NASHVILLE—Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has received a $350,000 rebate for energy-efficient improvements the company made to its La Vergne, Tenn., plant.
The Tennessee Valley Authority and Nashville Electric Service presented the plant with the rebate in March, according to Bridgestone Americas, under the EnergyRight Solutions for Industry program that helps manufacturers implement energy efficiency and demand-reduction improvements.
The La Vergne plant began a lighting upgrade at the plant in 2010 in which nearly 3,900 high-intensity fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient fixtures that use half the electricity while producing a comparable amount of light.
According to Bridgestone, the upgrades reduced the plant's power consumption by more than 3.8 million kilowatt hours and will save the plant $190,000 per year in energy costs.
The lighting upgrades, projected to reduce carbon emissions by 4,825 metric tons annually, will help the facility meet Bridgestone's goal to reduce the carbon footprint of the company and its products by 35 percent from 2005-20.
Bridgestone Americas will add the rebate to the company's Environmental and Energy Strategic Fund, where it will be re-invested in other energy efficient initiatives and conservation projects, according to Muneer Chowdhury, a facilities manager for Bridgestone Americas.