AUGUSTA – Maine Public Utilities Commission Chairman Kurt Adams presented a $25,050 check Thursday to the Guilford-based InterfaceFABRIC Leonard G. Saulter Facility to help pay for energy-efficient lighting.

By replacing 334 lighting fixtures throughout its manufacturing plant with premium-efficiency fluorescent fixtures, the company will save an estimated $40,000 in electricity costs each year. The reduction in electricity use also will avert the emission of some 552,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the air annually. CO2, whether from power plants or car exhaust, is considered the prime human contributor to global warming.

“More than 1,000 businesses, 30 of them based in Piscataquis County, have taken advantage of incentives offered by our Efficiency Maine program,” said Adams. “This investment is a great example of a company leading by example and we encourage other Maine businesses to follow its lead.”

InterfaceFABRIC is a world leader in developing and promoting fabrics made from recycled products, according to the PUC. The company made the energy-efficient improvements by working with the PUC’s Efficiency Maine’s Business Program. Efficiency Maine offers cash incentives worth up to $100,000 to Maine-based businesses and schools that install selected energy-efficient electric equipment.

The InterfaceFABRIC Leonard G. Saulter Facility previously received $10,303 from the Efficiency Maine Business Program for the installation of energy-efficient air compressors, bringing its total cash incentives to $35,353.

InterfaceFABRIC’s Dick Sears said working with Efficiency Maine “enabled us to improve our manufacturing process while saving money and allowing us to continue our mission to lead all industry into ‘the next industrial revolution’ – an era of social, economic and industrial sustainability.”

Sears said the energy improvements would help the company achieve its public pledge to eliminate any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020.

Efficiency Maine is a statewide program of the PUC that promotes more efficient use of electricity, helping Maine businesses and residents reduce energy costs, and improving Maine’s environment. Free advice is available to Maine businesses of all sizes, and cash incentives up to $100,000 are available for certain equipment purchases. More information about the program is available by calling toll-free 866-376-2463 or on www.efficiencymaine.com.