Replacing old lights with energy-efficient LEDs isn’t cheap. But thanks to Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative’s (PPEC) Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Custom Lighting Program, companies receiving electricity from the co-op, like farm-to-table butcher shop Custom Quality Meats, are eligible for rebates when making significant energy-efficient lighting upgrades.
New Haven, Indiana-based Custom Quality Meats recently took advantage of this program, receiving a $4,948 check from PPEC after finishing installation of 158 new LED lights. In total, the company reduced its energy use by 4,948 watts – reducing the initial wattage by a whopping 68%.
For more than 30 years, owners and operators Joe and Sandy Seyfert have provided regional Fort Wayne customers with locally raised, grass-fed beef using sustainable practices and ethical farming standards – all without hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. Their sole beef provider, Willow Lake Farms in Huntertown, Indiana, has been in farm-to-market production since 1981. The family name has been known for decades due to their locally produced Seyfert brand potato chips and snacks.
With a second location on Carroll Road in Fort Wayne, Custom Quality Meats provides full-service processing, custom cutting, on-site markets, light catering, packaging, and a smokehouse. Products range from brisket to bacon and everything in between, selling beef, pork, whole turkeys, and chicken year-round, as well as lamb, goat, and buffalo when it’s in season. Their New Haven location also serves as a deer processor for hunters from October through January.
They’ve won numerous first-place medals and plaques from the Meat Packers and Processors Association of Indiana, as well as placing first in competitions statewide for their barbecue pork ribs and chicken wings.
“Our customers have been coming here for years,” says Sandy. “We love the joy of inventing and making our own recipes.”
PPEC’s C&I Custom Lighting Program allows commercial and industrial members to apply for rebates toward energy-efficiency lighting projects, handing over a max contribution of $15,000 per project. Participating members who meet the requirements of the program are eligible to receive up to two rebates, which may not exceed 50 percent of each project’s total cost (excluding labor).
Pre-approval is required by sending an application to PPEC Energy Advisor Peter Niagu at pniagu@ppec.coop. To learn more about the program, visit https://ppec.coop/rebate-programs/.
To learn more about Custom Quality Meats, visit their website at www.cqmeats.com or call their New Haven office at 260-749-4100.
