Kansas City based Exltube, manufacturer of structural and mechanical tubing & pipe, now has solar panels to provide extra large electric savings with a solar array among the largest business-owned installations in the state, rivaling Ikea’s solar array in St. Louis (SEIA Q2 2019).
Here is their story as featured in their SPS newsletter:
EXLTUBE is Going Green
You never know when an opportunity to save money presents itself! Geralynn Baxter randomly got a call from an outside contractor who installs solar panels for nonresidential properties. His call caught Geralynn’s attention when he conveyed the proposed solar project would:
- Reduce utility cost immediately and for the next 30 plus years
- Power your building with next generation cutting edge technology
- Model environmental stewardship in a practical way
Following Geralynn’s call, Kirk Kreisel from Artisun gave the EXL management a detailed presentation on the scope and payback of the project. In order to make financial sense, it was obvious approvals and the installation would have to move quickly. KCPL was offering a rebate if installation was completed by July 1st. Executive Management (SPS Holdings) endorsed the investment not only based on the payback, but also because it seemed like a responsible initiative for the greater good of NKC. Shortly after the approval, Artisun was on site with their team working with Ryan Sturgeon. Impressively, the contract was signed on April 15th, panels and parts began arriving April 29, and installation began May 6. The project was 95% complete by June 19!
During the last two months Artisun, the solar contractor, installed on EXLTUBE’s rooftops a 1,027 KW Solar PV array. This system consists of 3,161 Solar panels covering 70,240 SQFT of roof space. The solar project allowed Exltube to take advantage of nearly $475,000 in rebates from Kansas City Power & Light. The system will reduce CO2 emissions by 35,566.7 tons over the lifetime of the system. That is roughly the equivalent of planting 35,567 trees, or not driving 106,700,039 miles. Additionally, Exltube will save an estimated $6.3 M in electricity over the 30-year lifetime of the solar panels, netting a 28.6% Internal Rate of Return on the investment.
A special thanks to Geralynn Baxter for bringing us the opportunity, Ryan Sturgeon for working with the contractor on installation, Kirk Kreisel from Artisun for under promising and over-delivering, and SPS Holdings for both a timely decision and support.
This investment will serve EXL well for years to come.
