Power Company Audit Funding 2013!

What if an unbiased third party could tell you how to save money and their advice was almost free?

About a year ago in a previous article I made the statement "would you be only interested in how much you earned but didn't care how it was spent?" Well now a number of power companies have programs for 2013 which are providing auditing services for a number different areas including compressed air/natural gas/solar heating/cogeneration which could help you reduce spending.

The two major power companies in New England are NSTAR and NGRID which have programs that will pay up to 100 percent of an audit dependent on the savings and the commitment to implement the recommendations. Many of the other power companies are following suit with similar programs.

What type of audits are available?

1.    Demand-Side Air System Audits – which include leak detection/storage/piping pressure drop reviews/inappropriate use/alternative solutions as part of the program

2.    Supply-Side Air System Audits – which include compressor power and capacity auditing/control evaluation/air quality analysis/condensate management would be part of a comprehensive audit program

3.    Heat Reclamation Opportunities – utilizing waste heat from compressors/furnaces/molding equipment/hydraulic systems could be part of the program

4.    Alternative Heat Sources – evaluating passive and active solar heating as well as potential of integrating cogeneration to create heat and power are the most complex audits

Consider looking at your major energy expense buckets for your company that will help you focus on what areas to audit so you could reduce your operating costs. Example – air system leaks can be up to 25 percent of your capacity – cost for a 75 hp system with 25 percent leaks operating 4000 hours at $.15/KW is $13,225 per year. If you had an audit that found these leaks along with other cost reduction opportunities and it was less than $8000 net cost that would be a real win!

NSTAR and NGRID, as well as some of the other New England power companies, have more rebate dollars to provide industry in 2013 than they did in 2012. They are very anxious to find opportunities now to get rebates in process early in the 2013.

You know these issues exist but realistically you can't get to them. Visit the Hope Air Systems website, or call us and we would be happy to do a quick walk-through to identify areas that you would benefit from an audit. Then you would invite the power company to discuss the potential of your compressed air/heat reclamation cost saving opportunities initially identified. Also, you can contact your power company representative and have him bring in an engineer or a site review.

If you don't know you can't correct it. Contact Frank Lederer at 508-351-1817 or flederer@hopeair.com.

New Year's Resolutions for 2013

Honest, this year I really will try to do better…

I know that I've not always done all the right things, so this year I promised to do the following for my compressed air system.

·         Lose KW by reducing my air leaks and promise to stay on that diet.

·         Don't leave stuff on especially the compressor when I don't need it

·         Spend my air wisely by making sure I don't use any electric drain valves and other things that use too much air - I know some of what they are.

·         Make sure that periodic checkups are really done to make sure my compressor is healthy.

·         Budget the amount of air I use by installing a flow meter.

·         Have an annual checkup on the whole air system with a different set of eyes to be sure all is okay.

·         Call a specialist when I don't know all the answers - i.e. ask for directions.

Sure this is simple stuff but I always seem to lose my way by the third month.

To my silent partner, please check back with me to make sure I'm on the straight and narrow in keeping my resolutions. Contact Frank Lederer at 508-351-1817 or flederer@hopeair.com.

The Incentive Clock is Ticking for 2012

Tick...Tick...Tick...

This is the last time this year that you will hear about opportunities for additional power company incentives.

Why?  Because within the next 30 days it will be too late for most power company incentive application processes. 

A number of utilities are continuing to be aggressive in their incentive programs within the guide lines set up by DOE.  As examples:

·         NGrid is aggressively pursuing equipment replacement incentive with an additional incentive with the equipment installed by December 1, 2012. Heat reclamation saving natural gas can be combined for even more rebate funds

·         NStar programs are just as aggressive in equipment and system upgrade including demand-side improvements. All work must be done by the first week of December. Heat reclamation saving natural gas can be combined for even more rebate funds

·         PSNH is currently looking for projects for 2013 as all funds have been allocated at this point

·         CT Light & Power will offer additional incentives based on each application including low pressure blowers to replace compressed air as well as piping system changes.

·         Efficiency Maine is actively looking for additional projects to finish their year with strong rebates so that the program can continue in 2013

·         Efficiency Vermont is looking for combined projects for air conservation and heat reclamation that need to be completed by early December for substantial rebate monies

You do not have to buy new compressor equipment to receive an incentive from your local power company.  What they also want help you save energy by making changes in your demand side of the compressor or cooling system that will reduce the load and save kw.

You can do the following and receive incentives:

1.     Re-pipe for lower pressure drop.

2.     Add receiver to reduce compressor loading.

3.     Replace timed drain traps with demand traps eliminating air loss.

4.     Install a flow meter to determine current and future flows as well as monitoring leaks.

5.     Install reduced volume blow off nozzles and solenoid valves on production equipment to reduce air flow in use and shut off when not in use.

