Bright Energy Solutions - Success Stories
When the Schwan Food Company, which is headquartered in Marshall, Minn., wanted to retrofit the lighting fixtures used in its warehouse-style freezers, it called upon its local municipal electric utility--Marshall Municipal Utilities (MMU), an MRES member.
During a recent compressed-air study for Schwans conducted by MRES and MU, Schwan's senior project manager inquired about other possible energy savings measures for the company. Schwans was particularly interested in more efficient lighting for their freezers, which could provide an opportunity for dual savings; reduced energy for lighting; and a reduced cooling demand due to wasted heat of the existing lighting fixtures.
Schwan's freezers feature ceiling heights of 25-35 feet, operate at temperatures down to 30 degrees before zero, and are lit 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MMU Energy Services Coordinator Mark Antony reviewed several options, including light-emitting diode (LED) fixutres, fluorescent fixtures, pulse-start high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, and occupancy sensors. Finally, Antony found a product that could potentially meet the frozen food company's needs. While surfing the Internet for solutions, Antony located a California company that offered a lighting product that was close to meeting Schwan's lighting requirements. The manufacturer featured a T5 fluorescent fixture that operated in freezer conditions of 18 degrees below zero--not quite low enough to meet Schwan's freezer specifications.
Determined to find a solution, the manufacturer made a few modifications to its fixture, and after a few additional changes, a T5 lighting fixture was developed that now worked in temperatures down to 32 degrees below zero. According to Schwan's the new lights can be shut off when the plant is closed, and quickly turn on when needed. They also last longer than HID lighting in freezer conditions. Since then, the company switched out almost all of its HID fixtures with the T5s.
In addition to the $113,000 annual savings on electricity through reduced lighting wattage and space cooling needs, Schwan's also took advantage of MMU's Commercial Lighting Rebate Program.
Like all companies working to succeed in a weakened economy, JBS USA LLC (JBS), formerly JBS Swift & Company, strives to do more with less, by cutting unnecessary expenses and operating as efficiently as possible. But, JBS also has a vision for the future, which includes smart investments in their operation that will yield long-term savings.
And with the help of energy efficiency rebates from Worthington Public Utilities and Bright Energy Solutions, JBS began an energy improvement project that’s expected to save them about $215,500 per year.
JBS is a 155-year-old family-owned food processing company that exports to more than 110 countries. The Worthington division of JBS is a start-to-finish pork processing plant that employs about 2,300 people, the largest employer in this southwest Minnesota community of more than 11,200 residents. JBS is also Worthington Public Utilities’ largest customer in terms of energy sales.
Churk Tennessen, plant engineer and Jeff Buysman, assistant plant engineer at JBS, are very proactive in exploring energy-saving projects for the plant. In 2007, they began searching for ways to make their refrigeration system more efficient since it is a substantial part of the plant’s electric load. Through ongoing discussions with Vida Iten, customer service supervisor at Worthington Public Utilities, and Joni Livingston, energy services supervisor at MRES, JBS knew that if they could reduce power usage in the plant, there would be rebates available to help them cost-justify the project.
The pork processing plant hired Palen Kimball Company of St. Paul, Minn., to conduct an energy audit and identify opportunities for energy savings. Palen Kimball is known for providing unique custom design/build and retrofit solutions for mechanical systems. They serve industrial, manufacturing, commercial, and institutional customers in Minnesota and around the world. Michael Mercier, Palen Kimball’s vice president of the design/build division, proposed five possible energy conservation measures for JBS to consider.
At the same time, JBS also applied for cash incentives as part of the Bright Energy Solutions’ Custom Program, realizing that the BES program was crucial to obtaining management buy-in. “We knew the project was worthwhile over the long term, but the BES incentives would help shorten the payback period,” Buysman said. “That’s what management was looking for and they approved three of the measures that would yield the best potential for savings.”
The pork-processing company began by adding two evaporative condensers to its ammonia refrigeration system that would lower the head pressure and condensing temperature by nearly 5 degrees. Lower head pressure in a refrigeration system means a lower plant compression ratio (in brake horsepower per ton – BHP/Ton), which in turn means big operational savings. The additional condensers produced significant peak demand savings, and about 28 percent of the energy usage savings for the project.
JBS also installed new condenser controls on its refrigeration system to maximize the compressor’s performance and efficiency. The controls reset the condensing discharge pressure setpoint downward, based on the outdoor ambient wet bulb temperature. This action sacrificed condenser fan power for compressor horsepower, resulting in very substantial energy savings for JBS. The control-system upgrade accounted for about 66 percent of the energy savings for the entire project.
