Energy-efficient strategies help a small business grow

We’ve been working with a family-owned chocolate company for years now — on lighting, HVAC and other upgrades.

The business has been growing slowly, at a deliberate pace that allows it to keep tight quality control. Just recently, the owner called to let me know they were looking to ramp up that growth, and were looking at reconfiguring their plant to accommodate increased production. He asked if I could come down and make some energy efficiency recommendations.

After a walk-through of the facility, I noticed a few changes they could implement right away, at no cost:

• Move chest freezers away from electric transformers.

Transformers get hot, and having the freezers right next to them meant the freezers’ compressors had to work extra hard to keep up. Simply relocating these freezers will save energy and extend their useful life.

• Consolidate two candy kettles into one.

The company has three kettles for melting: one for dark chocolate and two for milk chocolate. Together, we determined that they can consolidate all their milk chocolate into one kettle without affecting quality, melting time, or production capacity. This will significantly cut electricity used for kettles.

• Adjust timing to avoid peak demand charges.

Businesses incur extra charges on their electric bill when significant energy is used during peak hours; in this case, about half of the company’s bill was made up of peak demand charges. We identified an opportunity to shift some of its electric use to off-peak hours by staggering the washing and drying of the chocolate molds with other large equipment use. Spreading out the electric use or using equipment during off-peak hours will help avoid unnecessary charges in the future.

Beyond the no-cost improvements, the owners are installing a series of sub-meters throughout their facility to help them gain a better understanding of how the energy they pay for is being used. From there we can determine what, if any, equipment upgrades are needed and can even prioritize which upgrades would offer the best return on investment.

Helping smaller local businesses like this is one of the reasons I love my job. It’s rewarding to know that some of our recommendations will help them keep overhead down as they grow.

Pat Haller helps business owners across Vermont reduce energy use. Contact Efficiency Vermont for help in solving business challenges with energy solutions: 888-921-5990, efficiencyvermont.com/business.