In the last few years, I have the opportunity to interview many interesting people: tourism experts, authors, philanthropists had, and enlightened entrepreneurs. For my series of articles about Beach Toronto neighborhood, I have specifically searched for ways to interview entrepreneurs to have come up with the socially and environmentally innovative business ideas.
Michael Prue, the Provincial Member of Parliament pointed to the Beaches / East York, me in the direction of theAlex Winch, owner of Beach Solar Laundromat. You might think - a laundromat, how can that be an interesting business? Well, read on and you will see that these are business and its owner in any case outside the norm.
Early Thursday morning cold, I met Alex at his premises on Queen Street East and was given an introduction to this unusual business. When Alex bought the laundry in 2002, it was outdated and dirty, so Alex to work and replaced almost half of the washers and dryers withnew high-efficiency machines. He also put the place through a complete overhaul and cosmetic brightened considerably.
But where is it is really interesting, behind the scenes, where the entire operational process of the laundry has been redesigned. Alex always wanted to put this business into a cutting-edge environmentally sustainable economy. So in October 2002 he ordered eight solar panels, which were commissioned in December 2002 in order. Alex had planned all along to use the solarEnergy for heating the water needed to wash his assistance.
Alex explained that the eight solar panels have been measured on the roof of his house about 250 square meters, and from a company called Solcan based in London, Ontario installed. The thermal panels include a layer of copper with a black four-inch copper weather vane that includes a three / eight 's inch copper tube is perfused with antifreeze. This consists of food-grade antifreeze propylene glycol, and transfers the heat energy from theRoof over the entire system to a heat exchanger in the basement. Even if it were a leak in the pipes antifreeze, it does not contaminate the water supply.
The anti-freeze has a freezing point of -25 degrees Celsius at which the glycol gels Point shutdown solar water heating, since the glycol simply not moving in the pipes. In this case, a gas boiler backup occurs in the system and start the warming of the water.
In the interest of hisBusiness more environmentally sustainable, Alex has also replaced the lighting system and installed new high-power fluorescent lights, which are under an aluminum reflector. The reflector is essentially double the light output of the actual fluorescent tubes. Combined with high efficiency electronic ballasts for lighting fixtures, this tool has not only resulted in the lighting energy savings of 72%. Alex added that these energy conservation measures are important, because the light in his business for over 18Hours a day, 7 days a week.
One of the first things Alex has told me, was an air handler at the door, the warm moist air into its spell draws out of the laundry, passes through coils and dehumidify the air. The condensation is captured and is supported by a system of pipes transferred into a basement drain. The condensate water is not reused in the laundry lint out of concern for contamination of the water.
To illustrate the operation of his companysolar water heating, Alex took me to the basement where he showed me a range of water tanks, pipes and sophisticated measuring instruments, provided that calculates the actual energy production and natural gas by the displacement of solar water heating.
In the basement there are two different water-heating systems: solar system, with a heat exchanger and a hot water tank 200 gallons, and a backup natural gas heating system that uses a natural gasBoiler with a separate one 100 gallons hot water tank. The separate 100 gallons storage replaces two 200 gallons storage tanks, which were previously used. The new gas boiler is 100 liters of water in seven minutes of heat, and this new, smaller and more efficient system provides "just-in-time" supply water, and heats water only when needed. The additional advantage of this system is that it is a much smaller quantity of hot water, which significantly reduces energy storesof water storage.
The building is brick chimney was demolished to roof level, and today serves as a conduit for the pipes to keep the glycol circulating that up to the solar panels on the roof. Of the panel of the heated glycol then travels back down to the basement goes through a heat exchanger and heats the hot water to wash the laundry. A second heat exchanger heats water that circulates through the radiators and provides the heating for the building. A breathAir conditioning system combines three different air handlers in the building, the temperature of the water for washing is 120 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius), just sufficient to dissolve detergents that no additional heat loss.
All heating and cooling processes are controlled by thermostats, and calculates a sophisticated measurement system, how much gas is saved by the use of solar energy. The measurement system is a Web site on the attachedInternet (www.bslvideo.com), the live energy monitoring for all that is curious about is, are available.
The site also offers a "live-laundry-cam" that customer utilization of the beach Solar Laundromat, to see how the laundry is possible. Alex has a low-resolution camera to improve customer service, enabling its customers to check from the comfort of home, when a good time would be installed for the laundry. A second high-resolution camera, the pictures are not publicly available, has been installed, forPurposes of security, since the laundry is not constantly busy. Some of the clients were initially worried about intrusion of the cameras on their privacy, but when Alex explained that the cameras with lower resolution is not sufficiently clear images would provide, (or identify them), their dirty laundry, these concerns have been alleviated.
Obviously Alex has a big connection with technology, and as he tried, the intricate details of its solar system to explain to me - a total beginnerThings such as heat exchangers and flow meter - I asked him whether he is an engineer. He explained that he completed in 1985, engineering physics at Queens University. Four years later, the designation of chartered financial analyst has his life and his own company for research on the Canadian shares of U.S. hedge funds to sell. In 1990 he started his first hedge fund was in 1993 by opening an office at 667 Park Avenue followed in New York City. Based onhis success, he retired in 1995, an event he refers to the "Freedom 31".
