Mr. Copyquik turns Green with Solar Power

Why install solar panels at Copyquik Printing? We use about 360kW of electric per day in our printing facility. With copiers, computers, presses and human bodies all producing heat, we run our A/C units every day even in the winter months.

We are always looking for ways to reduce our energy cost. In 2008 we replaced all of our lighting with energy efficient T-5 fluorescent lights. We were able to see an immediate decrease in our lighting bill. Our goal with the solar panels are to replace approx. one-third of our electric usage with renewable energy and reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

Today some folks feel that printing is not green and that paper uses up our resources. They are mistaken, paper we use comes from managed forests that are carefully monitored to insure their ability to be sustainable. Copyquik offers many types of recycled paper options and uses vegetable based inks. Our waste paper is recycled and our ink waste are properly disposed. We try to be good stewards of our environment and help our customers market their business effectively with print.

Safety First!

This week installation of our system at CopyQuik actually started! Ok, they just installed the safety fence, so while it is not quite installation of the panels, it is still exciting to see the work actually start. Steve Kelly and his crew got underway by placing orange safety fence around the edge of the roof. Next week the racking is due to arrive that will hold the solar panels in place.

The First Photo!

Putting up safety fencing so they don't fall off. Don't they need fencing for their fencing?

My friend Gary Bernardi in New Cumberland, PA helped really start my interest in using solar panels to offset our electrical usage. Gary installed a system on his roof in the fall of 2009. His system is large enough to TOTALLY REPLACE his electrical usage for his shop AND home.

The system looks really neat and it was cool to see his meter turning in reverse, but it was the five year payback that really caught Mr. Copyquik's attention!

I started researching solar PV systems and in July 2010 signed a contract with Millennium 3 Energy to install a 30kW system on the roof of Copyquik Printing in Hagerstown, MD. Phil Kelly is the owner of Millennium 3 Energy and very helpful to work with.

Also! Here is a link to Phil's business...in case you want one of these yourself: http://www.m3-energy.com/

Mr. CopyQuik goes SOLAR!

Interested in Solar or Renewable energy sources? Mr.Copyquik of Hagerstown has embarked on a journey to replace part of our electrical usage with Solar panels. Please follow along as we install our system. Learn about how a Solar PV panel system works, see the install progress and watch the results. It should be a fun project and we value your input, comments and ideas.

Hope to hear from you soon!