EnviroCentre LED Light Replacement Project reduces environmental footprint by replacing old, inefficient lighting with updated LED lighting across all eight Shepherds of Good Hope locations
Ottawa, October 11, 2017 – A new pilot project has updated LED lighting across all eight Shepherds of Good Hope locations, part of an EnviroCentre pilot initiative to invest in the community and support organizations in efforts to reduce their environmental footprint. This project was supported by LightenCo, who provided all the lightening retrofitting. The benefits of investment in building energy efficiency go beyond greenhouse gas emission reductions; decreasing the charity’s spend on energy costs, both for purchasing energy and maintenance costs, frees up funds for further programming and activities.
“It is wonderfully fitting that we are holding this celebration in our soup kitchen, as this was one of the original programs started at Shepherds of Good Hope. To be able to modernize our facilities by replacing the old, outdated lighting not only helps save the environment but also helps free up funds for our organization that would otherwise have gone to energy costs.” said Neil Leslie, Vice-President of Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. “These cost savings will allow further opportunities to help our community’s homeless and vulnerably housed – from access to emergency shelter services to one of our five supportive housing facilities, the additional savings will go a long way.”
“Our donation is part of EnviroCentre’s ongoing commitment to community sustainability and greenhouse gas reductions in Ottawa,” says Jerry Beausoleil, Acting Executive Director of EnviroCentre. “Large-scale energy retrofits, like the one at Shepherds of Good Hope, have long-lasting impacts and reduce operational costs, which allows organizations to invest more into the programs and services to help people in need.”
“Lightenco is extremely proud to be working with partners like Envirocentre and Shepherds of Good Hope to give back to the community. LED lighting retrofits lead to considerable energy conservation, reduced carbon emissions, less maintenance and operational costs as well as more secure and comfortable environments for the people working and inhabiting these spaces.” Steve Hubbard, Director & Co-Founder, Lightenco.
The lighting retrofit will result in an estimated $38,839.03 of annual savings through the reduction of energy use and a reduction of annual maintenance costs by $10,000-$20,000. By switching to LEDs, the energy consumption will be reduced by 224,727 kWh – an equivalent of 29.38 tonnes of CO2 abated annually. Through this new initiative, EnviroCentre hopes to pave the way for future investments in building energy efficiency.
About Shepherds of Good Hope
Shepherds of Good Hope is one of the largest not-for-profit organizations dedicated to meeting needs of the homeless and vulnerably-housed in the city of Ottawa. Shepherds of Good Hope offers around the clock services to both men and women across eight facilities located across the city of Ottawa, from downtown to Kanata. Many of the people who access Shepherds of Good Hope’s programs and services suffer from mental health challenges, trauma and addiction issues.
About EnviroCentre
EnviroCentre is a local environmental non-profit which brings environmental change to life by offering people, organizations and communities across Ottawa and the province practical solutions to lighten their environmental impact in lasting ways.
About Lightenco
Lightenco is an award-winning company offering turnkey LED lighting solutions for commercial, multi-residential, industrial and institutional clients. Services include: hydro incentive application management, energy and cost savings analysis, lighting design, installation, certified electrical work, project financing, recycling of old lamps, green marketing campaigns & more.
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For more information, please contact:
Leah Myer
Manager, Marketing and Communications
lmyer@shephersofgoodhope.com
613-789-8210 ext. 223