SmartWatt Energy completed an energy upgrade project for wire rope manufacturer Bridon American at its Hanover, Pennsylvania, facility. Prior to the energy efficiency project, the manufacturer's facilities consumed over 13 million kWh per year. After the installation of an energy management system and program to optimize set points, sequences and operating schedules of equipment, electric consumption has been reduced by over 6 percent.
The project began with an audit of all energy systems at Bridon American's 130,000-sq-foot campus by engineering teams from SmartWatt.
Energy management controls were applied to plant space heating units, electrical room cooling systems and heating/cooling environmental systems for plant and corporate offices. Boiler controls and electrical metering were also implemented to provide maintenance and operational benefits beyond energy savings. Variable frequency drives (VFDs) were installed to optimize the operation of large process motors where modulation and setback strategies could safely be applied. The three main cooling tower fan motors were retrofitted with VFDs.
As a by-product of the electric energy savings project, there will also be natural gas (therm) savings. Furthermore, Bridon American now has visibility into the operations of its systems that it did not have before. For example, temperature differentials can now be monitored and trended. Systems can be repaired and calibrated upon receiving automated alarms from the energy management system. And troubleshooting can be done remotely at the web dashboard first, then at the system.
After the project, the utility UGI presented a $100,000 rebate check to Bridon American through UGI's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program.
SmartWatt Energy is the program administrator and implementation contractor for UGI's Custom Incentive Program.
