Businesses assaulting energy inefficiency
by Mary Vanac
Ford Motor Co. figured it could knock more than $3 million a year off energy costs at its casting plant in Brook Park by replacing four old, energy-wasting furnaces with two energy-efficient ones.
So a year ago Ford workers demolished part of the foundry roof, bumping it up by 50 feet and dug a 35-foot pit to make way for the new furnaces, called cupolas, said Doug Rowe, manager of melt and plant engineering.
The furnaces melt recycled iron, steel and other alloys with coke and limestone, and the molten metal is cast into sand molds to make engine blocks and other components.
Ford expects to get "huge energy savings" from the $65 million project, Rowe said. Rather than using air pre-heated by natural gas burners, the new furnaces save by recycling heat from the melting process, he said.
Some of the savings will also come from using the new furnaces on three shifts instead of two. The furnaces also should help the plant meet rising environmental standards.
Since the energy crisis in the mid-1970s, cutting energy costs to boost profits has become a never-ending process for American industry. And with energy costs soaring again, companies are looking for their next round of cuts.
Manufacturers in particular have increased their energy efficiency in each of the last 35 years.
Since 1970, the industrial sector, which includes heavy energy users like the Ford casting plant, reduced by 60 percent the energy it took to generate $1 in gross domestic product, a measure of the economy's output. That means manufacturers are getting a lot more bang for their buck.
Likewise, the transportation sector is using 40 percent less energy to produce $1 of GDP, and the commercial sector 27 percent less. Nationally, we're still using more energy, but that's because the economy has grown by 150 percent in the last 20 years, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Though some local manufacturers said they already have realized their biggest energy efficiency savings, that's likely not the case for all of U.S. industry, said Christopher Russell, industry sector director for the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy in Washington.
"The very best [energy] audit programs find that industry implements only 30 to 40 percent of the recommended solutions," Russell said. "There are many reasons for this, including scarce funds, time and expertise to act on the recommendations."
Bill Klun has been living energy conservation at Lubrizol Corp. since 1999. That year, the maker of lubricant additives began to streamline processes and consolidate utilities management at its plants to save money.
Klun was appointed utilities superintendent engineer at Lubrizol's Painesville plant. Previously, several people had managed utilities at the plant.
The first thing Klun did was repair and update the plant's pre-1960s equipment. He tuned up boilers that use natural gas to make steam heat. He also lowered the steam pressure in the plant.
Lubrizol uses steam to keep huge outdoor tanks and pipes warm enough for their liquid contents to flow -- even on freezing Northeast Ohio days.
"Our biggest cost is natural gas" for the boilers, Klun said. But thanks to its conservation effort, Lubrizol uses 26 percent less natural gas today than it did in 1999, he said. "We're using more steam now than then, we're just getting more efficient at it."
The Lubrizol plant also is using electricity more efficiently. By replacing old, inefficient motors and pumps with modern ones, and by using energy efficient lighting, the company has cut its 1999 electricity bill by 10 percent, Klun said.
And the Painesville plant is burning some waste diesel fuel in its boilers, rather than disposing of it in a hazardous waste incinerator. The fuel is used to clean tanks and other vessels between processing jobs. Much of it is not really hazardous waste.
Klun built a database with all the utilities data that was being collected by his colleagues but never used. Now, he reviews the data daily for energy spikes or other unusual activity. "When you have a problem, it's easy to spot," he said.
Energy audits conserve cash
Like Ford, many manufacturers have tightened their energy belts by doing plant audits. Mike Nalepka audits plants for Parker Hannifin Corp. in Mayfield Heights.
Parker Hannifin, which makes motion and control components at 150 plants worldwide, started its energy management department in 1990.
Cost savings motivated the new department. "Energy supply has gone down. Demand has gone up. What you're left with is management of what you do have," said Rick Kanzleiter, vice president of operations support.
Parker Hannifin also makes parts and systems that help customers save. "Wind power is one of the biggest issues we are looking at," Kanzleiter said. "The other one is fuel cells."
Engineers at Eaton Corp. in Cleveland have gotten so good at doing energy audits that they now do them for customers.
Eaton's electrical equipment business in Pittsburgh makes much of the equipment it installs to help customers manage their energy use.
For instance, Eaton's Pow-R- Command hardware and software system automatically shuts off lights.
The system also enables a plant to dim its lights when it's sunny outside, a practice known as "daylight harvesting," said Gerry Osmanksi, director of facilities and energy.
Eaton's PowerNet system enables plants to monitor their electricity use and quality. Electricity rates for industrial users are based on their highest level of usage. So managing peaks can lower energy costs.
Employees also are helping companies save energy dollars.
Lubrizol's headquarters and research center in Wickliffe offers workers a 4/10 work week, that is, working 10 hours a day for four days, said Dave Mayher, human resources manager. That saves one day's worth of gasoline for commuting, he said.
And some employees "telecommute" - they do their work at home, he said.
Lubrizol managers also try to limit the number of outside meetings employees go to each week. And they often "meet" via telephones and computer screens, said company spokesman Dave Cowen.
Like factories, commercial businesses are seeking ways to cut energy costs, said Sara Ward, office chief of the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Energy Efficiency.
Any company that spends more than 5 percent of its bottom line on energy is going to consider energy-saving opportunities as energy prices spike, she said. "A lot of companies today are committed to continuous improvement programs."
For Giant Eagle, the Pittsburgh grocery store chain, energy efficiency has always been important.
"What has changed is a lot of equipment has evolved," said Cliff Timko, energy manager. The company has installed more efficient lamps, and heating and air conditioning equipment.
Giant Eagle also added insulation and white reflective roofs at many of its stores. It has installed dessicant systems that absorb humidity in the air, lessening the load for open refrigeration units, said jim lampl, director of conservation.
The company's "green" store in Brunswick has skylights, which lessen the need for lighting, lampl said, although not as much as they would like. "The big benefit is people seem to like natural lighting."
Giant Eagle uses occupancy sensors that turn off lights if no one's in the room and dimmers that kick in when it's sunny outside.
As with many manufacturers, the energy savings for Giant Eagle stores are incremental. "It's important to our customers. They appreciate that we are trying to save energy, which in term saves them food dollars," Timko said.
© 2005 The Plain Dealer
© 2005 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editorial Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other recent stories in the Crude Awakening series from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Excerpts from Crude Awakening
Chasing efficiency
Asian giant's growing oil need squeezing market
Crude Awakening - series archives
Also see: Working the Fringes (Columbia Journalism Review on the Plain Dealer series)
-BA
Published on 20 Nov 2005 by Cleveland Plain Dealer. Archived on 28 Nov 2005.
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