Efficiency champions honored with ‘Energy Leadership’ awards at yearly Best Practices Exchange

KILLINGTON, VT

Efficiency Vermont’s 13th annual BPX business event welcomes 180 attendees and keynote speaker Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest Liquids

KILLINGTON, VT—More than 180 people gathered at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel this week for the 13th annual Best Practices Exchange (BPX), Efficiency Vermont’s yearly gathering of the largest commercial and industrial operators in the state. Leaders from aerospace, manufacturing, ski resorts, higher education, healthcare, and more were among the attendees who gathered to share expertise and knowledge on energy-saving projects. Six organizations or individuals were also honored with Energy Leadership Awards.

The event, held from Wednesday, Sept. 18 through Thursday, Sept. 19, gathered leaders of Vermont’s largest businesses and companies. Facilities managers, industrial producers, and mechanical contractors of these businesses shared the latest in efficiency practices, built relationships, and fostered professional connections. For the second year in a row, BPX also welcomed small and medium-sized businesses to the event.

Peter Walke, Efficiency Vermont’s Managing Director, welcomed attendees with a message emphasizing the value of efficiency, especially amid uncertainty and disruptions. “Vermont businesses face the lingering impacts of the pandemic, years of high inflation and interest rates, workforce and housing challenges, and a changing energy policy landscape. We’ve learned from past disruptions that investing in energy efficiency is always a good response. These projects support businesses with some of the best returns available. In uncertain times, efficiency isn’t just a safe bet—it’s a wise investment.”

BPX keynote speaker Sean Lawson, founding brewer and co-owner of Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, shared his brewery’s comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and sustainability in his address. The Waitsfield brewery recently completed a 3,500 sq. ft. cooler that uses carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. It’s one of only a handful of “natural refrigerant” systems in Vermont that reduces environmental impacts and boosts efficiency—saving the brewery $13,000 a year in energy costs and avoiding 223,000 pounds of annual emissions.

Six Vermont organizations were honored for their investments in energy efficiency over the past year. Winners of the Energy Leadership Awards include:

• Innovation Award: Jay Peak Resort in Jay. Over the last 18 months, the resort brought a pioneering electric boiler project online to heat its hotel and indoor water park. The electric boilers harness local wind energy, helping Jay Peak match its demand for electricity with local supplies—while also curbing the use of propane gas boilers. The resort also installed three water-to-water heat pumps to recover heat that can be used to heat indoor water park features. The investments by Jay Peak Resort will reduce its propane gas use by 331,637 gallons a year, cut CO2 emissions by 2,380 tons annually, and save $183,250 per year.
  
  
• Commitment Award: Magris Talc in Ludlow. Partnering with Efficiency Vermont, Magris Talc implemented a Strategic Energy Management program at its Ludlow facility last year to reduce operating costs and energy use. Through a “Kaizen” Energy Treasure Hunt, the company identified 75 energy-saving measures and used their energy management system to measure and report energy-saving efforts to staff. A combination of behavior changes, reduced waste, and less compressed air leakage helped Magris Talc reduce fossil fuel use as well as cut electrical consumption by nearly 5%—saving about $96,000 per year.
  
  
• Impact Award: Against the Grain in Brattleboro. Partnering with Turner Piping and Refrigeration, this gluten-free bakery installed control systems to get more insight into its energy-heavy refrigeration. They were able to optimize defrost schedules and make other changes. The controls also allowed Against the Grain to enroll its freezers in Green Mountain Power’s Flexible Load Management pilot. They expect to be able to shed up to 20% of their power demand during peak grid events, saving up to $75,000 a year.
  
  
• Changemaker Award: Ray’s Market in Irasburg. Owner Leo Piette wanted to keep prices low for his customers. He focused on refrigeration—a significant source of energy use for any grocery store—and installed high-efficiency condensers for his walk-in coolers and freezers. He upgraded to more efficient fan motors and added evaporator fan controls. He also switched to a more environmentally friendly refrigerant, boosting efficiency while using less energy. The upgrades mean Ray’s Market is saving more than $21,000 each year.
  
  
• Partner of the Year Award: Ravi Parikh of CED Twin State Electric Supply. Ravi Parikh has been a lighting specialist for nearly 20 years. He’s provided custom lighting solutions for customers in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and agriculture. Now working with CED Twin State, he focuses on commercial lighting projects, integrated lighting control systems, and electric vehicle charging stations. He’s also worked with Efficiency Vermont to develop lighting programs and rebates. Ravi’s vast experience has helped save customers around 89,000 MWh over the last decade.
  
  
• Energy Champion Award: Dean Ouillette of Middlebury College. Dean Ouellette, the Energy and Technology Manager at Middlebury College, transformed how the campus controls its buildings. Moving its HVAC controls to an automated model helps save energy by turning back (or turning off) when buildings aren’t actively in use. Installing power and steam submeters across campus increased insight into energy use. And implementing initiatives like controlling the campus’s chilled water and lab exhaust systems, LED lighting conversions, and more all combined to save Middlebury an estimated $279,000 per year.

In addition to the Energy Leadership Award winners, several organizations were celebrated for converting to all-LED lighting last year. Some of the Energy Leaders who went “100% LED in 2023” include:

• Hubbardton Forge in Castleton
• Tunbridge Fairgrounds in Tunbridge
• Porter Medical Center in Middlebury
• Landmark College in Putney
• Bennington College in Bennington
• Londonderry Village Market in Londonderry
• Waterbury Village Market in Waterbury
• Price Chopper Supermarkets at locations statewide
• Hannaford Supermarkets at locations statewide
• Shaw’s Supermarkets at locations statewide

About Efficiency Vermont

As the nation's first Energy Efficiency Utility, Efficiency Vermont has helped Vermont save more than $3.3 billion in lifetime savings and avoid over 14.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 2000. Operated by clean energy nonprofit VEIC, Efficiency Vermont has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® program Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence award over eight consecutive years. Efficiency Vermont works with partners to help our state transition to more affordable, low-carbon energy use through education, incentives, and support for our clean energy workforce. Learn more at www.efficiencyvermont.com.

Efficiency Vermont Press Contact
Matthew Smith
Phone: (802) 540-7662
[email protected]