6.     Reclaim waste heat the either by ducting or hot water to reduce natural gas usage

Most projects that we have looked at are carrying a 1½ year ROI once the power company has had a chance to review.  This is an incredible opportunity that should not be missed in 2012 as we know budget cutbacks will occur in these programs will shrink. You need to act now if you have any viable projects

Contact your local power company below or call Frank at 508-351-1817 or e-mail flederer@hopeair.com so that you can get into a 2012 rebate program.

·         MassSaves (includes all MA power companies)  http://www.masssave.com/business/

·         Efficiency Vermont  http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/pages/Business/RebateCenter/

·         Public Service of NH  http://www.psnh.com/Business/Efficiency/Rewards.asp

·         Unitil/NH  http://services.unitil.com/nh/energy_efficiency.asp

·         Efficiency Maine  http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-work/business-programs/cash-incentives

·         NGrid/RI https://www.nationalgridus.com/narragansett/business/energyeff/energyeff.asp

·         CT Light & Power  http://www.cl-p.com/Business/SaveEnergy/AboutCEEF.aspx

Did You Save Money Last Winter?

Heat Recovery Revisited

A properly designed heat recovery system can conserve 50 to 80 percent of this wasted energy and put it to work heating a space or a process. Why don't we do this? Possibly because most people are too busy and do not realize the potential savings. Do not lose out for 2013.

·         An air cooled rotary compressor produces 2552 BTUs per horsepower which means that 100 hp produces approximately 250,000 BTUs of waste heat

·         70% recovery would give approximately 175,000 BTUs that are absolutely free to use for room heating or liquid heating

·         A typical home requires approximately the same 175,000 BTUs to heat it on the 20° F day

·         175,000 BTUs of gas at $.80 per therm would cost $1.40 an hour for 4000 hours equaling $5600

The next question is what kind of heat recovery systems make sense and are relatively simple to implement?  Some of these points were covered in the previous newsletter but are important enough to recap again for air cooled rotaries:

Simple Method:

Exhaust heat from the compressor room in the winter into an adjacent area being sure that there is enough makeup air so the room does not go negative. In the summer an exterior wall exhaust fan would have to be used to keep the room cool. This is especially effective for cold warehouses and loading docks. The ROI on this solution would be normally under one year.

Moderate Method:

Duct the output from your cool compressor to a manually operated Y diffuser, which allows the direction into the plant in the winter and outside in the summer. The ducting has to be designed properly to prevent back pressure, which could cause compressor overheating. The normal back pressure is .25 inches of water. Again the room has to have proper makeup air so a negative pressure is not created, which affects compressor operation. This more complex solution normally has a two-year or less ROI.

Complex Method:

Most often used in a new compressor room, a fully automated inlet and outlet damper system is designed to maintain constant compressor temperature as well as discharge temperature to the plant area year-round. The system requires engineering for the specific compressor(s). Many power companies offer additional rebates for secondary gas energy savings, which help bring the ROI for a complex system below two years.

What happens if you do not have use for the heat from a compressor in the immediate area? With air cooled rotary you can use small horsepower duct blowers with flexible tubing or engineered ducting to carry the heat to the areas that will benefit most.

Many people do not realize that a compressor running between hundred and 180°-190° F can also effectively heat hot water. A properly designed oil to water heat exchanger can be used on both an air cooled and water-cooled machines to carry the waste heat to a process or a remote area. Great care has to be taken to properly engineer the heat exchanger for each compressor so as not to affect oil system pressure.

Hot water heat recovery is used extensively in Europe. Examples are:

·         Washroom water in a major foundry

·         Hot water for the bleaching process and a paper mill

·         Pre-heating of water for boiler applications for an automotive plant

·         Feed water for humidification systems in textile weaving rooms

Again many power companies offer additional rebates for secondary gas energy savings which could bring the ROI to below two years.

If it's free or at least has a two-year ROI why don't we use it and be more efficient as well as adding to the bottom line? Let us know what you have for a heat recovery requirement application so we can review it with you. No concept should be considered too wild.

For more information please contact Frank at 508-351-1817 or e-mail him at flederer@hopeair.com

A Flow Meter for Your System Can Lower Operating Costs

It has been my experience that an investment in a flow meter from $500 to $1000 can often be paid back in less than a year. That is, the direct cost of the meter; not to mention the wasted electricity that you won’t waste anymore.

A flow meter can verify actual output of your compressor to make sure it is performing correctly. It can check your air system usage on a day to day basis to make sure that there is not any abnormal increase due to misuse or equipment issues. A flow meter can check leaks when your plant is down to see if there is any increase. And, you will be able to plan for any future air use by knowing what you are using today.

Technology combined with smart design has allowed the CDI flow meter to be installed in a matter of 10-20 minutes by simply drilling two small holes and clamping the unit onto the pipe in an appropriate location. Recording can be done through an optional flash card and downloaded to a computer plotting program. This allows you to easily see what is going on in your system on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

If you run a 25 HP compressor 4,000 hours a year paying .15/KW, you will spend approximately $12,900 in power. The flow meter with monitoring done a monthly basis can easily save 10 percent or approximately $1,300 per year by seeing what is really happening in your air system. You pay for the flow meter in less than a year!

