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Simple questions lead to big bucks  The biggest change at Whittier Wood Products, replacing the main blower and bag house for the sawdust collection system, has paid off handsomely. Sometimes simple questions lead to big ideas.Whittier Wood Products, one of Eugene Water & Electric Board's top ten electricity customers, asked a simple question last spring when the wholesale power crisis threatened to double local electric rates. The simple question was: why are we using so much electricity at night?That question was the beginning of an energy conservation effort that has reduced monthly energy use by 20 to 25 percent compared to last year with dollar savings in the low five figures. But that's not the final answer. Whittier continues to find new ways to save energy.In years past, the question would have been impossible to ask, because a billing statement shows only the monthly total. But Whittier managers were looking at real time reports that show energy use every fifteen minutes. Armed with this detailed energy use profile, it was easy to spot opportunities and see results."We saw that quite a bit of energy was being used at night when the plant was closed," said Richard Krause, Vice-President of Manufacturing. "So we looked for things that used power." They found lights, air conditioners, fans, motors, infrared heaters and heat strips on the fire sprinkler pipes. Most of these items could simply be turned off at night and at other times when they were not needed. The results showed up immediately in the real time data, and Krause knew they were on the right track. "PowerLine" Enables Energy Savings Jim Bemis, an EWEB Key Account Manager who serves as Whittier's point of contact with the utility, introduced Krause and senior electrician, John Umbarger, to the real time data program called PowerLine. After a quick session to learn how to read and interpret PowerLine's graphic output, Whittier staff was ready to explore new possibilities.How does PowerLine work? Special recorders are attached to each electric meter. Energy and demand are recorded every fifteen minutes. Each night the data is transmitted through the Internet. The next morning, the data appears on a special web site along with historical data for at least the last year."I don't tell people what to do," said Bemis. "I try to give them the tools to learn what works for them."Whittier staff has learned a lot in the past few months. For one thing, they learned that it saves money to turn the big machines off over the lunch break, but not during shorter 10-minute breaks.They also made operational changes to get the most production from their equipment. By combining shifts, they are able to run one production area at full capacity instead of running two areas at half capacity.Spreading the word with employees is important. Krause has written articles for the company newsletter describing why operational changes were made and how much money the company has saved. But more important is leading by example. Krause and other managers promote an "it's okay to turn out the lights" attitude.
With a tool like PowerLine, Krause and Whittier staff can explore new possibilities and see results the next morning. The best part of these operational changes is the cost which is next to nothing. Investment Opportunities Also Help SaveWhile operational changes tend to be financial "slam dunks," investment opportunities have paid off handsomely, too.EWEB Energy Management's Alan Fraser has worked with Krause and Umbarger, to identify ways to upgrade lights and lighting controls, heating and cooling systems, air compressors and production machinery.Perhaps the biggest change was replacing the main blower and bag house for the sawdust collection system. In the old system, the fan was on the "dirty" side of the bag house. The new equipment is on the "clean" side, where a more efficient fan can be used. EWEB financial incentives reduce the up-front cost and are based on the projected energy savings from these upgrades.Whittier managers are considering a long list of additional improvements. For example, they may replace two 100-horsepower air compressors with one 200-horsepower compressor controlled by a variable speed drive. The existing compressors are throttle controlled, which is extremely inefficient when operating at partial load."Air compressors are a great place to look for energy savings at any facility," said Fraser.In addition to financial incentives, EWEB offers technical assistance to research potential energy-saving measures and select equipment. For more information on conservation measures or PowerLine, call EWEB Energy Management Services at 484-1125. Whittier's experience shows that it's not difficult to find energy savings if you know where to look and have the right tools.
This article originally appeared in Efficiency By Design, Fall 2001
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