Friday, December 6

Energy Efficiency Saves Vermont-Based Yogurt Maker $2.1 Million

Homeowners don’t have to do much searching to find out that energy efficiency can save a ton of money. According to the Department of Energy, a family can save up to 30% on energy bills after making energy efficient home improvements. ENERGY STAR also reports that in 2013 alone, American families and businesses saved a whopping $30 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of more than 38 million homes.

A Vermont-based yogurt maker is now also seeing the huge returns energy efficiency can yield, a case which can serve as a testament to the cost-efficiency of sustainable practices.

Efficiency Vermont is helping Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy attain about $2.1 million in lifetime savings through ongoing energy efficiency efforts, according to the Brattleboro Reformer.

Since it first broke ground in 2009, the yogurt maker has made energy efficiency a major priority. Thanks to its energy efficient control systems and processing equipment, Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy saves about $150,000 each year.

When it first opened, the dairy company use a massive compressed air system, which an analysis revealed was oversized. In order to meet the facility’s needs more accurately, the company purchased a smaller system, and decided to use the larger system as a backup, just in case. This saves about $22,300 annually.

In addition to the appropriately sized air system, the dairy company’s facility also has a variable-speed, water-cooled chiller system, as well as energy efficient motors, lighting, heating and ventilation.

Thanks to the staggering amount of savings its energy efficient facility produces, Commonwealth Dairy has been able to expand its operations, distribute more yogurt, and create jobs.

The dairy company isn’t the only business to realize the potential cost savings of energy efficiency, either.

According to ENERGY STAR, there are more than 400,000 commercial buildings actively measuring and tracking their energy use. That’s a total of more than 35 billion square footage of commercial space, and more than 40% of the commercial buildings market. There are also some 25,000 buildings that have been certified as ENERGY STAR, which creates a cumulative cost savings of $3.4 billion, and prevents more than 17 million MtCO2e in greenhouse gas emissions. That’s the equivalent of the annual energy usage of more than 2.3 million homes.

Basically, any company that’s looking to reduce its spending should consider reducing the energy it uses.

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