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March 14, 2008
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Both the facility where E-Z-GO’s revolutionary RXV golf car is produced and the golf car itself are much more energy efficient. Note the high-efficiency fluorescent lighting in the background. |
E-Z-GO’s revolutionary new RXV golf car is being manufactured under the brightest lights its shop floor has ever seen. But don’t think that E-Z-GO is paying more in energy costs for this new lighting. The fact is, installing high-efficiency lights– along with other steps the company has taken – is saving them energy and money.
Treading lighter on the environment is a goal of the golf industry, and E-Z-GO is taking a lead in helping the industry reach that point. The business took a big step last year with the introduction of the RXV golf car. Both its gas and electric models are more fuel and energy efficient.
Because the RXV’s electric model requires less energy to charge and operate, it minimizes the vehicle’s “carbon footprint” and reduces hazardous waste. The gas model meets the stringent emissions standards of the California Air Resources Board and improves fuel economy by up to 52 percent.
While the RXV’s energy-saving benefits may get the headlines, E-Z-GO is reducing energy consumption and increasing recycling at its world headquarters in Augusta, Georgia. In 2007, the light transportation leader reduced its energy costs by eight percent – mostly through electricity savings – and it hopes to realize an additional seven percent reduction in energy costs this year.
“We’re committed to reducing the cost of running our business, and overhead is a big part of that cost,” says John Collins, E-Z-GO’s plant manager.
High-efficiency lighting is just the beginning. E-Z-GO is making better use of sunlight, installing smarter air compression systems and becoming smarter about its recycling efforts. Lowering its energy costs was the goal, but these programs have also increased employee satisfaction while making E-Z-GO a more responsible steward of the environment.
Replacing its standard industrial sodium and metal halide lights with high-efficient T5 fluorescent lights in what is called Building 3 has been the most dramatic difference to date. “With this change, we’re providing 40 percent more light at 60 percent of the energy costs,” says Robert Burton, the facilities manager for E-Z-GO. E-Z-GO’s other buildings are also undergoing similar measures.
To gain greater reflectivity from the new lights, the walls and ceilings were painted white and the floors were coated in a white epoxy. There is still one small section of the building that has not yet been converted, and Burton says it’s amazing to see the contrast. “The difference is pretty substantial when you walk from one place to the other,” he says. “It’s made a major difference.”
Collins says they are also taking advantage of the natural light that comes into the building. Solar tubes – round domes about 22 inches in diameter cut through the roof – diffuse the sunlight throughout the building, which allows lights to remain off during certain parts of the day.
Another big driver of energy costs is the compressed air system that powers the equipment used to manufacture E-Z-GO vehicles. Large compressors supply the air to the equipment. By attaching monitors to each compressor, they can now gauge when additional pressure is required and determine which of the compressors is most energy-efficient to meet that need.
There is also significant savings – $60,000 over the past six months alone – by reducing the amount of materials transported to the local landfill. Landfills charge by the ton, so the less tonnage that goes in, the less E-Z-GO pays. One item in particular that added significantly to the waste were pallets. With a little research, however, the company was able to determine that pallets are very much in demand in the community. E-Z-GO now gives them away.
They’ve also become much more vigilant about ensuring that cardboard, plastic and glass are recycled and not thrown into dumpsters. “We all have a responsibility here,” Collins says. “The whole team is pitching in.”
A “greener” environment is also creating a cleaner environment. As Building 3 became brighter with new lights and white paint, employees wanted to make sure that their individual work spaces were neater. Collins and Burton say that the work areas have never looked better.
And customers are noticing as well. A major customer recently toured the facility and left with an indelible impression. For Collins, a “green and clean” facility can be a sales tool. “They walk through here and they can see we’re building a quality product and doing it in a clean, efficient facility,” he says. “We can show them how carefully we manage our costs.”
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