Compressed Air Best Practices-August 2008

| 08/08 Focus Industry COMPRESSED AIR AUDITS | ENERGIZED BY ROD SMITH for Savings at Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power After spending three days in Seattle in May, I realized I hadn’t had this feeling since my trip to the 2007 Hanover Trade Fair in Germany. It’s arriving to a place where tons of people think like you do. You may be completely different, but you have the same passion and opinion on an important topic. In this case, the topic is the business of saving energy. I was able to meet with two major catalysts for industrial energy-savings in the Puget Sound area; Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power. Saving energy tends to be viewed in one of two ways by industry. When mentioned, some business people immediately become suspicious, hide their wallets and begin to look for signs that you might wear Birkenstocks. Others intuitively lean forward and begin listening for a sound investment opportunity in one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The “business of saving energy” for this writer represents the situation when “saving energy” provides a compelling financial business case for the investor. The Puget Sound utility companies are doing an outstanding job of acting as a catalyst for industrial energy-saving projects. We had the opportunity to speak with managers at both Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power about their programs. Greg Whiting, Manager of Energy Conservation at Seattle City Light said, “We are a zero-carbon footprint utility. Industrial energy-saving projects are a critical component of our strategy.” Both utilities understand that their customers have businesses to run and that when business interests are met, significant projects can be done to reduce kW consumption. The Business of Saving Energy in Compressed Air Seattle City Light has completed, over the past years, 89 compressed air projects with first-year savings of 11.2 million kWh off of the bills of their customers. That’s worth approximately $565,161 in first-year savings. Tacoma Power has saved their customers over 4.2 million kWh (first-year savings) over the past three and a half years alone. Invest in Staff to Verify ROI on Compressed Air Projects Compressed air systems typically provide excellent opportunities for energy-saving projects with attractive ROI’s. Both Tacoma Power and Seattle City Light focus on ROI verification. Strong verification processes provide both the utility company and the industrial business that their capital has been deployed wisely. Variable Speed Drive Compressors and Multiplex Cycling Dryers Capture Rebate Funding When Properly Applied 16 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices-August 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices- August 2008 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News The August Audit of the Month: A Vacuum System Audit Energized for Savings at Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power Know Your System CASE: Compressed Air Supply Efficiency Ecos Air: Managing Incentive Programs Kaeser Compressors: Loyalty, Energy and Growth Building Relationships at Cummins-Wagner McIntire is Moving Forward The 2008 A.I.C.D. Conference & Exhibition Tuthill Vacuum and Blower Systems Resources for Energy Engineers: Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

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