Finding and Creating Energy Efficiencies
Our focus on energy efficiency improvements over the past several years has resulted in consistent annual reductions of electricity used per bottle packaged each year. Cumulatively we have reduced electrical usage per bottle packaged by more than 24 percent since 2011. This is a significant reduction.
Our total implemented electrical reductions are more than 1.4 million kilowatt hours per year from 2010 to 2016. In that timeframe, we have saved nearly 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity total.
In addition to the energy savings associated with reduced lighting in unoccupied areas, occupancy sensors and off-shift settings are also used in the building’s HVAC systems, which results in energy savings during the day as well as at night, when the majority of employees are not in the building.
One of the energy reduction projects implemented in 2015 is the dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring and control system for our wastewater pretreatment system. Prior to implementation of this project, the blowers for the wastewater aeration basin ran at full speed regardless of DO levels, which consistently resulted in excess air being supplied to the system. Since the excess air was not needed or used to treat the wastewater, the blowers were consuming more energy than was needed in the process. The system upgrades match blower output (and energy usage) with the oxygen needs of the wastewater system, resulting in a more than 21 percent reduction in energy used per pound of COD treated in the system.
At Standard Process, we conduct audits of our of steam and compressed air systems to identify air leaks and other opportunities to reduce energy usage associated with these systems. Furthermore, when we source equipment, we look for equipment with lower energy needs to lower our overall energy use.
Energy conservation will be a continued focus of our sustainability efforts as we move forward as a Green Tier program member. One of our initiatives is to conduct detailed reviews of individual production areas to identify further opportunities for energy conservation.