April 29, 2013 - Global energy management player Schneider Electric recently announced the Xperience Efficiency series of events kicking off in June to collaborate and share knowledge with customers, partners and governments on how to solve energy and sustainability challenges.

The Montréal Biodôme last year celebrated its 20th birthday. This nature exhibition has attracted roughly 17.3 million visitors since it opened in 1992, making it the most visited paid tourist attraction in Montreal.

However, it most noteworthy for being the only institution in the world that brings together five entirely different ecosystems under the same roof. This is an accomplishment whose realization relied not only on complex technologies but also on settings as authentic as nature itself and on animal and plant collections that are highly varied and typical of each habitat.

Rachel Léger, director of the Biodôme since 2006 and a member of the Biodôme’s design team, says when they created the Biodôme, they wanted visitors to marvel at the beauty and diversity of habitats found in the Americas, “with the goal of encouraging behaviours that are respectful of the environment. Twenty years later, we still rely on the effect of positive messages.

“We want people to keep hope alive and to take action, on however small a scale.”

Innovative Retrofit
The Biodôme has put its commitments to sustainable development in concrete form by integrating new, more efficient technologies at every level of its operations. As part of the energy-conservation program launched by this Space for Life, an open-circuit geothermal system has been installed, along with an energy-recovery system and energy-efficient lighting.
 
The comprehensive $8.1-million energy retrofit, designed and implemented by Quebec-based energy-efficiency firm Ecosystem in partnership with the Montréal Space for Life, cut the Biodôme’s energy costs by 52 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent. All project costs, including the extensive heating, cooling and lighting equipment upgrades, are being repaid by the resulting energy savings and $1.6 million in government and utility incentives.

“What’s wonderful about this project is that the cost is entirely covered by the savings,” said Jean Bouvrette, project leader and head of technical services for the Montréal Space for Life. “In addition, the project is self-financed and allowed us to replace nearly $2 million worth of old equipment as part of the building’s energy efficiency measures.”
 
Implemented from 2008 to 2010, the project was designed to dig deeper into the existing energy infrastructure while improving conditions for the Biodôme’s plant life and furry and feathered occupants. The humans didn’t miss out either — improvements to heating, air conditioning and lighting made a big difference in offices and public areas.
 
Some of the most innovative measures involved recycling energy from one ecosystem to the other; for example, heat from the sub-polar regions ecosystems is now being used to keep the tropical rainforest warm. In addition, after ground water was found under the Biodôme it was integrated into a cutting-edge open-loop geothermal system now used to heat and cool the building. Better quality and more energy efficient lighting was also part of the project.

So how was the old two-loop system inefficient, and how does the new heat recovery system solve this problem? “Before the project, chilled water and steam came from an independent supplier and were used to cool and heat the Biodôme,” Bouvrette said. “Both energy sources were often used at the same time and sometimes at cross purposes, which increased costs considerably.”

And as many of the animals are quite sensitive to temperature changes, “the new system was designed to keep performance changes to a minimum with respect to the previous system,” he added.

Maintenance Improvements
Prior to the retrofit, some of the equipment that had been in place was a bane on the maintenance department’s existence. Bouvrette went over some of the inefficiencies and reliability issues.

The old reciprocating compressors — 10 parallel units — used to cool the penguin-heavy sub-polar ecosystems “performed poorly and leaked occasionally, affecting operations and the environment,” he says. Before the project, there were 10 reciprocating chillers; after the project, “we now have four screw chillers, including one with two screws. The screw chillers have no moving parts, unlike reciprocating chillers. Useful life before major maintenance is now much longer for the screw chillers.”

As well, the old lamps had one high-intensity discharge (HID) 2,000-Watt bulb, two (double ballast) transformers and a poorly performing reflector. “Replacing the bulb and transformers had become problematic, both because of cost and the availability of replacement parts,” Bouvrette said. “There was also a problem with reliability: ballasts were exposed to the sun, which caused them to overheat. They then made a noise that could be heard in the ecosystems.” The lamps were replaced by a high-efficiency 1,000-Watt model the company says is much more reliable. Maintenance for lighting the ecosystems has been reduced since the useful life of the new ballasts is much longer; ballasts are now away from the light fixtures and out of direct sunlight.

Overall maintenance costs have fallen considerably since the whole steam system — including pumping trap, steam trap, steam valve, condensing tank, etc. — and all obsolete equipment was removed. This made way for much simpler heat pumps and 30-per-cent-glycol cooling and heating systems that are very reliable when it comes to maintenance.

Award-Winning Results
The program has gained recognition for after implementing this cutting-edge energy-saving program. Last February, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) presented its 2012 Sustainable Communities Award in the energy category to the Space for Life for the quality of its program; and the Association québécoise pour la maîtrise de l’énergie (AQME) presented them the Énergia award in the existing buildings (institutional) category.

