After recently being awarded as a ‘green dealership? Brian Milosch, Co-owner of Milosch’s Palace Chrysler Jeep Dodge said not to go green would be a ‘brain dead decision.?
‘It makes a healthier place for my employees and for the environment,? he said. ‘The only drawback is you have to have the cash to do a lot of this stuff up front.?
Milosch’s Palace Chrysler Jeep Dodge was one of 30 dealership honored by Chrysler for their green efforts.
Milosch said it all started two years ago when they bought the Royal Oak Boring site, just north of the Palace of Auburn Hills to become their new collision center, which was a contaminated site.
‘We cleaned up all the contaminants around the site,? added Milosch. ‘We exchanged all the lights for T5 lighting, installed a new white roof on it insulated to make the place more energy efficient, and put a 20 KW solar panel system on the roof.?
Milosch estimated about 10 percent of the electricity comes from the solar panels. They also installed waste oil furnaces in half of the building so they can burn the oil they get after oil changes. They added clean burn systems down at the dealership as well, which Milosch said is where most of the heat for the dealership comes from.
‘What we burn that oil in are really clean, clean systems that vaporize the oil,? he said. ‘No smoke that comes out, so good use of the waste oil.?
Milosch estimated the waste oil saves the collision center roughly $2,000 a month for heating the 20,000 square foot building four or five months out of the year. He estimated the dealership saves around $6,500 a month.
They also acquired some heat reclamation technology on their compressors at the collision center, which vents the heat from the compressors into the warehouse during the wintertime. Milosch said they’ve also been able to create a dust free environment, by attaching a 27 horsepower eurovac to their grinders.
‘It’s also very green and healthy for the guys,? he said. ‘Most body shops are very dusty from grinding.?
Another healthy initiative is the use of waterborne paint in the paint booths.
‘The paint booths have what’s called multi-phase dryers on it, which makes them about 60 more percent efficient than the standard paint,? Milosch said. ‘We burn about half the natural gas we would normally if we had just normal paint.?
If the green initiative is done right Milosch said money can actually be made off going green. One their money makers, is being able to recycle 95 percent of materials they take off cars, simply by sorting the metals, tires, and different parts into separate bins.
On the waste aspect at the old body shop we used to spend $800-$900 a month on hauling trash out. Now we spend approximately $100 a month and retain about $1,200 a month on recycle money I get,? he said. ‘People actually pay you for your trash if you sort it.?
From the money they’ve saved from recycling parts, Milosch said they were able to build a gym at the collision center for the employees, and are currently working on building one at the dealership as well.
‘It’s just another aspect of promoting a healthy environment for our employees,? he said.