ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES DRIVE SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS
Our Small Business Program provides a cost-effective, turn-key solution for business owners looking to improve the energy efficiency of their business and save money on their energy bills. When Joe Bradbury took ownership of Finish First Autobody, one of Manitoba’s largest independent family-owned autobody shops serving Winnipeg since 1999, he wanted to focus on improving the shop’s operations. He saw an opportunity to increase the shop’s energy efficiency and reduce its energy bills with help from our Small Business Program.
THE PROJECT
After Joe filled out the online Small Business Program application, CLEAResult (the program’s service provider) visited the shop to identify and install free energy-saving devices through the Basic Upgrade. They also provided a free lighting and insulation assessment to determine which Premium Upgrades Finish First Autobody could benefit from. After receiving their assessment, Joe moved forward with the Premium Upgrade and had new LED linear lamps, screw-in specialty bulbs, smart thermostats, and occupancy sensors installed throughout the shop.
The new LED lighting has not only brightened their space, but it’s also helped their team more accurately colour-match vehicles — a key part of their quality service. The smart thermostats allow them to control heating and cooling on an automatic schedule, eliminating the need to manually adjust temperatures at the end of each day.
“We’ve seen a reduction in our energy bills, and the shop is safer due to the improved lighting,” Joe noted. “Good lighting is critical to the safety of our employees and business. As an added bonus, Efficiency Manitoba helped us upgrade our thermostats to help us reduce our heating costs just in time for the cold season.”
THE SAVINGS
Joe didn’t stop with Finish First Autobody! In addition to the upgrades at his autobody shop, he had the remainder of his building, which includes two smaller business units, go through the Small Business Program as well. As a result of their combined participation, the building will see energy savings of approximately 14,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity and 300 m³ (cubic metres) of natural gas annually. This translates to an estimated $775 in total energy bill savings per year! Plus, we covered 70% of the materials and labour costs for their Premium Upgrades, providing an incentive of nearly $14,000.
“Efficiency Manitoba made it easy to save money and improve our business’ energy efficiency. As a local small business, reducing our electricity usage and increasing our energy efficiency is critical for us to continue growing and serving our community.”
— Joe Bradbury, Owner of Finish First Autobody
THE PROCESS
The process to participate is easy! Joe filled out our online form and CLEAResult, our third-party contracted service provider, reached out directly to schedule an appointment. They took care of everything, from installing the free Basic Upgrades, to coordinating the subtrades and providing quotes for Joe to review.
“CLEAResult was quick and efficient and made the whole process super easy, letting us know which upgrades we qualified for and coordinating the sub-trades. We were grateful and impressed with how they were able to work around our daily operation to avoid any disruption to our business,” said Joe.
ARE YOU A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER?
If you’re the owner of a small business and looking to make energy efficiency upgrades, we can help! Our Small Business Program is a full-service solution to help your business become more energy efficient. We’ll install free basic energy-saving products and complete a free lighting and pitched roof attic insulation assessment of your business to see if you could benefit from a Premium Upgrade.