More recently, Ecosystem and Montréal Space for Life received the 2013 ASHRAE Technology Award for the public-assembly building category. The project — part of a broader energy savings program that includes the Insectarium and Botanical Garden — was the sole Canadian entry to earn a first-place finish for the international prize presented by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers in recognition of the successful application of outstanding building design. This was the fifth award for the broader energy-saving program at the Space for Life, which comprises the Biodôme, Botanical Garden and Insectarium.

“This project is a wonderful example of how best practices translate into exceptional, concrete results,” said Andre Rochette, Ecosystem’s president and CEO. “Our firm’s compensation was dependent on reaching the Ville de Montréal’s ambitious energy savings and GHG reduction targets. The interests of client and supplier were thus perfectly aligned, laying the groundwork for a creative deep energy retrofit. The city led the way with a model that generates significant value for building owners from any sector of activity.”

Ecosystem is an independent and ISO-certified firm of energy efficiency professionals operating in Canada and the U.S. Over the past 20 years, the firm has focused exclusively on the design, installation and optimization of super-efficient building energy infrastructures. Its turnkey projects enable building owners to drastically reduce operating costs, renew critical assets, free up capital for other improvements and provide appealing spaces for occupants.

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André Voshart is the editor of PEM.

For many companies, energy use has long been a “black box.” Historically, energy costs were low and there were not many tools to gather detailed information on energy use. This meant there was little need for corporate executives to crack open that box to find out how energy impacts their bottom line, and how it can be better managed.

More recently, several factors have been pushing energy out of the technical world of the boiler room into the harsh scrutiny of the boardroom. Suddenly, energy management is a strategic issue. Why?

Energy market uncertainty due to global markets:
Oil markets have long been global, natural gas markets are trending that way, and electricity markets are becoming continental. This exposes every company to global energy risk and uncertainty, including volatile prices and unreliable supplies. Managing energy use and increasing energy efficiency will reduce one’s risk exposure.

Energy efficiency is a competitive advantage:
The price of energy is outside your span of control. So, focus on what you can control: managing energy use and energy efficiency. This gives you more flexibility in choices, making your company more competitive.

Energy is a key stakeholder concern:
While most industries once had only to be concerned about the price of energy, they now need to be increasingly conscious of energy’s environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While much there is much uncertainty around future regulatory schemes for GHGs, many companies now manage their emissions as part of corporate strategy. Increasingly, environmental positioning and sustainability are important to a strong corporate brand, making the company more attractive to customers as well as the best employees. Managing GHG emissions includes measuring your carbon footprint, generating or purchasing energy from renewable or low-carbon sources, and developing an understanding of the range and cost of mitigation and adaptation options.

Even as the risks associated with energy have increased, there is now also a greater range of tools available to the C-suite for managing energy impacts.

• Measurement tools: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. And in recent years, there has developed a flood of new information tools to help members of senior management pry the lid off that energy “black box” and look inside.

In a surprisingly large number of cases, energy bills get sent directly to accounts payable staff, who pay the bill and file it. Having a mechanism to review and summarize energy consumption and costs in a way that can be presented to senior management is a good first step towards reducing them.

Buildings constructed a decade or more ago might have just one electrical meter and one electrical bill. Easily retrofitted sub-metering now allows management to get a more accurate picture of the energy costs of each product, process or part of the building. This applies equally to electricity, natural gas supply, and even the flow of heat from a central boiler. Understanding energy use on a per-unit basis helps establish more accurate input costs, which leads to better-informed decisions to reduce energy costs and carbon outputs. It also leads to wiser thinking around life-cycle costs for equipment, rather than just capital costs.

• Energy-efficiency innovations: Just as cars, refrigerators and other consumer goods have become more efficient in recent years, a lot of R&D has gone into improving energy efficiency of industrial equipment, ranging from computer servers to boilers, as well as buildings themselves. These innovations have widened the energy use gap between older in-use inefficient products, technologies and buildings, and today’s energy-efficient innovations. This creates a strong business case to replace old solutions with current technology to capture the energy cost savings for years to come. Upgrading and replacing equipment is now less of an operational decision and more of a strategic decision, having to do with payback times and other strategic issues related to reduced energy consumption and environmental footprint.

• Standards for Continuous Improvement: Newly developed standards provide a tool for identifying best practices as well as increasing the transparency of energy management strategies. The ISO 50001 standard for Energy Management Systems, for example, outlines a continuous improvement (CI) framework and comprehensive management systems approach for energy, which aligns with similar standards for environment (ISO 14000), quality (ISO 9000), and health and safety. Companies that use a CI process or which have existing ISO certifications will see the value to extending these systems to energy.

• Changing behaviours: Replacing equipment is only one avenue for effective energy management. The fastest payback is achieved when there is little or no capital cost in order to achieve a net energy savings. Companies seeking energy efficiency opportunities often overlook operating methods and behaviours. Methods include increasing awareness and operator training as well as shifting energy use to off-peak periods.

External management consultants
• Strategic Thinking: Management consultants use an approach to energy management that aligns energy management activities with overall corporate strategy. This helps companies build a plan of action appropriate to their needs, and is supported at the highest levels within the organization. Management consultants can help identify and articulate the key issues that drive energy management strategies.

