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www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 5, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 15 environmentalists and others as a way to lessen demand on New England's energy grid to defray, or avoid, huge capital investments in new generation plants and energy-distribution net- works. Fewer power plants also mean less atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide, heavy metals and other toxins. Ceres in 2016 ranked Eversource tops for its efforts to help its New England ratepayers become more en- ergy efficient, Bakal said. Eversource scored No. 1, based on 2014 data, for its relatively high ratios of energy sav- ings to annual power sales, and was tops on its ratio of estimated volume of kilowatt hours saved during the long-term lifecycle of energy-saving measures its customers implemented. For Eversource, teaming with Pre- ferred and its technical advisers, Lou- reiro Engineering and Beacon Electric in Southington, was an opportunity to test new technologies and process up- grades. In fact, the Preferred makeover has become a regular showcase to other Eversource customers weighing similar energy-saving options. "We do thousands of projects a year,'' said Andrew Brydges, Eversource ac- count executive involved in Pre- ferred's upgrades. "But projects with this level of comprehensive- ness are rare.'' To start, Beacon installed 925 light- emitting-diode overhead lamps at the Moody Road facility. Many are motion controlled and replaced the building's aged, dim metal halide lighting ballasts. Though costlier, LED lights can run as long as 13 years, saving on mainte- nance, Eversource said. Preferred also upgraded to 3,000- amp electric service to power lights, office and production equipment, including a laser for cutting acrylic sheets into fitted pieces used in as- sembling countertop displays for cosmetics retailer Sephora, Macy's and other sizable U.S. retailers. Compressed air is key to Preferred's production, blowing away paper and acrylic shards and other debris from surfaces and materials in the packag- ing area. At Loureiro's urging, Pre- ferred refitted its compressors with dryers, to minimize moisture that can mar finished product or eventually cor- rode hoses and fittings, Rousseau said. At the building's rear, a larger, 800-square-foot machine room was added, housing Preferred's compres- sors, vacuum pumps, and heating, ventilation and cooling equipment. Waste heat the machinery generates, Rousseau said, is now redirected back inside the building on chilly days, curbing its heating budget. In all, Rousseau says Preferred's energy savings and other benefits have been worth his investment of time and money. The company's larger, revamped two-story building — once home to greeting cards-stationery supplier Olympia Sales LLC — allowed Pre- ferred to consolidate in Enfield many of its several dozen employees previ- ously based in a second location in northern New Jersey. The energy upgrades also give Preferred, he said, the opportunity to pitch its "green'' side to clients, "to demonstrate we're socially conscious." "We're not in the '70s anymore,'' he said. "The environment is important.'' There are other intangibles, Rousseau added. The bright lights, fresh paint and resurfaced shop floor make it a more pleasant place to work. About 130 work- ers are at Moody Road, with another 40 to 50 housed at a South Windsor facility. "You can feel the difference and you can see the difference in the attitudes of our people," he said. Eversource Energy and its vendors helped Preferred Display Inc. identify ways to cut its energy use. Besides new lightning (shown left) Preferred upgraded to 3,000-amp service (shown right). PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED