For the past couple of years, the electric meter has been spinning backwards at Brinkmann’s True Value. In 2015, the company’s location in Miller Place, New York, achieved net-zero energy status, which means it produces more energy than it consumes.
According to Ben Brinkmann, who along with his brother Hank and sister Mary own the five-store business, their Miller Place location is the first retail store in the United States to achieve net-zero status. Their decision to go green was practical; the investment into a more energy-efficient operation will pay for itself in about four years and after that save thousands of dollars on energy costs.