• Facilitation: Detailed information helps senior management make decisions on capital spend, retrofit vs. new purchase, products, energy-efficient buildings and the like. However, much of the information they need is locked up in silos within the organization. In many cases, people at an operational level have ideas on reducing energy costs, but have never been asked for their insights, or rewarded for offering them. Management consultants can help facilitate this, through their ability to walk the shop floor and relate to line personnel, and then enter a boardroom environment to explain their findings in terms relevant to senior management.

• Technical Advice: Consultants frequently provide both management and technical advice. Energy management is supported by a range of technology solutions including not just energy equipment itself but also information technology. Management consultants who specialize in energy management can provide a range of technical analysis from modeling energy use and identifying opportunities, to assessing feasibility and developing implementation plans. Where more detailed technical advice is needed, a management consulting perspective helps bridge the gap between the technical knowledge base and the organization’s purpose.

• Organizational Analysis: Managing energy effectively requires the right organizational structure, and an approach that aligns with organization’s culture and particular norms. A small, entrepreneurial organization may need a different strategy than a large, conservative one. An external perspective on the role of organizational behavior and structure helps build a successful energy management program.

• Change Management: Making the necessary alterations from business-as-usual involves change- management skills, and in many cases management consultants are in a good position to facilitate this, through developing effective communications, engagement and training strategies.

Energy market uncertainty is one of the reasons why energy efficiency is emerging as a means of competitive advantage. This means that more companies now see energy as a strategic issue, requiring attention of top executives. Several key strategies and tactics can help manage energy. Management consultants can be a valuable resource for helping executives with strategic thinking, change management, technical advice, organizational analysis, and accounting and financial knowledge, to achieve measurable results from a strategic focus on energy management.

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David Anders is the strategic energy services lead with Golder Associates in Toronto; Carl Friesen is principal with Global Reach Communications Inc. in Mississauga, Ont.; and Rodney McDonald is president of the McDonald Sustainability Group Inc. in Toronto. For more information about the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, visit www.cmc-canada.ca.

Today’s light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs have a slight environmental edge over compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and U.K.-based N14 Energy Ltd., that gap is expected to grow significantly as technology and manufacturing methods improve in the next five year.

“The [LED] lamp is a rapidly evolving technology that, while already energy efficient, will become even more so in just a few short years,” said Marc Ledbetter, who manages PNNL’s solid-state lighting testing, analysis and deployment efforts. “Our comprehensive analysis indicates technological advancements in the near future will help people who use these lamps to keep shrinking their environmental footprints.”

The report examines total environmental impact, including the energy and natural resources needed to manufacture, transport, operate and dispose of light bulbs. 15 different impacts were considered when evaluating environmental footprints, including the potential to increase global warming, use land formerly available to wildlife, generate waste and pollute water, soil and air. The report examines the complete life cycles of three kinds of light bulbs: LEDs, CFLs, and traditional incandescents.

Completed for the Solid-State Lighting Program of DoE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, this is the first public report to examine the environmental impact of LED manufacturing in depth, say the report’s authors.

(Manufacturing processes contribute substantially to a light bulb’s overall environmental impact, but companies generally keep manufacturing information private. The research team was able to gather manufacturing data with the help of industry consultants and some companies on the condition that the final report would not reveal individual company data.)

To do the analysis, the team chose specific bulbs that best represent what’s most typical and widely available for each of the three types of lights they studied. They then used a database to calculate the resources needed to produce the various components of the three light bulbs. That analysis revealed both LEDs and CFLs are substantially more environmentally friendly then traditional incandescents, which consume far more electricity. For example, the specific incandescent light bulb the team studied consumes 60 watts of electricity, while the LED model they studied uses just 12.5 watts and the representative CFL only uses 15 watts to create about the same amount of light.

“By using more energy to create light, incandescent bulbs also use more of the natural resources needed to generate the electricity that powers them,” Ledbetter said. “Regardless of whether consumers use LEDs or CFLs, this analysis shows we could reduce the environmental impact of lighting by three to 10 times if we choose more efficient bulbs instead of incandescents.”

The energy consumed by lights when they’re turned on makes up the majority of their environmental impact. But, with power consumption being similar between LEDs and CFLs when they are lit, the research team found the difference between those two bulbs’ overall environmental performance is largely determined by the energy and resources needed to make them.

CFLs were found to cause slightly more environmental harm than today’s LED lamp in all but one of the 15 impact areas studied. The one standout area was generating hazardous waste that must be taken to a landfill. This is because LED lights include a component called a heat sink, a ribbed aluminum segment that is attached to the bottom of LED bulbs. Aluminum heat sinks absorb and later dissipate heat that’s generated by the light bulb, preventing it from overheating. The process to mine, refine and process the aluminum in heat sinks is energy-intensive and creates several byproducts, such as sulphuric acid, that must be taken to a hazardous waste landfill.

