ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., Nov. 17, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lime Energy (Nasdaq:LIME), today announced the recent completion of an energy efficiency project in downtown Chicago for Perillo BMW, located at 1035 North Clark Street. The project involved new energy efficiency lighting in the showroom and service areas at this five-level downtown location. "We could not be happier with our new lighting," said Pat Perillo, who along with her husband, Joe Perillo, are the owners of Perillo BMW. "Saving energy is part of our overall philosophy that we call 'Perillo Cares.' We care about the environment, we care about quality, and we care about service and comfort. All of the elements of that philosophy actually come together in this energy project."
The lighting upgrade included installing new fixtures in the showroom areas, the multi-floor parking areas, and the repair and service bays. Overall savings are expected to exceed 150,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, which is equivalent to avoiding 95 metric tons of CO2 annually, or taking 18 cars permanently off the road. The upgrades are expected to pay for themselves in slightly over 2 1/2 years from utility bill savings and a rebate from Commonwealth Edison.
After seeing the results of the completed project, the staff at Perillo BMW noticed several benefits that they had not anticipated. In the repair areas, new lighting replaced metal halide fixtures that produced a tremendous amount of heat and that required ventilation fans to maintain comfort for the repair technicians. The new lighting in the new car parking and storage areas now illuminates the cars so well that customers do not ask to see the car outside in the sunlight nearly as often as before. "You can imagine in our downtown location that when a customer wants to see a car outside, we might have to move six or seven cars around," said Sam DeStefano, Project Manager at Perillo BMW, "so it's great when we don't have to do that as often. It's amazing that the new lighting actually uses less energy than what we had before, yet the light is so much better," continued DeStefano.
"Energy efficiency projects like this one at Perillo BMW provide real-world examples about what can be done to reduce energy use, yet improve a retail area or workspace," said David Asplund, CEO of Lime Energy. "Lime Energy has completed dozens of successful projects for auto dealers all across the country, and we are happy to provide these benefits to the auto industry. Energy Efficiency is creating jobs, benefitting our businesses, and improving our environment, all from new technology that simply provides more benefits with less energy input."
About Perillo BMW
Perillo BMW has the Midwest's largest new and pre-owned BMW inventory, serving Midwest families for over 34 years. Perillo welcomes the Internet customer and provides a hassle-free Internet experience. We have customers worldwide and can assist you with long distance transactions and shipping nationwide and overseas.
About Lime Energy
Lime Energy is a leading provider of integrated energy engineering, consulting and implementation solutions specializing in improving the energy efficiency of our clients' facilities, reducing their operating costs and carbon emissions. We focus on two specific markets: the commercial and industrial market, including utilities, and the public sector market, working primarily with energy service companies ("ESCOs"). Our clients include commercial and industrial businesses, property owners and managers, utilities, and ESCOs serving U.S. government and educational institutions. We focus on deploying solutions to reduce the energy-related expenditures of our client's facilities and the impact of their energy use on the environment, including energy efficient lighting upgrades, energy efficiency mechanical and electrical retrofit and upgrade services, water conservation, weatherization and renewable project development and implementation. We provide energy efficiency solutions across all of our clients' facilities, ranging from high-rise office buildings to manufacturing plants, retail sites, mixed use complexes and large, government sites to small, local facilities. The company's stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol LIME. Additional information is available at the company's website at www.lime-energy.com or by calling 847-437-1666.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements that reflect Lime Energy's current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. Lime Energy has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words and phrases such as "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "plan," "should," "typical," "preliminary," "hope," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Lime Energy and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause Lime Energy's actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities in 2009 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward- looking statements. These risks are referenced in Lime Energy's current Annual Report on form 10-K or as may be described from time to time in Lime Energy's subsequent SEC filings; and such factors as incorporated by reference.