Two Ontario companies are enjoying greater energy savings thanks to a unique energy savings program. At Samuel Plate Sales
, a processor and distributor of metals, the program was part of an effort to tackle energy use at its plant in Stoney Creek. For its part, GE Consumer and Industrial Lighting
, based in Oakville, had drawn up a laundry list of efficiency improvement items, but it needed an action plan. “We didn't know where to start,” says John Snider, Quality Manager at GE Lighting.
So both companies signed up with the Energy Coach Program©. This pilot project was launched in February 2007 by consulting firm 360 Energy Inc.
in partnership with two utilities, Union Gas
and Enbridge Gas Distribution
. It is designed to help businesses identify energy needs and implement programs that take advantage of immediate and long-term conservation opportunities.
“The Program emphasizes behavioural changes that will lead to energy reduction,” explains Dipal Patel, project manager at 360 Energy. “It's not so much driven by technology, as driven by a business and cultural approach to how a company operates as it relates to energy.”
Ruth Dekker, manager of industrial energy efficiency at Union Gas, says, “The 360 Coaching program is an excellent way for clients to keep energy savings at the forefront and to push projects through on a plant basis.”
According to Snider, the projects have led to annual savings of over $200,000, with hardly any capital costs. “People tend to think of plans to save energy as expensive. In fact, you can do a lot with what you already have.”
That said, the Oakville plant did tackle some capital projects. Improvements included heat recovery from various pump rooms, the replacement of a boiler, the elimination of spot cooling and the installation of compressed air isolation valves and a better gas-monitoring system.
In addition, the plant launched a series of awareness programs for each process line. Competing teams designed shutdown procedures and were awarded points for energy savings.
Samuel Plate Sales, meanwhile, has looked at everything from its compressed air systems to its heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. “We're gradually improving the envelope of the building,” says Doug Sharpe, Technical Sales Representative at the company. “And we're looking at better forms of delivering heat.”
The company is applying for an ecoENERGY Retrofit incentive from Natural Resources Canada to implement an infrared heating system. Also under consideration is the installation of a solar wall that will preheat air coming into the building. So far, proposed projects at the company have identified over $115,000 in annual savings.
Both companies have benefited from the Energy Coach Program. “Coaching really is the right term,” says Snider. “It doesn't do the work for you, but it helps generate ideas and practical solutions.”
While 360 Energy defines much of the process behind the Coaching Program, the utilities identify targets for energy savings through comprehensive audits. They also provide incentive grants that are tied to the implementation of a range of energy-saving measures. For example, Union Gas offers savings of 10 percent of capital costs tied to energy savings. “And it supports up to 50 percent of the costs for the audit,” says Dekker.
The first phase of the Program is assessment; participants learn where the opportunities are in day-to-day management in six key areas. The second phase is educational. Members of the company's energy team attend a workshop on how to develop a workable sustainable energy plan. The workshop is followed by 12 months of support, with expertise and best practices from 360 Energy in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Once the plan is completed, it is presented to upper management for buy-in support. Ultimately, says Bob Griffin, Energy Solutions Manager at Enbridge Gas, the strength of the program is its emphasis on continued education and support. “It addresses the problem of trying to get customers to take the long view and manage projects on a continuous basis,” he says.
Sharpe agrees: “They give us a little nudge every once in awhile,” he says.
In the final phase, participants are encouraged to network with companies from other industries to exchange information on best practices.
Twelve companies drawn from an array of industry sectors, from pulp and paper to plastics, have participated in the 15-month pilot program, which concludes in April.
As it has been deemed a success, the new Energy Coach Program will be launched in March 2008.