Lyman Morse Boatbuilding Company Attains 36% Reduction in Carbon Emissions and Growth in New Jobs!
A well-known boat builder of high-end custom yachts in Thomaston, Maine, Lyman Morse Boatbuilding Co., has accomplished both their recently reported 36% reduction in carbon emissions (exceeding their 20% reduction goal set for 2010) as a participant in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge, and growth of new jobs to 201 employees! They have also made significant commitments to a cleaner environment by reducing energy use, water use, and hazardous waste generation at their versatile high quality boat production facility.
Ron Defoe, Safety and Environmental Officer, remarks “We are very pleased with our accomplishment in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge, and we encourage other businesses, organizations and communities to participate in this voluntary program. Lyman Morse is demonstrating our business’ long term commitment to greater energy efficiency and continuous environmental improvement.”
Several changes at Lyman Morse have contributed to improved energy efficiency and their reported reduction in carbon emissions. These include their “state of the art” boatbuilding facility that has also launched Lyman Morse into the global market. The building can now handle the versatility of production from Lyman Morse and employs many features that contribute to energy efficiency as well as employee comfort. The building’s shell is efficiently insulated and allows for excellent heat regulation by using a roof system with radiant heating tubing which is also utilized in the building’s floors. Here solar energy is transferred into the heat sink of the cement walls and floor all summer and fall, and used in the height of winter supplemented with very efficient (92%) instant hot water (European type) boilers.
New low energy fluorescent lighting provides better light while using far less energy. The air exchange system creates a high quality work environment using efficient VFD’s (variable frequency drives) for low power usage when full power is not needed. Lyman Morse uses biodiesel in all their equipment, and is using BioHeat (B20) for its buildings this winter thereby decreasing dependence on imported fuel. Other savings include using 40,000 gallons less water each year with each waterless urinal.
In their spirit of continuous improvement, Lyman Morse is now researching the potential for use of underwater turbines on floats in the St. George River for generating renewable green power. And they have become involved with a new solar generator for managing and integrating sources of power away from the grid.
Lyman Morse is a participant in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge and a member of the Department of Environmental Protection’s STEP-UP program. Both the Governor’s Carbon Challenge and STEP-UP programs are operated out of the Department’s Office of Innovation.
