Southern Contracting Co. Kicks Off Retrofit of 80 Percent of San Diego City Street Lights
Energy-Efficient Fixtures to Save $2.2 Million Annually
Tim McBride, President of San Marcos, Ca –based Southern Contracting Co. and Board President of the San Diego Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), was recognized by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders this week at a citywide press conference as installation began on the new lighting upgrade project which will retrofit 80 percent of the city’s street lights to energy-efficient fixtures. San Diego will save $2.2 million annually from reduced energy and maintenance costs.
The $16 million retrofit is funded by a financing package that includes a $13 million bond, $2 million in federal grant stimulus funding, and a $3 million low- interest state loan. The $13 million bond is a federally-backed Qualified Energy Conservation Bond, a program that came out of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the original recession stimulus legislation. In addition, San Diego Gas & Electric will provide a one-time $1.2 million rebate for the lighting change.
More than 35,000 induction technology street light fixtures, using broadband light technology, will replace the old sodium vapor lamps. The new light fixtures will be brighter and make colors easier to see at night because they produce a broader light spectrum than sodium vapors. McBride has also pledged to make the job “zero-waste” by recycling all the old building materials rather than hauling them to a landfill.
Southern Contracting has pursued work in the energy solutions market largely at McBride’s initiative. “The reason our company is positioned so well now is because Tim made a strategic decision to diversify into more sustainable energy projects several years ago,” said Jim Filanc, Southern’s director of marketing.
The company’s announcement comes just as national NECA is putting the finishing touches on its 2011 Annual Convention and Trade Show, scheduled Oct. 22-25, in San Diego. McBride has promised to make sure that Convention attendees, especially those at the first NECA Energy Forum, will get an insider’s view of the work in progress, hopefully on the streets surrounding the San Diego Convention Center.
“ I’m especially excited about attending the Energy Forum on Oct. 22, “ McBride said. “The Energy Forum was created specifically for electrical contractors to explore the full extent of the energy solutions market, and I’m interested in hearing what my fellow contractors are doing around the country.
“Electrical contractors should be the logical choice for any construction or wiring intended to generate power from renewable sources or save power on a building’s electrical systems,” McBride said.” There are so many choices and opportunities for electrical contractors in this market right now; simply swapping high pressure sodium street lights to induction is going to save our city tremendously.”
Contact Information
Beth Margulies, Director, Communications
301-215-4526, beth.margulies@necanet.org
