio's City Lights program. The program is saving the barbershop an estimated 1,630 kilowatt-hours and $133 on electricity bills each year. | Photo Credit: City of San Antonio
  Date taken: 05/24/2011 - 16:31

Todd Allen

Project Officer, Golden Field Office

What does this mean for me?

• In the first 10 months, City Lights has saved San Antonio businesses an estimated 3.4 million kilowatt-hours of energy.

If you were going to a new gallery showing of your favorite local artist, would you want to view the canvasses under dim lights? Or if you were reupholstering your favorite sofa, would you want to look at fabric samples under fluorescent lighting and risk mistaking indigo blue for charcoal black?

Small businesses are a main economic driver in cities across the country -- and San Antonio is no different. Lighting may seem like a small detail, but as more than 800 small businesses in San Antonio have discovered, having the right lighting can improve business and conserve energy. With over 40 percent of a company’s energy consumption coming from interior lighting, upgrading to more efficient lighting can dramatically reduce a company’s energy consumption and lower utility bills.

As part of San Antonio’s “Mission Verde” initiative, the city launched the City Lights Small Business Lighting Retrofit Program using Recovery Act funding through the Energy Department’s EECBG program. The City Lights program is helping business owners increase their lighting efficiency, reduce energy use and lower electricity bills.

In the first 10 months of City Lights, participating small business saved an estimated 4.9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. Beyond these savings, the program trained and employed local energy audit experts and electrical contractors who helped businesses identify potential energy and cost saving measures. 

The program worked in cooperation with the municipally owned local utility, CPS Energy, as well as the energy-efficiency program management company EnerPath, which helped the city oversee the program.  

City Lights has not only lowered utility bills, but the city has also received positive feedback from owners and staff of the participating businesses as well as their patrons.

Richard Sanchez, co-owner of A.J’s Fresh Line Up barbershop, offered his views on his shop’s new lighting upgrades, which only cost the business approximately $20 after the program’s incentives were included.

“You can’t give a good haircut in bad lighting. We are already seeing our bills drop and it’s much brighter than it was before,” said Sanchez. 

Like Richard Sanchez, the 847 other businesses owners participating in the program are leading the way for San Antonio to become a sustainable community leader in the 21st century.