R&D is expected to further improve LED efficiencies which, in turn, will reduce the amount of heat they produce and the size of heat sink they require, says the research team. The team found that this, and other improvements in manufacturing processes and electronics, will lead LED bulbs to be even more environmentally friendly than CFLs within five years. The team expects the LED bulb of 2017 will have 50% fewer environmental impacts than today’s LED lamps, and 70% fewer impacts than those found in today’s CFLs, which are not expected to change significantly.

It is not news that energy management in all sectors is becoming more critical every day — and many of those who manage maintenance departments are showing leadership in reducing energy consumption. PEM checked in with some experts about some of the direct, easy-to-identify actions and strategies plant managers are using to make broad and specific improvements in energy efficiency.

“Many plant managers can have their energy costs reduced by 40 per cent,” asserts Thierry Desjardins, vice-president of engineering at Québec City-based Ecosystem, an award-winning, ISO-certified energy efficiency firm. He says the first 35 per cent of these energy cost savings can be achieved through optimally designed and implemented energy conservation measures (ECMs), like boiler room retrofits, switching to more efficient motors/variable frequency drives, using geothermal systems, undertaking lighting system retrofits and replacing chillers.“However, one of the most critical factors for reaching optimal energy savings and maximizing your ROI is to make sure that the correct ECMs are selected and implemented at the same time, based on a nuanced understanding of how each measure can interact with the others,” Desjardins explains. “Too often, plant managers lose out on the full benefits of a retrofit because the ECMs are assessed, designed and implemented in isolation.”

He calls this “a major opportunity lost” that can have a significantly negative impact on cost-return timelines. He stresses that “the order in which measures are implemented can have a major impact on project payback and feasibility.” Here’s a simple example scenario showing how a chosen ECM can interact negatively with others to prevent maximal energy cost savings: “If you replace the central chiller before carrying out a lighting conversion,” Desjardins explains, “you’re going to end up purchasing a machine that is too big. Not only will you have paid too much for your chiller, but the efficiency won’t be optimal because the equipment isn’t optimally sized.”

To maximize ECM decision-making benefits, he strongly recommends turning to an expert for an energy audit of the facility. “This step is crucial because all buildings are different, and each building is far more than the sum of its mechanical parts,” he says. “You really need an experienced ‘outside eye’ to look at the building’s unique energy infrastructure and get a grasp of how energy is generated, distributed and used throughout.”

Maintenance tweaks
Proper maintenance of all mechanical systems — such as a steam trap survey and replacement, and fixing leaks in compressed air networks — typically amount up to the remaining five per cent of energy savings, Desjardins says. Even though five per cent might seem insignificant, it adds up over time.

“Without proper maintenance, the most efficiently designed buildings will not achieve energy goals,” agrees Kris Bagadia, president of U.S.-based Peak Industrial Solutions. “As mechanical systems are used to heat and cool a building, system performance degrades as sensors and meters drift out of calibration. If these systems are not maintained, they begin to consume more energy as equipment wears.”

That’s why he says it’s critical to effectively track and manage energy consumption. “That’s where a CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) plays an important role,” he says. “It allows you to gather and manage maintenance and energy data, which go hand-in-hand for effective maintenance management.” A CMMS can provide the ability to schedule inspections of energy-consuming equipment, to collect and store historical energy-consumption data that can be used to identify problem areas related to energy (such as leaks) and to establish an effective energy-reduction plan. “It also provides the ability to provide tracking of energy-consumption with user-defined criteria,” Bagadia says, “and correlate those criteria to how much energy is being consumed, as well as details of how much energy is being consumed by an individual asset, location, or building or facility.”

Both the two main types of maintenance planning — preventive maintenance (PM), also known as calendar-based maintenance, and predictive maintenance (PdM) — are effective strategies in achieving both consistent production goals and energy savings, says Peter Hachey, business development specialist of power quality and more for Fluke Electronics Canada. “Either way, the right tools must be used to properly diagnose the problem in a given situation,” he notes.

Below, Hachey examines three examples of energy-related challenges that a maintenance manager may typically face — as well as the lessons learned as the problems were solved.

1) Sub-metering of plant compressor group
“While a vital component of many manufacturing facilities’ operations, air compressors can be a source of energy waste,” Hachey notes.
He says the two most typical sources of waste are leaks in piping and improper time-of-day usage. Both can occur at once, and require different tools to diagnose the problem.

In this example, the air compressor was believed to be the culprit when a year-to-year increase in plant power consumption was noticed — an increase that could not be tied to a change in production practices.  “Because the compressor piping circuit had never been included in any PM, the logical first step was to inspect the piping in order to locate any air leaks along in the network,” Hachey notes. “The most effective tool for this task is an ultrasonic leak detector, which will detect any type of pressurized gas/air leak.” The maintenance technician mapped the plant’s compressed air piping system and several leaks were found.