The third measure was to separate compressor oil heat rejection loads from refrigeration heat rejection loads and to turn off condenser fans during the mild weather months. This was done by installing a dedicated bank of condensers to cool the compressor oil through natural convection, rather than using a mechanical pump. The installation accounted for about 6 percent of the project’s energy savings and a small amount of demand savings.
Buysman says the efficiency measures are producing the expected results, and the company is already benefiting from the savings.
And now that the project is completed, JBS recently received a $144,896 rebate check from Worthington Public Utilities and Bright Energy Solutions for its energy efficiency upgrades.
In addition to saving the pork processor money, the improvements also are helping the environment, cutting 4.35 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity use, and reducing its electrical demand by up to 338 kilowatts (kW).
“This project was definitely one of the fun ones. The willingness of the utility to get behind this unique application and help secure the incentives for the customer just made the whole team excited about the outcome,” said Mercier.
For more information about Bright Energy Solutions energy efficiency programs for residents or businesses, go to www.brightenergysolutions.com or call Worthington Public Utilities at 507-372-8680.
Contact Information:
Mike Mercier Jeff Buysman
Palen Kimball LLC JBS USA LLC
1717 University Avenue W 1700 Hwy 60 NE
St. Paul MN 55104 Worthington MN 56187
Phone: 651-747-4524 Phone: 507-372-2301
Email: m.mercier@palenkimball.com Email: jeff.buysman@jbsswift.com
Web: www palenkimball.com
The school’s old HVAC system required numerous repairs each year and the vents no longer operated automatically. During hot or cold weather, maintenance personnel had to climb up on the roof to manually open or close the vents to control the temperature in classrooms and hallways. Even with their best efforts, some rooms remained too hot while others were too cool.
Jim Hoye, general manager of Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities, learned during a meeting with Superintendent Dave Ackerman that the school was considering the purchase of new HVAC equipment. Hoye told Ackerman about cash rebates for energy efficient equipment available through the Bright Energy Solutions® program offered by the utility. By installing high-efficiency equipment, rather than standard equipment, Rock Rapids customers can get cash incentives to help reduce their up-front costs and enjoy lower utility bills over the life of the equipment.
Central Lyon worked with G & R Controls of Sioux Falls to complete the HVAC upgrade, which included the installation of eight new rooftop heating and cooling units, along with high-efficiency air handlers called energy recovery ventilators. Energy recovery ventilators provide a controlled way of bringing fresh air into a building while minimizing energy loss. In addition, the school installed programmable thermostats in each room so that comfort-level temperatures don’t have to be maintained when areas are not occupied.
The on-going energy savings for the school will help reduce utility bills for many years to come. The school expects to save 58,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and to reduce their electrical demand by 90 kilowatts per month.
Hoye presented Ackerman and School Board President Steve Sieperda with a rebate check in the amount of $24,432.28 from the Bright Energy Solutions program. The school plans to reinvest the rebate dollars in a lighting efficiency project that will help save the district even more.
Bright Energy Solutions is a unique portfolio of energy efficiency cash incentive programs that will help residential and business customers reduce their energy costs and operate more efficiently. The program is offered to residential and business customers of participating municipal utilities that are members of Sioux Falls-based Missouri River Energy Services.
Additional information about this program can be found on MPS’ website at www.mpsutility.com or by calling 218-299-5400 and talking with MPS’ Energy Services Manager Dennis Eisenbraun.
For information about Moorhead Public Service, visit the website at www.mpsutility.com.
Want to submit your own success story? Fill out our form today!
Plant trees or shrubs to shade your air conditioner, but don’t plant too close or you’ll block airflow.
Refrigerators
- Consider skipping the ice-maker and dispenser. Automatic ice-makers and through-the-door dispensers increase energy use by 14-20 percent. They also raise the purchase price by $75 to $250.
- If you buy a new refrigerator, be sure to recycle your old one. Replacing a fridge from the 1980s with an ENERGY STAR model can save $100 per year on your utility bill. Replacing a 1970s model can save up to $200 per year!
- Consider buying a refrigerator with a top-mounted freezer. Models with top-mounted freezers use 10 to 25 percent less energy than bottom-mount or side-by-side models.
- Purchase an appropriately sized refrigerator. Generally, the larger the refrigerator, the greater the energy consumption. The most energy-efficient models are typically 16-20 cubic feet.