Gerber has worked with Energy Trust of Oregon for more than a decade to optimize energy efficiency through equipment, lighting and operations upgrades. Most recently, the company completed a Compressed Air Leak Repair project that resulted in 76,000 kilowatt-hours in estimated annual energy savings and cash incentives of $3,800 from Energy Trust.
“Working with Energy Trust is really easy,” said Marie Hagenlock, Gerber’s facility and environmental health and safety manager. “They came in to assess and offer recommendations on new equipment our engineer was thinking about. They also let us know about the compressed air leak repair offer. We said go for it.”
Gerber had done a thorough leak sweep and repair a few years ago during its Strategic Energy Management (SEM) participation. SEM helps businesses find ways to improve energy efficiency throughout their facility. “We know that leaks just happen, but were surprised by the number we found the first time during SEM, and even more so when we found 61 more leaks just a few years later when we had Energy Trust do another compressed air leak repair sweep,” said Hagenlock. “Fortunately, we know how simple it is to identify and repair the compressed air leaks, and that it saves money on energy.” In addition to the leak repair cash incentive from Energy Trust, Gerber is saving an estimated $4,100 a year in energy costs.
Maintaining equipment, saving energy
Fixing leaks decreases demand on the compressed air system, meaning there will be less wear and tear on the compressors and driers. The compressed air demand savings could be enough to prevent a company from having to upsize their equipment.
Industrial customers can participate in the compressed air leak repair offer once every 12 months, and their projects can receive $0.05 per kWh saved, up to $125,000. The process is simple—just contact Energy Trust to schedule a leak sweep. They’ll walk through your site and use detection equipment to test for leaks along your compressed air system. After tagging the leaks, they’ll provide you with a leak report that includes savings and incentive estimates. Once you’ve made the repairs, Energy Trust will verify them and send you an incentive check.
Eligible equipment includes one or two rotary screw compressors with greater than 25 horsepower for the system (no cap), and variable frequency drive or load/unload control. If your system does not meet these requirements, you may still qualify for leak repair as a custom energy-efficiency project.
Making leak identification routine
During Gerber’s initial leak repair effort, Hagenlock recognized that the best people to notice and tag leaks right away are the operators. “Instead of waiting for leaks to be found during scheduled maintenance inspections, we incentivize the people working with the equipment every day to keep an eye out,” said Hagenlock.
She set up an internal incentive program with leak tags located in plain sight throughout the facility for employee use. Operators who identify a leak that gets repaired are rewarded with company merchandise. Their names and the amount of energy savings attributed to the repaired leak also appear on the in-house TV channel. Hagenlock said that at first operators were motivated by the recognition, but soon looking for leaks became part of their routine.
A major manufacturing software update distracted them all from the ongoing leak tag effort, and it showed in the most recent Energy Trust leak repair sweep. “We learned first-hand the value of staying vigilant on these things,” said Hagenlock. “On top of the financial benefits, we were glad to uncover the lapse in our detection program and solve it.”
Incentives reinvested in energy efficiency
Over the years, Hagenlock has reinvested cash incentives from Energy Trust into new energy-efficiency projects at Gerber, such as switching outdoor signs and other lighting to LED. “We’re continuing to build on our energy-saving mindset here,” Hagenlock said. “Along with identifying air leaks, we’ve also worked on actions like shutting off task lights when we head out for lunch and turning off air valves when we leave for the day. They’re all things that add to our energy savings.”
If you’ve never participated in the Compressed Air Leak Repair offer, or it’s been more than a year, contact Energy Trust to schedule a leak sweep with a program representative. Call us at 1.866.202.0576 or email production@energytrust.org.