The technician also checked out any further issues. Because he was unsure of the usage sequence of the compressors, he decided the best course of action was to use a three-phase power quality analyzer to record power consumption on the compressor circuit, set to record for one full week.
“The analyzer’s trend mode delivered a surprising result — the compressors were left running even when the plant was shut down for the weekend,” he notes.

“The solution here was to institute a policy of shutting down the compressors whenever operations are suspended. … Needless to say, annual inspection of the compressor system was added to the PM list.”

2) Poor lighting-cicuit configuration
Hachey makes the case that upgrades to existing lighting systems for the purpose of energy savings have to be done correctly — or lighting energy waste issues may occur.

In this example, a plant manager requests that the maintenance/facilities manager increase the efficiency of the plant’s lighting configuration. His tasks include measuring light levels in order to add lighting as required, installing new high-efficiency electronics ballasts and installing a PLC to automate light levels according to time-of-day need.

A light meter is employed to identify areas where lighting is insufficient. “The levels are recorded and a lighting specialist is called to specify the correct number of fixtures to achieve the desired brightness,” Hachey says. “Steps two and three, installing the new ballasts and integrating the system into a PLC, are then carried out in the newly-installed lights as well as throughout the plant.”

However, shortly after the job had been completed, equipment performance issued began to occur. “This was despite the fact that these systems were part of regular PM and PdM checks,” Hachey notes. “The two most frequent performance issues were nuisance tripping on variable speed drives and increased noise and temperature at specific transformers.”

The maintenance team began troubleshooting procedures to discover the root cause of the problems. “The team first ran a thermal imaging scan on the affected systems to see if there was an increase in temperature,” he says. “They noted a 10°C rise on Phase C of the lighting circuit panel, as well as a similar rise in temperature at the circuit’s transformer.”  The next step was to identify the problem causing the temperature increases. Using a three-phase power quality analyzer, they were able to record a 12-per-cent phase unbalance between A, B and C phases. The imbalance was due to all new light fixtures being added to Phase C. “As there was ample capacity in this distribution panel, the fix in this case was simple,” Hachey says. “Redistribute the load to all three phases.” Next up was to find the source of the nuisance tripping. “The maintenance team realized the affected drive was connected to the same distribution panel as the recently modified lighting system,” he notes. “They again used their three-phase power quality analyzer to diagnose the problem.” They found high levels of fifth harmonic distortion and high levels of reactive power (decreasing the power factor level), and energy costs increased significantly on this circuit due to poor power quality.

“The nuisance tripping was caused by an under-voltage condition and was easily corrected by sequence adjustment among the machines in the circuit,” Hachey says. “The harmonics issue was solved by adding line reactors — and this also solved the overheating and noise problem at the trans former.”

3) Repeated motor failure on pump assembly
In this last example, a pump motor had failed four times over three years, causing not only increased energy consumption issues, but also the loss of thousands of dollars in production. Hachey explains how at this point, the maintenance manager decided to use a vibration tester to monitor the motor on a monthly basis.

“This strategy enabled the maintenance department to not only predict when the next failure would occur, but also identify the root cause of the problem,” he notes. “In this example, the issue was angular misalignment on the motor shaft.”

In addition to ending the cycle of premature motor failure, the alignment correction resulted in a decrease in power demand, as the motor no longer had to fight the added torque created by the alignment error.

By implementing conservation strategies so that synergies are maximized, and by continuing to improve upon testing and maintenance activities, significant savings can be achieved. If you have an unusual or significant energy-saving story, please let us know about it.

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Treena Hein is a freelance writer based in Pembroke, Ont.

Since the creation of the first industrial electric motors, manufacturers have been developing technology to produce better motors that use the least amount of energy possible. While perhaps increasing the efficiency of electric motors is not a relatively new phenomenon, the last several decades of technological advancements in motors as well as manufacturing methods have vastly improved their efficiency. As the energy crisis of the 1970s peaked, the manufacturing sector began looking for better ways to save energy. What it discovered was that electric motors were consuming the lion’s share of electricity in industrial facilities. While the news of the day reported about oil shortages and compact-car development, electric motor manufacturers were quietly getting better at producing motors that consumed less electricity.

When these high efficiency and premium efficient motors entered the marketplace, organizations such as NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) and CEE (Consortium for Energy Efficiency) worked with manufacturers to develop standard levels of efficiency. These standards were later adopted by the U.S.’s Department of Energy (DOE) as the benchmark for the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), which went into effect October 1997. This law mandated that general-purpose TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) and ODP (open drip proof) motors, one to 200 horsepower (HP), were required to meet the energy efficient table as defined by NEMA MG 1, Table 12-11.

Both the U.S. and Canada require motors to be tested for efficiency in a certified lab using specific test procedures, such as IEEE 112 Method B or CSA 390. Most NEMA members have their test labs certified. Although the IEC test method IEC 60034-2-1 has been harmonized with the IEEE and CSA methods, the E.U. does not require a certified test lab.

