Efficiency Vermont honors Commercial and Industrial ‘Energy Leaders’
Winooski, VT
Efficiency Vermont recognized seven large commercial & industrial partners for their leadership in energy efficiency, helping to reduce Vermont’s carbon emissions and reducing their operating costs with lower energy bills.
The Energy Leadership awards are traditionally announced as part of Efficiency Vermont’s annual Best Practice Exchange, a conference for large commercial and industrial customers, supply chain partners, and energy experts to share ideas and build professional relationships. Although this year’s conference was cancelled due to surging COVID-19 cases, Efficiency Vermont offered three online workshops to help facility managers at large operations continue learning about key technologies. The workshops are available for playback at https://www.youtube.com/c/efficiencyvermont/videos.
“Many of us think mainly of our homes when we think of energy efficiency,” said Carol Weston, Director of Efficiency Vermont. “However, more than half of Vermont’s energy efficiency savings come from investments made by commercial and industrial customers. The Energy Leadership Awards are an important recognition of this sector’s substantial contributions to energy efficiency and helping Vermont achieve its climate goals.”
The lifetime benefits of the energy efficiency investments made in 2020 – the most recent year for which energy savings data is available – by Vermont’s commercial & industrial energy users will total:
• More than $96 million in energy cost savings
• More than 700,000 megawatt-hours saved
• Nearly 490,000 MMBtus of fossil heating fuels saved
• About 327,000 metric tons of avoided GHG emissions
The full list of Energy Leadership Awardees includes:
Price Chopper, Multiple Locations in Vermont: Commercial Sector
This year Price Chopper became the first large grocery chain in Vermont to use 100 percent LED lighting, retrofitting its 15 Vermont locations in three years. The upgrades are expected to save Price Chopper $798,000 a year in energy costs.
Tivoly, Derby Line, VT: Industrial Sector
An industrial group that designs, manufactures, and sells cutting tools, Tivoly is implementing a heat recovery project that will save an estimated 28,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil per year. A comprehensive air-sealing and insulation project in their building is planned for 2022, which will save an estimated 4,200 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil annually.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Bennington, VT: Institutions
SVMC upgraded 50 percent of its control systems to achieve a greater command over ventilation, saving almost 500,000 kWh savings from the upgrade and building commissioning. SVMC has also taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint, recently completing a comprehensive pipe insulation project and a steam trap audit and repair initiative. These efforts will result in a reduction of almost 575,000 pounds of carbon emissions per year.
Essex Junction Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF), Essex Junction, VT: Innovation
The Essex Junction WWTF has undertaken multiple energy initiatives simultaneously, including a flexible load management pilot and related load analysis by Norwich University students, implementation of changes as a result of findings during a Kaizen event (an “energy treasure hunt”), aeration control efforts, and a phosphorus innovation program pilot.
Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT: Impact
Agri-Mark surveyed and repaired leaks in its Middlebury manufacturing plant, completing eight in-house compressed air system surveys and leak repairs beginning in June 2019. By establishing a quarterly preventive maintenance task and sticking to it, Agri-Mark saved over 500,000 kWh and $60,000 in 2020 alone.
Control Technologies Inc. (CTI), Williston, VT: Partner of the Year
For over 30 years, building managers and owners throughout Vermont and the Northeast have placed their trust in Control Technologies Inc. (CTI) to provide state-of-the-art building controls and management solutions that meet their facility’s unique needs.
Charlie Barker, GE Aviation, Rutland, VT: Energy Champion
Facilities Engineer Charlie Barker has led the GE Aviation Rutland Energy Efficiency Program since 2007 with support from Efficiency Vermont. His efforts have resulted in 115 energy conservation projects saving 16,053,903 kWh in electrical and over 12,541 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for the Rutland aircraft airfoil manufacturing operation. Charlie also leads the GE Rutland Maintenance Electronics Apprentice Program in partnership with Vermont Technical College. For their senior engineering project, Charlie challenged the apprentices to develop solutions, using their electronics expertise, to tackle opportunities discovered during a recent Kaizen (energy treasure hunt) event. Collectively the students were able to achieve significant savings at the facility: 62,083 kWh, 12,527 gallons of propane, 3.7 million gallons of water annually resulting in a cost savings of over $57,000 and 227,411lbs of CO2 annually.
About Efficiency Vermont
As the nation’s first Energy Efficiency Utility, Efficiency Vermont has helped Vermont avoid over 13.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award for the last 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]