Manheim (www.manheim.com), the world's leading provider of vehicle remarketing services, is a part of Cox Enterprises (www.coxenterprises.com), a leading communications, media and automotive services company. As such, Manheim participates in Cox Conserves - Cox Enterprises' national sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water.
Overall, Cox annually prevents more than 21,000 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the environment through its alternative energy projects, says a company official.
At the Manheim New England location in North Dighton, MA, Cox recently installed a photovoltaic solar system that includes a 3 megawatt ground mount installation comprised of more than 10,000 solar panels and a 509 kilowatt roof installation that provides 29 percent of the operation's energy requirements. Combined, these produce enough energy to annually power more than 400 homes and prevent 3,005 tons of carbon from entering the environment, the official notes.
There are also solar projects at Manheim locations in Baltimore, MD; Bordentown, NJ; Kansas City and St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; and San Antonio, TX.
LESS IS BETTER
Several Manheim locations now have large outdoor lighting systems that are managed by a centralized control system that enable operators to schedule each section of the lot based on activity needs versus lighting the entire area. The company also conserves energy at many of its sites by using lower wattage exterior lamps and uses high-efficiency metal halide lamps that use 50 percent less energy compared to older metal halide technology.
Several Manheim locations have upgraded fixed-speed air compressors to variable speed drives (VSD) in order to modulate energy consumption to the amount of air needed. The VSD also enables the air compressor to operate at reduced power levels throughout the day.
These upgrades have taken place at Manheim Bay Cities, Manheim Hawaii, Manheim Mississippi, Manheim New Orleans, Manheim Orlando and Manheim Pensacola, resulting in an annual reduction of 221 tons of carbon, says the Cox official. Manheim has Water Conservation Centers in Manheim, PA, and Atlanta, GA, which save a combined 10 million gallons of water each year.
