Energy Manager

Managing Energy as an Ingredient at General Mills

By Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

Within the “zero-loss” culture at General Mills, plant personnel identify and optimize major energy users in each facility. Common opportunities include: the optimization of dryers, ovens and freezers; compressed air optimization projects; improvements to building heating and cooling system; and lighting replacement innovations. In addition, engineers at General Mills have started to explore new energy-saving opportunities within the vacuum and blower systems at their production facilities. To better understand how any production system is addressed at General Mills, an examination of the company’s energy management methodology is required.

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Thought Leaders on System Optimization Past & Future

Edited by Troy Dreier, Senior Editor, Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

As the Best Practices Magazines celebrate their twentieth anniversary, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable system efficiency gains achieved since our first issue. We also wanted to give subscribers a peek at what the next decades might bring. To do this, we asked a hand-selected list of original equipment manufacturers, independent compressed air system sales and service companies, manufacturing plants and independent system auditors to share their thoughts, highlighting the changes they’ve seen over the past 20 years, then predicting what the next 20 years will bring.
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When Planning Efficiency Upgrades, Don’t Ignore Vacuum - Reduced Power Consumption and Utility Incentives Drive Cost Savings

By Scott A. Williams, Contributing Editor

Electric utility incentive programs encourage industrial and manufacturing companies to reduce power consumption by paying part of the cost to upgrade to more efficient equipment. It’s a great concept, but many customers only go after low-hanging fruit, such as upgrades for lighting or air compressors, and go no further.
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Managing Energy as an Ingredient at General Mills

By Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

Within the “zero-loss” culture at General Mills, plant personnel identify and optimize major energy users in each facility. Common opportunities include: the optimization of dryers, ovens and freezers; compressed air optimization projects; improvements to building heating and cooling system; and lighting replacement innovations. In addition, engineers at General Mills have started to explore new energy-saving opportunities within the vacuum and blower systems at their production facilities. To better understand how any production system is addressed at General Mills, an examination of the company’s energy management methodology is required.
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EPA’s ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry Saves Over 56 Trillion BTU in Energy

Manufacturing sites achieving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Challenge for Industry have helped save over 56 trillion British thermal units (Btu) in energy, equal to preventing over 11 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and saving enough energy to power nearly 1.3 million homes for a year -- all contributing to protecting people’s health and the environment.
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Meech Shows Sustained Growth In Key Regions

In a time when a number of European companies face considerable economic challenges, Meech International shows no signs of declining growth thanks to a consistently positive performance across all its regions worldwide. With a strong rise in sales over the past year and recent successes at Emballage ‘14 and Labelexpo Americas ’14, the British company is fast establishing itself as a key player in the static elimination sector.
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DOE Recognizes 11 Manufacturers for Energy Efficiency Achievements

The United States Energy Department today recognized 11 companies that have met ambitious energy-efficiency goals through the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program. Across the country, manufacturers spend more than $200 billion each year to power their plants. Through the Energy Department’s Better Plants Program, American manufacturers commit to improve their energy intensity by 25 percent over ten years, or an equally ambitious level for their sector.
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New Variable Frequency Drives Fact Sheet from CEE

The Motor Decisions Matter campaign of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency announces the release of a new fact sheet on Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). VFDs are devices that improve the efficiency of electric motor-driven systems by varying motor input frequency and voltage to control motor speed.
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Establishing the Energy Incentive Benchmark - The Ameren Illinois ActOnEnergy® Program

By Rod Smith, Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine interviewed Keith Martin (Director Energy Efficiency) and Cheryl Miller (Energy Efficiency Advisor) from Ameren Illinois and Robert Baumgartner (Business Program Manager) from Leidos Engineering. Seven years ago, a team of three of us at Ameren Illinois made the commitment to create and deliver a program that would make a difference. Today, the Ameren Illinois ActOnEnergy program is an award-winning energy efficiency program covering southern and central Illinois. After six program years, we are thrilled to report our business customers are saving over $132 million in annual energy costs due to energy efficiency measures they implemented with financial incentive assistance from ActOnEnergy.
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Energy Management at Intertape Polymer Group

By Rod Smith, Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® interviewed Michael Jones, Corporate Energy Team Leader, from Intertape Polymer Group (IPG). Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) is a manufacturer of tapes, films, woven fabrics, and complementary packaging systems for industrial and consumer use. The company operates 10 production plants and employs approximately 1,800 people. IPG has developed a robust energy management program by using ENERGY STAR energy management tools and actively participating in the ENERGY STAR partnership. IPG is receiving ENERGY STAR recognition for the growth of its energy program and leadership as a medium-sized manufacturer.
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Global Energy Management at Corning

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® interviewed Patrick Jackson, Director of Global Energy Management.