The most recent energy law, which broadened the scope of EPAct in the United States, was the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). This new law went into effect on Dec. 19, 2010. The Canadian version of this law, enacted by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), went into effect on April 12, 2012. These new laws brought the original one-to-200 HP, 2-4-6 pole motors from the energy efficient levels of table 12-11 up to the premium efficient levels of Table 12-12. A second group of motors was also added under this new legislation, which includes U-frame motors, close-coupled pump motors, footless motors, and eight-pole motors, to name a few.

Understanding the laws and which motors are required to meet them is most of the battle. When one has developed a familiarity with these laws and what they mean, including the motor efficiency tables, it’s a matter of checking this information against the motor manufacturer’s nameplate to identify a motor’s efficiency. It is important to note that if a motor was purchased and installed prior to the implementation of the energy law, the motor only had to meet the requirements of any law in place during the time of installation. If an old motor were to fail, it can be repaired — but one must count the cost and decide if it would be more beneficial to invest the money toward a new, efficient motor. Additionally, if one has a motor in stock that was built prior the energy bill, the motor is also good to use as long as it was in the country prior to the energy bill implementation.

The energy efficiency laws in the U.S. and Canada are for both motors sold in commerce and motors embedded in machinery. If a company is importing a machine using covered electrical motors, those motors must be compliant with the laws. Identifying and understanding the information on motor nameplates can be a bit tricky, especially given the fact all motor nameplates do not always look the same. Two of the main things to look for are the NEMA nominal efficiency and the Certified Compliant (CC) mark for the U.S. and an NRCan mark for Canada. As other countries adopt Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS), specific approvals and markings may be required.

The NEMA nominal efficiency is the nominal efficiency as defined by the NEMA tables for a particular motor enclosure, size and speed. This efficiency is expressed in a percentage. For instance, if a motor’s efficiency is labeled as 91-per-cent efficient, then that means the motor will convert 91 per cent of the electrical energy into mechanical energy, resulting in nine per cent of losses due to heat and other factors. For each NEMA nominal efficiency in the tables there is a NEMA guaranteed minimum efficiency based on a 10-per-cent variance in losses as shown in table 12-10. The CC mark is the number provided to each motor manufacturer after their motor line has been approved by the DOE. If this number is not present on the motor, it could be because that particular motor is exempt from law, was built prior to the law, or has not been properly submitted to the DOE for approval. Another distinguishable feature to look for on motor nameplates is the NEMA Premium logo. Although this logo is a registered trademark of NEMA, motor manufacturers can receive the license from NEMA to use this logo on their nameplates and marketing materials. One of the requirements of NEMA Premium usage is for the manufacturer to annually submit their line of motors for efficiency testing to a certified third-party lab facility.

If questions or concerns arise related to identifying the proper motor for an application, especially in regards to efficiency, one should contact their local motor sales representative. Any reputable manufacturer should be more than happy to back up their motor line with whatever data is necessary to demonstrate their performance. As the old saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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David Steen is a product manager for small/medium AC motors with Baldor, member of the ABB Group. For more information, visit www.baldor.com.

Guelph, Ont.-based Linamar Corp. has grown from a small machining operation to a global supplier of vehicle and mobile industrial equipment with 37 manufacturing facilities worldwide. It designs and manufactures precision metal components for the global vehicle and power generation markets, as well as designs and produces aerial work platforms and other equipment for its industrial business segment.

As the company has grown, so has its yearly energy usage. This dynamic presented a paradox for the environmentally conscious company: it was eager to minimize its energy usage as much as possible but did not want to impede its manufacturing operations. The customized energy reduction plan proposed by EnerNOC for its DemandSMART–Ontario program was exactly the solution Linamar needed to participate in the Ontario Power Authority’s DR3 scheme. EnerNOC helped the company identify potential areas for energy reductions while leaving critical manufacturing processes untouched.

As a local expert with global backing, EnerNOC had the most on-the-ground knowledge of Ontario’s demand response program and, more importantly, the ability to understand Linamar’s business and match the two in a win-win partnership.

Site-specific demand response
Linamar was keen to reduce energy usage wherever possible, but with 25 separate facilities across Ontario, knowing where to begin was an intimidating challenge EnerNOC was up for. In early 2009, representatives from EnerNOC visited all of the site managers at Linamar’s various facilities. They conducted interviews and determined what level of participation would be right for each individual plant.

“EnerNOC took us through the process step-by-step,” recalled Tony Luis, Linamar’s director of purchasing. “They met with each individual plant, and explained what each site’s involvement would be in a demand response dispatch.”

The company outlined a curtailment plan for each Linamar facility, met with each facility manager to have it approved and ran tests at each site to make sure the reductions would be effective during a demand response dispatch. Ultimately, consensus was reached across all 25 plants, and each one signed on to its unique energy-reduction plan.

The results
Linamar’s two requirements for its plants’ curtailment plans were to:

1.  maintain employee safety at all times; and
2.  allow its manufacturing processes to continue unimpeded.