After that date he became a major shareholder in a casino company, volunteered as Head of Investor Relations and was appointed as Chairman of the Board. Alex was not happy the way things were run in this company and demanded that several changes be made. If management did not respond to his concerns he had in 2002 and launched a hostile proxy fight threat, in other words, he threatened to take over the company.Alex had spoken to all shareholders, and they were willing to vote for change. Alex demanded that the president resign or he would "throw him out."
Management initially ignored the threat, and three days later, all were withdrawn by the Administration and the Board of Directors and named him as a contact for the company. Alex explained that in a public company you can not, officers can not simply walk away from their responsibilities. His lawyers advised him not to do anything.A few days later, a further meeting was followed with the management and Alex stated that he did not want the enemy to proxy documents. Instead, he wanted to the management changes, had asked him, otherwise he would have sued them for intentional damages.
The casino company's management responded by issuing a statement lifting her resignation and the implementation of the changes that had asked for Alex. In recent years, the stock value has multiplied seven times, the company is profitableand Alex Winch is one of the largest shareholders.
At this time, Alex was generally disenchanted with the public capital market, and decided to found his own small business. Living only five minutes away, he immediately looked at the laundry when it was offered for sale and found that it could be a chance for an interesting engineering project. And that's how the story began.
Alex's interesting business model for a laundry wash and fold --Service to two local ladies offered from Monday to Friday between 1 and 7 clock. The "fluff and fold" service allows customers the convenience of simply picking their laundry and drop it completely done later. Alex does not charge the two ladies for their operations out of the laundry, but its commercial benefit from higher capacity utilization and load-shifting from the busy evening and weekend hours to less busy hours a day, a win-win situation for hisBusinesses to fold the laundry and the service providers and the customers. Alex Winch always strives to find solutions that can provide the maximum benefit for all concerned.
But Alex know about the use of renewable energy sources and innovative business models are not combined with the Beach Solar Laundromat Station: Alex's unique process of on-site power generation and monitoring, and turned it into a successful international commercial enterprise. Alex founded Mondial Energy, a companywith global capabilities to install solar water heating system, complete with the necessary monitoring systems, solar thermal energy generated at the customer premises and the charges for the solar thermal energy produced, regardless of where they might find themselves.
The advantage for customers is that they are not in the expensive capital investment up front, their solar water heating systems maintain and run. Instead Mondial owns and operates the hardware to generateEnergy, and he takes responsibility for the maintenance of the equipment. Customers are then provided at a fixed monthly rates charged, depending on how much energy is produced by the device.
For customers the opportunity to lock in energy costs is an important factor in an environment of volatility and rising energy prices. In addition, there the price of solar is lower than the cost of a comparable amount of natural gas, so this an increasingly attractive alternative to conventionalnatural gas water heater. Last but not least, the totally green energy, free of greenhouse gases.
Today, Alex is involved in several large projects in sustainable energy conserving Toronto: In November 2006 Mondial mandated Renewable Energy Thermal Energy for the domestic demand for water in a 172-suite retirement home, a local non-profit organization run called Neighborhood Link Homes. Mondial installed 60 flat-plate solar collectors,expected to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions of 40.3 tons and will be charged a monthly Neighborhood Link at affordable prices.
Solar energy is also generated by Mondial water heater in Wood Green Community Housing Inc., a 170-unit public housing site to give the Queen Street East in Toronto. 108 solar panels will be displaced an estimated 32,000 cubic meters of gas, which is 53 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
Alex explained that at this stage of hisSystem is very well suited for commercial or multi-unit residential buildings. The cost for single-family households are not yet working so well, especially since Canada has very little incentive to switch from conventional energy sources. As a result, he focuses on medium to large projects. Several major commercial projects are currently under negotiation, including a large hotel in Atlanta Hotel and Casino in Reno. Mondial Energy is also bidding on a large solar --Water Heating Project in Hawaii. Contacts in the United States are very sensitive to its unique method of on-site thermal energy production. In a way, "said Alex, he has come full circle: He went from being with large companies to participate to a small business and is now back for dealing with large companies.
For its innovative, sustainable energy efforts Alex has numerous awards, including the Bremen Partnership Award (the "Bremer Environment" --The Bremer Environment) for providing high customer value, the broad use in the community, the sustainable use of water and solar energy and for the provision of additional value in terms of the "social dimension".
Alex has so much to a sustainable energy supply, said his company Mondial Energy has become a partner in the preparation of the annual Tourism Awards climate change, committed. Two awards of $ 10,000, sponsored by Mondial, is distributed in November 2007:
• The World Tourism ResponsibleEnergy Award with a global focus
• A mission of responsible African Energy Award focusing on Africa
The jury for the Award include individuals from global organizations such as Maurice Strong, the Earth Summit in Rio, José María Figueres (Past-President of Costa Rica), and representatives of the National Geographic Society and the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization). With this award, Alex's commitment to raising the profile of climate statement did not specifyChange Solutions for the tourism sector.
Alex has shown its commitment to sustainable living, even in the selection of some of his personal accessories: He showed me his Citizen Eco-Drive Watch, a stylish looking timepiece, whose face is a photovoltaic cell that powers the clock accounts, the need for batteries. Alex said, the clock will move to 270 days without exposure to light labor and civil rights marketing slogans are often at the clock as "unstoppable".
Is Unstoppablea moniker that could be applied for Alex Winch - Alex will complete his first mission to do its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is achieved.
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