Give us a call for additional information on these meters as well as a system review to see where it might be appropriate to install in your plant. You may contact Frank Lederer at 508-351-1817 or email flederer@hopeair.com for additional information.

Your Utility Company Wants to Save You Money

Not too long ago, a customer of Hope Air Systems received a rebate check from the local utility company for $120,000. In addition, the customer is projected to spend $60,000 less each year for electricity costs on their two new air compressors. That’s a savings that will continue as long as they operate those machines. This is no fluke. It’s something we do frequently.

Another customer of Hope Air Systems received a rebate check from the local utility company for $60,000; and is expected to spend $27,000 less each year for electricity going forward. In both cases, the need for new equipment was vital. There were requirements for more cooling capacity, there was a need for an increase in performance – but, the bonus came when the need to reduce overall electric costs translated into rebates and on-going reductions in the electric bill.

Local Utility Rebates
Many of our local utilities offer prescriptive incentives for compressors as a set amount per horsepower or CFM for compressed air systems from 15 to 75 horsepower. This type of rebate makes the return on investment (ROI) very easy. At Hope Air Systems we have a lot of experience performing the first round of review to determine if there are energy savings opportunities to pursue. When we find that the situation is positive, we can assist in the process of getting the utility company to respond.

The process is as follows: 1) Have an initial energy analysis report with written recommendations prepared to submit to the power company for comments. 2) If monitoring or an audit is required, the power company will pay up to 50 percent of that cost. 3) Prepare the application with help from your vendor (Hope Air Systems) and the power company. 4) Install energy conservation compressor with a two-year or better ROI. That was easy.

We are here to help, so be sure and contact Brian Sanborn at 508-351-1840 or bsanborn@hopeair.com. Brian has a lot of experience with rebates and would welcome your call. Good luck.

Piping Installation Choices Can Contribute to Savings

Many plants have piping for their compressed air systems that has evolved over the years and has not necessarily been planned to supply flow and pressure to each process properly. By comparison, if your electrical system was expanded is a similar, haphazard manner, you might find you were constantly battling a lot of small electrical fires. Let’s try to avoid that.

Here are some of the areas you can check to see if your air distribution system is in good health:

• Do you have more than an 8 PSI pressure drop between the compressor and the furthest point or critical area in your plant? If so, you need to investigate your pipe sizing and configuration.
• Does your compressor cycle load and unload in less than one minute? If so, you may need additional tank storage capacity and/or a remote pressure transducer.
• Do you have an area that complains of low pressure when a process is started? If so, you may need a remote tank to serve this process and protect the rest of the system.
• Is there rust and scale in your piping causing equipment operation or hand tool issues? Is so, you may need to clean or replace with copper/coated aluminum piping to eliminate the problem in this area along with a final filter.

If you are able to change your piping and reduce pressure by 10 PSI, you will save five percent in energy over the course of the year, which could be thousands of dollars. Along with this, you will be providing better quality air to your plant and allowing your equipment to run more consistently. Here is information on air compressor piping that you may find useful in evaluating your situation.

Green Cooling Can Reduce Electric Bill Substantially

When we talk to customers about “Green” cooling, we don’t mean the machine is green or the water is green. We are referring to chilled water for their process cooling that is “efficient” in its use of electricity. Going “Green” is very important today.

Many industries require 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit water provided by a refrigeration chiller. Usually, the machine is not touched by a maintenance person until a problem occurs with the equipment – or worse, it starts having a negative effect on the manufacturing process. This neglect can be costly – in many different ways.

For many customers, the requirement for chilled water is a year-round event, even though part of the year the outside temperature can be 10, 20 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit lower than required water temperature. Yet, the chiller is still running – creating “chilled” water. That’s a prescription for waste.

During the winter months, by not taking advantage of the ambient free cooling available, there can be as much as a 40 percent waste of power. Part of the reason for the problem is that equipment from five to eight years old is probably a piston-style compressor with simple, but inefficient, unloading systems, which causes considerable power to be used in part-load conditions.

Some solutions to the cooling problem
There are several things that can be done to determine if a process chiller system is really running “Green.” First, if the system is more than six to eight years old, a check of the controls will determine if the equipment is really unloading during low production time. Second, if the chiller is air-cooled, a check can be made monthly to see if the condensers are clean, to get the maximum heat transfer.

Finally, the system should be shut off when not in use. Most chillers consume from 15 to 20 percent of KWH when unloaded. These simple checks can have an impact on the “Green” aspects of a chiller.

Today, the latest technology lets Hope Air Systems reduce the KWH consumption as much as 50 percent through the use of variable speed drives, thermal expansion valve unloading, and other techniques that contribute to a “Green” cooling system. Contact Frank Lederer at FLederer@HopeAir.com