Kat Schon and Penney Stephenson of Portland Store Fixtures make a business of saving. They rescue used shelving, displays and other store fixtures from going to landfills and sell them at a fraction of what new pieces cost.

Energy savings is part of their business plan, too. Since the beginning, they’ve focused on cutting energy use and costs and being environmentally responsible.

Roughly half of their 16,500-square-foot building underwent a lighting upgrade about five years ago. The pair have also installed a programmable thermostat, replaced an old, inefficient refrigerator and installed energy-efficient windows.

In 2008, as part of its Save More, Matter More™ pledge, the company upgraded the lighting in the remaining half of the building, including “horrible, flickering” T12 fluorescent tube fixtures and metal halide lights, Schon says. With new high-performance T8 lighting and occupancy sensors the store is brighter, the merchandise looks better and the savings are noticeable.

The upgrades qualify for an Energy Trust cash incentive and an Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit, making it easier for the company to tackle the project during a tight economy.

Though motivated primarily by the environmental benefits, the two businesswomen agree that the financial benefits — from incentives and credits to lower energy bills — are a nice bonus.

“It’s time we live in the environment and not on it. Small businesses are the foundation and backbone of the community, and if we don’t take these steps, nobody will,” Kat says. “The cool thing is, most of the things we do for the environment are really smart business moves in the first place.”

• High-performance T8 lamps
• Occupancy sensors in warehouse

• Projected at 5,342 kWh annually, or about $374

• Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives: $801
• Oregon Business Energy Tax Credits: about $1089

• Brighter, more functional lighting
• Reduced maintenance
• More inviting atmosphere