This is our first time receiving the award. We were hopeful we would receive it because we thought we achieved 23 out of the 23 attributes defined by the guidelines. Additionally, since the program was launched, GEM’s management practices have saved Corning more than $328 million in cumulative energy costs.
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ENERGY STAR® Sustains Excellence

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® interviewed Elizabeth Dutrow, Director, ENERGY STAR Industrial Partnerships.

The ENERGY STAR Awards are EPA’s highest honors for superior energy efficiency, and several award categories exist. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Industrial Partners could receive either Sustained Excellence or Partner of the Year in the Energy Management category. These awards go to organizations for adopting a continuous energy management strategy across the organization’s entire portfolio of buildings and plants and for communicating the value of ENERGY STAR and energy management broadly.
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Aeration Energy Offers Opportunities to Save

By Jess Burgess, Consortium for Energy Efficiency

Aeration systems at wastewater treatment facilities present significant, cost-effective energy savings opportunities. Aeration—the introduction of air into the wastewater stream to support anaerobic bacteria and mixing—is a key function at the majority of wastewater treatment facilities in North America. Aeration accounts for 25-60 percent of total energy consumption at wastewater treatment facilities , and a significant piece of operating budgets sector-wide.
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Measuring Energy Savings at Verallia

By Rod Smith, Blower & Vacuum Best Practices

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices interviewed Gregory Rhames, Asset Reliability Manager/Energy Manager at Verallia. As background, Verallia is the packaging division of Saint-Gobain. Verallia employs 15,500 people globally and makes about 25 billion glass bottles and jars each year. We employ 350 people at Madera where we produce about 1 million wine, champagne and sake bottles per day.
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Energy Management at Visteon

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Jennifer Meier, Global Energy & Engineering Manager, at Visteon Corporation.

There are three main segments in Visteon's climate group are climate systems, powertrain cooling and engine induction. Climate systems include refrigeration compressors, fluid transport, heat exchangers, battery cooling modules, climate controls, auto defog/demist systems, and multi-zone HVAC systems. Powertrain cooling systems include heat exchangers (radiators, condensers, charge-air, exhaust-gas), airflow management, and diesel and hybrid thermal management. Engine induction includes air induction systems and intake manifolds.
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PG&E’s Third-Party Energy Incentive Programs

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Mr. Justin Kjeldsen, Mr. Jeff Kohn, and Mr. Sam Zimmerman, Senior Program Managers for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

PG&E runs energy incentive programs through two channels. We have our core channel representing the majority of our energy incentive offerings, and we offer energy incentives through third-party channels. Our Third-Party programs account for approximately twenty percent (20%) of the energy incentive dollars. PG&E has contracted with thirty-four (34) third-party companies, or implementers, to run fifty (50) contracts.
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Water Treatment Plant Receives $1.7 million Energy Grant

By Blower & Vacuum Best Practices Magazine

A new cogeneration system installed at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant by the LOTT (Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Thurston County) Clean Water Alliance late last year uses treatment by-products as fuel to generate electricity and heat energy. This renewable energy system, combined with an aeration blower retrofit currently underway at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, is expected to save LOTT more than $228,000 per year in utility costs.
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Energy Trust of Oregon's Production Efficiency Incentive Program

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Mr. Ray Hawksley (Industrial Technical Manager) of the Energy Trust of Oregon Inc.

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy and tapping renewable resources. Our services, cash incentives and energy solutions have helped participating customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas save nearly $600 million on energy bills.
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Energy Incentives from Great River Energy

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices® Magazine interviewed Mr. Jake Selseth (Energy Incentive Program Administrator) of Great River Energy (GRE).

GRE administers a $9.5 million dollar energy rebate incentive budget in 2010 for our 28 co-ops. Fifty percent of the budget is designated for Residential and fifty percent targets Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural. This is the same budget we had in 2009 and in 2008, our budget was $6.5 million.
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Energy Management at Saint-Gobain

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices interviewed Mr. Brad Runda, Manager-Energy, Saint-Gobain Corporation.

Congratulations on Saint-Gobain being named a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the second year in a row you’ve won the award. Why was this award received?
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