CoolSys Energy Solutions Group Recognized for Top Performance in Energy Savings
August 25, 2021
The Albertsons Companies group of CoolSys Energy Solutions has earned a prestigious award from the largest utilities company in Colorado. Xcel Energy, which operates in eight states in the West and Midwest, presented Rocky Paflias, manager of the Denver division of CoolSys Energy Solutions, with its Energy Efficiency Partner 2021 award on August 12.
CoolSys Energy Solutions was one of just 23 Xcel contractors to win the award, among 800 eligible contractors nationwide. Xcel bases its award on total rebate dollars paid and kWh (electricity) and dth (natural gas) savings by program.
Rocky says the award is the result of diligence and hard work from the entire Albertsons Companies group. “This is absolutely a team effort, and we couldn’t have achieved the award without everyone’s involvement,” he says.
The Albertsons group of CoolSys Energy Solutions aggressively pursues utility rebates on behalf of its customers. “They really appreciate the extra effort we put into saving them as much money as possible,” Rocky says.
The Keys to Big Energy Savings
In each of the past two years, CoolSys Energy Solutions has completed 25 to 30 projects with Safeway grocery stores in Colorado. (Safeway is a subsidiary of Albertsons.) The projects involved full-store LED retrofits to replace fluorescent lighting, amounting to thousands of bulb replacements per store, inside and outside. About half of the projects also included EMS (energy management system) upgrades to building controls and the addition of energy-efficient VFDs (variable frequency drives).
Rocky says that, since grocery stores consume an enormous amount of energy, the upgrades can have a tremendous impact on energy savings. “Each project we do is saving 300,000 kilowatt hours on the lighting side — and that’s just for the smaller stores,” he says. “When you add the EMS side, you can double or triple the savings.” In return, energy companies like Xcel benefit from reduced stress on the power grid and less pressure to expand their infrastructure.
