Pacific Power Names Three wattsmart Business Partners of the Year

Three companies from the Yakima Valley in Washington — Shields Bag and Printing, Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc., and Matson Fruit — collectively saved more than $142,000 in energy costs and earned $354,000 in incentives from Pacific Power, the utility said.

Shields Bag and Printing used an energy analysis paid for by the wattsmart Business program to implement a new design for its printing press and improved its compressed air system. That saved more than 1.6 million kilowatt-hours, which equates to $75,900 annually.

Kenyon Zero Storage, which provides freezer and cooler storage services for food product producers and processors, utilized guidance from wattsmart and consulting firm Cascade Energy to reduce consumption by 540,000 kilowatt-hours, which is $29,000 per year.

Matson Fruit is saving 956,810 kilowatt-hours annually — $46, 921 —  on its electricity bill as a result of three projects completed since 2011. They included an automated shipping facility using robots to pack and move fruit in its refrigerated warehouses.

The three companies were named Pacific Power’s wattsmart Business Partners of the Year.

In August, Pacific Power – which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy – became the first energy company to join the American Business Act Climate Pledge. The company said that it plans to purchase 1,000 megawatts of wind and solar energy by 2017, including 225 megawatts from projects in Oregon, according to The East Oregonian.