ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. - Lime Energy's Maximum Performance Group (MPG) announced that it has completed the installation of its eMAC (equipment monitor and control) technology on HVAC systems at all 132 Modell's Sporting Goods stores. The chain-wide installation included a total of 578 eMAC units totaling an energy reduction of approximately 7.4 million kilowatt hours per year, or an estimated 17 percent energy savings, well exceeding MPG's original energy saving projections by 7 percent.

Total dollars saved from the project is expected to exceed $840,000 a year based on "energy cost avoidance" at an average price of electricity in the region of 12 cents per kilowatt hour, according to calculations by MPG. By using the eMAC technology and thus less produced electricity from local utilities, MPG estimates it removed 4,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the air, which is equivalent to permanently removing the emissions of 918 passenger cars from the road. The amount of electrical energy saved is enough to power 545 households for a year.

The project began as a test site utilizing the eMAC technology at a Philadelphia area store. Following significant electrical savings, Modell's extended the trial to another 10 locations which, once again, produced favorable results. The company then expanded its installation program to include 27 stores and 112 eMAC units as part of a project involving utility incentive funding. The company then announced a full chain-wide roll out of the technology.

"We've found the eMAC technology to be very helpful to us in our operations by reducing our electrical consumption, maintaining a very comfortable shopping environment, and helping us diagnose repairs while controlling those costs because of the sophistication of the equipment and the monitoring done by the MPG group," said Dave Fletcher, executive vice president for Modell's. "The savings were so good we were able to internally justify the rate of return we need to make a mass purchase and thus we approved installation of the system in all of our existing outlets as well as in all new construction."

"The Modell's story is an excellent case study of the across-the-board energy efficiency success stories that have been achieved by Lime Energy and its individual operating companies," said Dan Parke, COO of Lime Energy. "While Lime Energy as a company still is relatively new, our predecessor company and the various operating companies under our umbrella have been providing successful solutions to our customers for more than two decades. We clearly have achieved numerous success stories through the years but the Modell's story is one of the best I've seen. We're pleased that we were able to accomplish these tremendous results and help Modell's save energy, preserve natural resources, and realize significant savings in energy costs - throughout their entire retail chain."

The eMAC technology attaches to a company's HVAC unit and uses wireless control capabilities to access control software developed and operated by MPG.

For more information, visit www.lime-energy.com.

Publication date:02/12/2007