Starbucks has reduced energy consumption from “venti” to “tall” at the company’s Carson Valley Roasting Plant in Minden by installing energy efficient fluorescent and LED lights.

The lights installed inside the plant and the parking lot area are expected to reduce the facility’s annual electricity usage by 621,000 kilowatt hours. Starbucks also added controls to conveyor belt motors that will enable them to be automatically shut off during break times, an annual savings of about 90,600 kilowatt hours. The improvements are expected to lower the plant’s annual electric bill by approximately $64,000.  

To help offset costs for the upgrades, Starbucks will receive a $44,509 rebate from NV Energy’s Sure Bet program, which provides financial incentives to large commercial energy users that invest in energy efficient lighting and equipment. Since 2003, the program has helped northern Nevada companies reduce their annual electricity usage by approximately 220 million kilowatt hours. 

“This is a great example of partnership between Starbucks and NV Energy,” said Starbucks Plant Director Tom Wandel. “These projects have a quick return on investment- the utility cost reductions are critical during these challenging economic conditions, and beyond that the reduction in electricity usage aligns with our mission to reduce our carbon footprint here in the Carson Valley.” 

Coffee roasted at Starbuck’s Carson Valley plant is shipped to the company’s outlets across the western United States, as well as their markets in Asia Pacific.