Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2009 - (Page 22)

| 01/09 Focus Industry ENERGY REBATES | ENERGY REBATES ASSIST INDUSTRIAL SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES CO2 O A Corporation Operating 12 plants in 11 different states with an average electric rate of $0.06/kWh. One Corporate Energy Manager is responsible for all energy costs. He decides to have his compressed air systems audited for potential energy savings opportunities at each factory and discovers that for the 12 factories: The Total Impact of Compressed Air Systems i. Energy cost is $16.2 million per year kW ii. Energy consumption of 269.5 million kWh per year One Energy Manager manages the equivalent CO2 emissions of 25,452 homes and 35,195 vehicles. iii. CO2 (GHG) emissions of 192,165 metric tons per year iv. Equivalent CO2 emissions for 25,452 homes per year v. Equivalent CO2 emissions of 35,195 passenger vehicles per year What is amazing to me is that often one person holds the key to managing the equivalent yearly CO2 emissions of 25,452 homes and 35,195 vehicles! These people are the true “Energy Conservation Heavyweights” of this new century. Incentive Rebates for Audits To continue with the example of this corporation with twelve factories, the decision was made to conduct audits at all the factories over a three-year period. Each audit cost $20,000 for a total cost of $240,000 to the corporation. Third-party rebate incentives were received for five of the 12 audits for a total of $86,000. Net auditing costs were therefore $154,000. In seven of the twelve audits, however, no incentive rebate funds were received. It is to the credit of the Corporate Energy Manager and his engineering contacts at each facility that they made the investments nevertheless. In many, many situations, the corporation will not spend the money on a full-blown audit. Incentives vary from utility to utility for audits. Tacoma Power’s Compressed Air Efficiency Program will fund up to 50% of the cost of a “Demand-Side Assessment” of a system. These assessments focus on identifying air leaks and inappropriate uses of compressed air. Audit rebate programs vary state-to-state. The U.S. DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program offers Energy Assessments, which can be financed by the DOE. They ask firms to apply online. Their website says the goal of their Save Energy Now Program is to conduct 1,500 Energy Assessments between 2008 and 2012 (www.eere.energy.gov). 22 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.eere.energy.gov http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2009

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2009 Contents From the Editor Utility-Air News Compressed Air Audit of the Month: A Nitrogen Audit at Boeing Air Standards: New ASME & ISO Standards for Compressed Air System Assessments Energy Rebates Assist Industrial Sustainability Initiatives Seven Sustainability Projects for Industrial Energy Savings: Project #1: Lighting Optimization Minimum Supply Wire Size Recommendations for Compressor Packages Utilizing Variable Frequency Drives The Pneumatic Advantage: Pneumatics Bring Precision and Reliability to Furniture Industry Specialist Personal Productivity: Is Afternoon Fatigue Influencing Your Job Performance? The Explanation and Some Solutions. Resources for Energy Engineers: Training Calendar & Product Picks Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Classifieds

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2009

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