Dietz & Watson Adds Solar Power To Facility

PHILADELPHIA (April 19, 2010) – For Dietz & Watson, its premium deli meats and artisan cheese business revolves around commitment to quality and purity. This Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, the company will extend this commitment to the environment as its refrigerated Delanco, N.J., distribution center receives an eco-friendly upgrade. The facility’s roof will be equipped with more than 7,000 solar power modules. Once installation is complete, the modules will reduce the facility’s energy use by nearly 20 percent.

“In addition to producing fresh, natural products, we value the health of our surroundings and environment,” said Chris Eni, COO of Dietz & Watson. “If we can improve the world in which we live and work, we will. That is why we have taken a step in the right direction and made the decision for our Delanco facility to go solar.”

On Earth Day, crews from electrical contracting company Absolutely Energized Solar will begin the primary phase of lifting solar modules onto the facility’s rooftop. A 300-ton crane will do the heavy lifting of more than 7,000 modules, each approximately 5.5’ x 3.25’ in size. These modules will eventually cover the roof. The addition of the solar energy system will help offset over 1,600 tons of harmful greenhouse gas emissions each year. The system will also help to reduce overall demand on the local electrical distribution network which in turn helps the local utility company to reduce price increases and provide more reliable peak electric supply.

“We are proud to bring our energy and money-saving technology to Dietz & Watson, a great local business, on Earth Day,” said Absolutely Energized Solar President Dan Lichtman. “This solar upgrade will financially and environmentally benefit Dietz & Watson, Delanco and the surrounding community.”

The new solar energy system is the most recent effort made by Dietz & Watson to reduce its ecological footprint. Dietz & Watson’s boxes are now marked with SFI stamps, signifying the boxes are Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified and are produced using the highest environmental standards throughout the entire process, from the growing of the trees to the paper manufacturing. Also, Dietz & Watson’s Baltimore poultry facility just received an upgrade of its own. The facility’s entire lighting system was replaced with T5 technology, the most energy efficient fluorescent lighting available.

“This upgrade isn’t our first and it won’t be our last,” said Eni. “We’re proud to celebrate Earth Day by improving our company’s future and our planet’s future.”

Source: Dietz & Watson