Erin Shine has worked in the solar and energy-efficient lighting Industries since 2007, but it wasn't until he launched
ShineRetrofits.com in 2010 that he was able to put the horse before the cart.
"It was a shift to focus on efficiency, and energy-efficient lighting is one of the quickest returns on your invest you will find for lowering costs in commercial and industrial buildings," says Shine. "While solar is a great long term investment and good for the environment, it is often challenging to produce the up-front capital and often the payback is not fast enough."
Shine now focuses solely on the retrofit side and sells a wide range of energy-efficient lighting fixtures and systems via the Central Business District-based ShineRetrofits.com.
The company now employs five local employees (up from two at the end of 2012) as well as two additional staffers in other locations.
When he first got into the energy-efficiency business, Shine says return on investment was something of a long-term play. Six years later in 2013, "payback is one to three years," he says.
Local clients include Owens & Minor and three recreation centers in Highlands Ranch. The former has decreased its annual energy footprint by about 100,000 kilowatt-hours at its retrofitted warehouse; at one of the latter, brightness is up 30 percent while energy use is down 56 percent.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Eric Peterson with tips and leads for future stories at eric@confluence-denver.com.
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