When Lineage Logistics, a nationwide cold storage network, acquired a Salem-area facility in July 2020, the change led to great opportunities, including a deeper dive into energy efficiency. The company’s preferred refrigeration vendor, PermaCold Engineering, is an Energy Trust of Oregon trade ally contractor familiar with industrial program resources and cash incentives. Working with PermaCold and Energy Trust, Lineage Logistics completed three successful refrigeration projects in 2021 and 2022 that now save the company almost 700,000 kWh and nearly $37,000 in energy costs per year.
As a large regional refrigeration contractor, PermaCold focuses on optimizing refrigeration efficiency to help Oregon businesses save energy and money. Working together, the team identified potential refrigeration operations and maintenance improvements, then Energy Trust quantified the projected savings and cash incentives associated with the proposed projects.
“Energy Trust showed us the raw numbers that made it clear whether a project was worth pursuing or not. I appreciate that information as much as getting money for the projects,” said Jason Propes, facility maintenance manager at Lineage. Communication between the three organizations was essential to the process. Propes said the projects worked because the team was “open, honest, and willing to bounce ideas and information off each other.”
Lineage decided on three refrigeration operations and maintenance projects that were relatively straightforward. During the assessment, PermaCold identified that mechanical failure in the trim compressor had reduced suction pressure and increased energy consumption, which the Lineage facilities team was able to repair.
The facility assessment also showed that the sunny location of the outdoor weather sensors resulted in a higher calculated head pressure, which meant that the compressors had to work harder than necessary. By moving the sensors out of direct sunlight, the temperature readings are more accurate, so the refrigeration system runs more efficiently.
The third project addressed dock evaporator fans that were set to run at a fixed 100% speed, regardless of what the system really needed. By tuning the fans to change speed up or down based on the changing load, the evaporator fans use less energy in the slower mode.
The partnership with Energy Trust and PermaCold increased operational efficiency in the refrigeration systems at Lineage Logistics and significantly contributed to the company’s energy-efficiency goals.
“When you’re running equipment more efficiently, you’re going to get more reliability and longevity out of it,” said Propes. “You’re working on problems less, and with new technologies, you’re getting higher efficiency equipment that’s more reliable.”
Energy Trust has introduced a new, simplified operations and maintenance offering with increased cash incentives based on your project’s verified annual energy savings. You can receive $0.05 per annual kilowatt-hour saved, or $0.50 per annual therm saved, up to $125,000 per project. Learn more about the offer on the Energy Trust operations and maintenance webpage.
Does the idea of saving money on refrigeration energy costs sound cool? Contact Energy Trust at 1.866.202.0576 or production@energytrust.org to learn more about how our team can help you reduce costs with operations and maintenance improvements.