Therefore, when a demand response dispatch occurs, Linamar practices non-operational curtailment measures, such as reducing air conditioning in the plants’ front offices, dimming lights and reducing the air cycle schedule in the plants. Through these measures, Linamar’s 25 plants provide a total reduction of 2.4 megawatts (MW) per dispatch. Since joining the program in 2009, Linamar has been dispatched an average of six times per year.

For Linamar, participating in demand response with EnerNOC is straightforward. Four hours before a dispatch begins, EnerNOC contacts the designated point person at each facility. The contacts acknowledge the dispatch via email or cell phone, and the company then sends out an internal email to tell its staff the dispatch is occurring. Two hours before the actual dispatch, Linamar’s sites implement their respective curtailment plans. “We like to be proactive and make sure we will be able to meet our goals. We test this prior to the dispatch taking place,” Luis said. From his computer, he can monitor each site’s energy consumption in real time via EnerNOC’s DemandSMART online application, ensuring that each site is meeting its targets. If he observes any one of the sites not adhering to its plan, he will make a call to investigate. The dispatch lasts exactly four hours.

The benefits
Linamar’s 2.4 MW reductions earn the company hundreds of thousands in annual payments from EnerNOC. In addition to these financial benefits, the company has also enhanced its own internal understanding of its various plants, and increased its awareness of what processes have the greatest impact on the company’s energy usage.

EnerNOC demand response brings additional benefits to the company as well:

• Business continuity: For most manufacturing companies, the financial incentives from demand response prompt them to pursue a full or partial shutdown of manufacturing processes while the crew are deployed to other activities like equipment maintenance. For Linamar, though, EnerNOC was able to identify substantial energy reductions outside of core manufacturing processes, so Linamar enjoys rewards without disruption to its business.

• Business intelligence: EnerNOC’s DemandSMART technology provides Linamar with a way to monitor its disparate facilities from a central online portal. Prior to working with EnerNOC, “Our plants were not connected to each other at all,” Luis noted. “EnerNOC gave us tools to help identify what processes in our manufacturing have the greatest impact on our energy use. Our plants are now connected.”

• Local support: If a certain plant struggles to reach expected reductions during dispatches, EnerNOC visits that site to discuss adjustments to its curtailment plan. “EnerNOC is very involved in the process of making DR work for each of

• Sustainability: “A lot of our decision-making processes are green-conscious,” Luis said. “The DR3 program is just another element of how we do things here. We appreciate the financial benefits but we also learn about our business’ effect on our electricity usage.” Often, individual plants will challenge themselves to continue curtailment even longer than the official dispatch period. “We take certain measures to reduce electricity during curtailment, but now plants are asking themselves, ‘Can we do these things over longer periods?’ ” Linamar recently renewed its contract with EnerNOC so that it will continue to understand its own energy usage and reap financial benefits at the same time.

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This is an edited article provided by EnerNOC. For more information, visit www.enernoc.com.

High-volume low-speed (HVLS) fans were designed to create a more comfortable environment, cooling work places down in the summer and keeping them warm in the winter.

Undoubtedly, this is what the HVLS fan was designed to do when first breaking into the material handling market in the mid-1990s. By creating a slow moving breeze at two to three miles per hour, facilities have reported a reduction in perceived temperature equivalent to seven to 11 degrees. But over the past decade, these fans have become more versatile than ever imagined.

The blades of these large fans produce a massive column of air that flows down toward the floor and outward in all directions before being drawn back vertically toward the blades to create what is known as a horizontal floor jet. But in addition to improving temperatures in buildings like warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing plants and food/beverage facilities, these fans can help enhance energy efficiency, sustainability initiatives, air quality and employee safety.

Suitable for just about any environment, the next generation this fan is here.

Protect product integrity
Air circulation from the floor jets helps to keep not only food and produce fresh to prevent spoilage but also assists in protecting non-perishables by keeping them clean and dry. In addition, many users in refrigerated applications have also seen improvements in their indoor environment’s air quality from running their fans in reverse to destratify the air and create a more even distribution of oxygen.

Improve working conditions
Increasing air circulation and quality helps minimize floor condensation, keeping loading dock areas drier and ultimately safer for foot and fork lift traffic. Additionally, the improved air circulation created by the HVLS can enhance indoor air quality in dry storage and other distribution applications by dispersing the harmful fumes produced by the trucks and forks lifts at the dock door during loading and unloading.

Reduce energy consumption
HVLS fans are an excellent addition to any overworked HVAC system. They can help to regulate a facility’s temperature year-round from floor to ceiling, permitting an increase or decrease in thermostat temperature setting between three and five degrees without realizing any negative temperature changes in either direction.

Managing the internal temperature of a building creates the opportunity to realize energy savings of up to four per cent per degree change.

LEED the way
HVLS fans also help companies qualify for and earn credit toward LEED Certification in energy efficiency and atmosphere, indoor environmental air quality and innovation and design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health, which are highly focused on energy savings and increasing air quality.

This fan was designed to create a comfortable work environment while keeping facilities running as energy efficiently as possible. Today, these fans are seeing new and improved uses every day, from product sustainability and employee safety to improved air quality.

