Cape store owner installs energy-saving bulbs, reaps BGE reward

Art Cerasani, an Arnold shop owner, had a square-peg-round-hole situation on his hands.

He needed an LED light - an energy-saving Light-Emitting Diode bulb - that could plug into standard fluorescent-bulb light boxes. His store, Ski Haus Sports Center and Cycleworks, like many other commercial spaces, has a ceiling festooned with fluorescent lighting fixtures.

So Cerasani did a little research to find a company in China that could manufacture a retrofitted bulb, and now he's reaping the environmental and financial rewards of his ingenuity.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. has committed to giving Cerasani an incentive check of $4,380 through its Smart Energy Savers Program as a reward for installing the low-wattage lighting.

Ski Haus is one of about 700 businesses that has received incentives through one of the utility's energy-saving consumer initiatives.

But BGE officials said businesses aren't the only ones that can save as they work to encourage more commercial and residential customers to take advantage of the benefits programs to chip away at their usage and monthly bills.

"I was just looking for ways to cut energy costs," Cerasani said. "The difference is humongous."

The program offers a variety of opportunities to help customers - both commercial and residential - conserve energy, save money on their bills and reduce their carbon footprint through services and incentives. According to the program policies, incentives for BGE business customers normally cover up to 50 percent of the total cost for retrofitting inefficient equipment and up to 75 percent of the incremental cost for new construction projects.

Program participants may select the contractor or service provider of their choosing to receive the rebates.

At Ski Haus on College Parkway, Cerasani replaced 136 4-foot-long fluorescent tubes and 20 2-foot-long fluorescent tubes.

With the new LED lights, Cerasani estimated he will save about 4,900 watts per hour of use. A normal fluorescent tube with a ballast, the bulb's starter, uses 45 watts per hour, Cerasani said, but his LED bulbs without a ballast use a third of the energy at 15 watts per hour.

His total cost of supplies and installation came to about $8,760, so the rebate from BGE amounts to a 50 percent reimbursement of the project's total.

Ruth Kiselewich, the utility's director of Demand Side Management Programs, said though Cerasani came to BGE with a specific proposal, customers aren't required to have a plan to participate. Program officials can help match customers with projects that meet their needs, she said.

"That help comes in a number of fashions, from answering questions to meeting with a lot of people in person or our helping fund studies to find out the most cost-effective measures," she said.

Kiselewich said the program partners with ICF Resources, LLC, a company that offers consulting services in the energy markets.

"They have folks that specifically work as solution providers," she said.

Kiselewich said BGE's goal in offering incentives for energy-saving projects is manifold.

"We're very interested in helping our customers with tools to manage energy use," she said. "We don't control the (market) price of energy, but we can help them with tools to manage their energy use."

And beyond reducing customers' bills, the utility also must work in partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration and other agencies to cut down individuals' carbon emissions 15 percent by 2015, as promised under Gov. Martin O'Malley's EmPower Maryland initiative.

The Smart Energy Savers Program is not limited to businesses, Kiselewich added. Residential customers can participate through a number of initiatives.

One program provides rebates to families for replacing home appliances with high-efficiency refrigerators, freezers and washing machines. Another provides discounts on energy-saving light bulbs.

As for Cerasani, his mission isn't complete. He's now trying to convince other businesses to take advantage of the utility's energy-saving programs, and more specifically, the multiple benefits of LED lighting.

"We're all looking to save energy to protect the environment," he said. "And one of the things that I've learned is that fluorescents are far from safe."

To learn more about these and other initiatives, call 1-877-685-7377 or visit www.BGESmartEnergy.com.