Oxford Car Wash A Model Of Sustainability

When Mark Marzeotti tries to explain to people where his new Oxford car wash is located, he sometimes gets blank stares. That is, until he gives up on the geographic description and instead tells people this: It’s the building on Route 12 that looks like a greenhouse.

Oh yeah, they reply, I know where your car wash is.

Marzeotti, a Dudley native, had been looking for many years to own and operate a car wash in his hometown, but the numbers just didn’t work out. Expanding his search outside Dudley, he spotted the unique place on Route 12 (Main Street) in Oxford that would eventually become his. He did his due diligence, but also wrote off that location as too expensive a proposition.

However, a couple of years ago, he noticed a for-sale sign at the Route 12 site, but he wasn’t sure if the owner was selling the car wash or something else that was sitting in the yard.

“I approached the owner and asked him if he was selling the car wash or the boat and he answered, ‘Yes,’” recalled Marzeotti with a laugh.

He bought the business in February of 2008, naming his new place, appropriately enough, the Greenhouse Car Wash.

The name choice was obvious for a couple of reasons. One, it aptly describes the building’s unique architecture — it is all glass and aluminum and looks like a place where plants would thrive.

And, two, it is synonymous with Marzeotti’s two-fold goal: that his business be successful while being as green as possible.

To that end, the Greenhouse Car Wash reclaims 90 percent of the water that is used. The water goes through a series of filters and gets recycled. Eventually, the water is disposed of in a storage tank, but not until it has been utilized a number of times. Marzeotti also relies upon biodegradable soaps and waxes. Cars are dried with an air dryer that forces water off the cars and into the car wash to be recycled, rather than using cloths or towels.

“There is nothing disposable that is used (to dry the cars) that would find its way into a landfill,” explained Marzeotti, who even offers gift cards made of recycled material.

“Every new endeavor we think of to add to the car wash is thought of on greener, eco-friendly terms.”

He believes that the changes he has made will attract environmentally concerned customers who otherwise would not consider using a car wash and, regardless of that benefit, he says it is good for the community.

Place In The Sun

Not being content with the eco-friendly measures already in place, Marzeotti explored the possibility of installing solar panels on the building, which already uses the sun for some of its heat.

However, the cost to undertake such a project was something to think about.

“It is a significant cash outlay to purchase the panels and to install the panels, but if I qualified for a state and federal grant, I could dissipate almost 70 percent of the expense, leaving me with 30 percent debt service,” said Marzeotti.

This is where Patrick Hurley, vice president of sales and marketing for Channel Sun Solar Power Systems of Westborough, comes in.

Hurley, whose company designs and installs commercial solar power systems, and Marzeotti met at a business event. They struck up a conversation and made plans to talk further.

“We were able to make the numbers work out so that it was a good return on his investment,” said Hurley, whose company undertakes the fairly complicated application process on behalf of its customers.

One particularly attractive piece for Marzeotti was the federal government’s offer of a grant in lieu of a 30 percent tax credit.

“That really made the difference for Mark,” said Hurley. “It makes the difference for a lot of businesses because an investment tax credit won’t show up on the checkbook for years to come.”

Initially, there was no clear direction from the government as to how that incentive was going to be administered, explained Hurley, which made Marzeotti a little hesitant. Channel Sun agreed to take the risk, absorbing the 30 percent tax credit, and allowing Marzeotti to pay them once the grant came in.

“That made him much more comfortable,” said Hurley, noting that the grant became available this July, six months after the program began. For his company, “it was a risk that paid off.”

The solar panels were installed at the Greenhouse Car Wash in July and already Marzeotti has seen a difference in his electric bill.

His first full-month bill showed a reduction in kilowatts of about 35 percent compared to last year at this time. In the long term, he expects to reduce his electrical costs 30 to 40 percent by using the sun for energy. 

Ellen O’Connor is a freelance writer based in Worcester. She can be reached at eokie@charter.net.