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Steve Kalbfleisch is sales manager with Dock Products Canada. For more information, visit www.dockproductscanada.com.

Increasing production while lowering energy consumption is at the heart of most economically successful energy efficiency initiatives. Miralis, a Quebec-based custom cabinetry manufacturer, is making more custom kitchen cabinets and doing so with less energy than ever thanks to innovative improvements to process and technology.

“Our dust-collection system was the obvious target for an energy reduction project because it’s our biggest energy consumer,” says Donald Brisson, the company’s director of operations in Rimouski, about 300 kilometers east of Quebec City. A new on-demand control, installed in the fall of 2008, has saved the company about $50,000 in annual electricity costs related to dust collection. The new system had a capital cost of $200,000.

“Before the upgrades, the dust collection system used 23 percent of the energy we use in production. Afterwards it dropped to 12 percent, despite the fact that our production capacity has increased by about 20 percent,” Brisson says.

Miralis, a Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) leader in the general manufacturing sector, employs 220 full-time staff at about 125 workstations in an 11,600-square-metre facility.

The dust collection system uses large air conveyors that suck wood dust away from workstations. Most of Miralis’ workstations do not operate continuously, but conventional dust collection systems operate all the time to stop dust from accumulating. Drills and band saws, for instance, are generally used only about 25 per cent of the time during the day, while panel saws and wide belt sanders are used up to 80 per cent of the time.

To address these variable ventilation requirements and the related energy demand, Miralis hired Montreal-based SyENERGY Integrated Energy Solutions to study the system and implement a solution. Ecogate technology offered the best solution, because it addresses ventilation needs for individual equipment while maintaining the required airflow in the ventilation ducts.

The consultants isolated each individual workstation and then considered the workstation network as a whole. The Ecogate automation program was adapted to the workstations’ operating schedules. Ecogate’s central control can reduce ventilation for equipment that operates only 20 to 30 per cent of the day, while increasing ventilation speed to sweep the entire collection system regularly. With Ecogate technology, Miralis saved 650,000 kW hours per year of the 1.32 million kW hours consumed by the dust collector motors.

The fan’s motor power consumption is significantly reduced and motors run quieter, cooler and with less mechanical stress. Noise at the fan and inside the factory is significantly reduced. “Employees appreciate the upgrade because the air is cleaner and the facility is quieter,” Brisson says.

The computerized Ecogate system is completely automated thanks to sensors and controllers. When a machine is turned on, the sensor signals the controller to open the right gate and turn on the dust collector. When the machine stops, the gate closes and the dust collector stops. By closing unused outlets, there is higher air-velocity at the machines’ outlets, resulting in better sawdust extraction and cleaner air.

The Ecogate System monitors all of the machines in the Miralis plant and, through a variable-speed drive, continually optimizes the amount of power supplied to dust collection. The system is also designed to maintain minimum airflow in the duct system by opening additional gates when necessary to avoid sawdust settling in the duct system.

The technology is relatively new to Canada, with only Miralis and a Manitoba-based company now using it. However, the technology has the potential to reap energy savings in the wood and printing industries, and also in welding operations. Miralis also invested $45,000 in a complete refit of the lighting system. These lighting upgrades cut electricity consumption related to lighting by about 45 per cent.

Brisson plans to build on the success of the lighting and ventilation projects by improving energy efficiency in the paint shop. “In the winter, we have to heat air that is brought in to replace the vented air,” he says. “We are looking at things like variable drives to reduce air exhaust, heat exchangers and even a solar wall.”

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This is a reproduction of a CIPEC Leadership Award profile originally published by the Government of Canada.

There’s a new name in the energy sector that’s backed by 100 years of history. St. Thomas Holding Inc. as well as its for-profit business lines – St. Thomas Energy Services Inc., Tiltran Services Inc., Lizco Sales Inc., TalTrees Inc., ECM Controls Inc. and Terra Vox Inc. – are now operating as Ascent.

The rebranding is one of the first steps in what the company says is "a bold, new growth strategy that Ascent is undertaking to position itself as the industry leader in energy solutions." By combining resources, technologies and capabilities of its individual business lines, the company now covers virtually every angle of the high-voltage industry.

“This is an exciting time in our company’s history,” says Brian Hollywood, CEO of Ascent. “We will be strengthened by our ability to now market our full range of energy solutions under one unified brand that complements our world-class capabilities.”

Ascent’s accomplishments include having the most high-voltage installations approved by Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority for eight consecutive years; being a forerunner in wind and solar technology; and having the country’s largest privately-owned new transformer inventory.

“The industry has seen tremendous change in the past few years and we’ve stayed competitive because of the progressive nature of our company and our people,” says Hollywood.

The rebranding is not the result of a merger or buy-out – it positions the organization for future growth and job creation. Ascent Group Inc. remains wholly owned by the City of St. Thomas. Although also owned by Ascent, St. Thomas Energy Inc. – as an electricity distributor regulated by the Ontario Energy Board – is not affected by this rebranding.
www.ascent.ca