PRESS RELEASE GOVERNOR’S ENERGY AWARDS
Governor Herbert and the Utah Energy Office honored Burton Lumber as the Utah Environmental Leader of the Year at the Energy Development Summit held in Salt Lake yesterday beating out other finalists, Rio Tinto and First Wind. The Energy Summit is one of the most important energy forums in the Intermountain West, helping position Utah for an exciting energy future characterized by a diversity of resources, responsible practices, and steady economic growth.
Burton Lumber is the largest local privately owned solar array in the state with approximately 4.5 acres of solar panels installed on the roof of their Corporate Offices. In September 2013 Burton teamed up with electrical contractor, Hunt Electric, to design and install 2,676 solar modules. These modules will generate 642.2kW of electricity, which is the equivalent of:
- 74.2% of Burton Lumber’s Energy usage at our Salt Lake Location
- The Carbon sequestered annually by 501 acres of U.S. forests
- CO2 emissions from the electricity of over 100 Utah Homes
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 127 passenger vehicles per year
- CO2 emissions from 68,568 gallons of gasoline consumed
- Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 229 Tons of waste
Burton Lumber is now studying their other 6 location’s energy needs throughout the state to see what they can do to be more efficient and reduce energy costs, and their Layton and Lindon locations are now in the process of adding rooftop solar arrays as well. Burton has plans to do future phases of solar arrays at all of their 7 locations statewide, as well as retrofitting the lighting, implementing recycling, etc. (For a list of all the things Burton Lumber is doing to become more sustainable please go to: https://burtonlumber.com/energy-conservation/
Burton Lumber – Energy Conservation Leader Burton Lumber is striving to make a difference and be an example to other businesses that renewable energy is not only good for the environment, but also for the bottom line of any progressive business. Their unprecedented solar project is proof that you can make an investment that is beneficial to your business while also contributing to your community. Jeff Burton expressed that “Burton Lumber doesn’t wish to be thought of as cutting down trees, but rather of always looking for ways to do business in a responsible and sustainable way that gives back to the community that they have been a proud part of for over 100 years.”
