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Mike Perdue was skeptical at first. He’s been superintendent of the Greensboro Coliseum for 16 years, long enough to hear his share of bogus sales pitches about some new innovation that will pay for itself before you can say “rip-off.”

“It’s like we’re waving a flag out front saying, 'Try to sell me something!’ ” Perdue said.

So when Siemens Energy said three years ago that it could do $3 million in energy-saving renovations at the coliseum at zero net cost, Perdue had a hard time believing his ears.

But after Siemens upgraded every light fixture in the building, replaced a boiler that took five hours to make steam with one that takes five minutes, and made a host of other improvements that lopped about 30 percent off the coliseum’s energy bill, Perdue is a firm believer in the power of less power.

“It’s one of those things you think is too good to be true,” he said, “but it’s a win-win-win.”

The coliseum is on the leading edge of the “greenovation” trend that’s picking up steam across the country at event facilities, which are notorious energy hogs.

For instance, the 2009 Final Four in Detroit used about 600,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power 58 U.S. homes for a year.

Tournament officials partnered with the local energy company to offset all that power with Michigan-produced renewable energy.

Perdue knew all these renovations needed to be done at the Greensboro Coliseum, but securing funding from the city can be a lengthy process. “I would have been here another 20 or 30 years trying to figure it all in the budget,” he said.

The solution came in the form of a performance energy contract with Siemens, in which the coliseum can use its energy savings to pay back the loan on the renovations. Siemens is liable for any shortfall, but Perdue doesn’t see that happening.

“I don’t anticipate them writing us a check,” he said. “We’re well ahead of what we projected.”

The coliseum was one of the first facilities of its size to tackle such a project, but similar efforts are being seen elsewhere.

Ace Speedway in Elon is developing eco-friendly auto racing practices that it hopes to expand to other tracks.

“Motorsports is a major industry, the integrity of which should not be compromised in any manner,” said Sean Holley, CEO of both Ace Speedway and the Star Eco Green Group. “However, the industry can do its part by offsetting and functioning at a level with the highest environmental standards available.”

Perhaps the most encouraging thing is that the effort is ongoing. LED lighting and solar panels are next on the horizon at the coliseum, Perdue said.

“Two years ago, nobody could afford it,” he said. “Today, we’re getting close. It’s almost feasible.”

Perdue said he gets calls every week from people asking how they can make similar fixes at their arenas. He’s a full-fledged spokesman now.

“It took me 2 1/2 years to dig in and really understand this is the right thing to do,” Perdue said. “I finally came to realize, why would I not do it?”

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com