Florida Tile Gets Stimulus Funds for Lighting

Lawrenceburg, KY, May 19, 2010--Florida Tile has been awarded $162,500 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  economic stimulus funding to replace old, inefficient lighting with advanced, energy-efficient fixtures at its manufacturing facility here.

Florida Tile was one of four Kentucky companies to share grants totaling $787,000. The announcement was made May 13 by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear.

Two years ago, Florida Tile moved its manufacturing operation to Lawrenceburg, purchasing and investing $15 million to “recycle” an under-utilized manufacturing plant, which now employs over 150 workers.

The modern porcelain and wall tile manufacturing facility was designed to be eco-friendly from the start; for example, it features a massive, 3-stage ball mill (one of only three worldwide) to conserve energy.

Florida Tile will use the funds to replace lighting that is nearly 40 years old and currently pulling between 400 and 1,000 watts for each fixture. New energy-efficient fixtures purchased with the grand funding will use only 200 watts, yet simultaneously produce more lumens. Because of that, the new lighting will result in the need for 30 percent fewer fixtures.

Overall, the Florida Tile retrofit is expected to save 74 percent on lighting costs.