From Volume 3 Issue 1 of Connected.
With the recent increase of energy costs across the United States, industrial customers are feeling the pinch to find new ways to conserve on energy to lower costs and lessen their impact on the environment. Through our partnership with Zero Distribution, a network of energy-efficient manufacturers, Kirby Risk now offers a new sustainability focused service – the energy assessment provided by Frontier Energy.
Working with Frontier’s trained auditors, three levels of energy assessments for commercial and industrial facilities are available that are recognized by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Level 1 assessments are the least costly and provide a first step in learning where a company can boost efficiencies with no- or low-cost improvements. Level 2 assessments go deeper with greater detail and financial analysis. Level 3 assessments provide more advanced analysis with a focus on identifying money-saving opportunities prior to major renovations or investment in overhaul of expensive or large-scale systems.
Recently, Kirby Risk’s Jay Williams, Sustainability Specialist, and Charlie Newton, Account Manager-Industrial, have participated in Level 1 ASHRAE assessments with a few key customers. Both feel the Level 1 assessments are a great entry point for conversations to help our customers provide a more sustainable, energy-efficient and cost-effective working environment.
Customers are often aware of potential energy loss issues they need to address. But Williams says once the assessment is completed with a detailed multi-page report with specific recommendations and data to back it up, it helps them go to their leadership team funding the projects and secure the money to accomplish the needed projects.
Tanuj Gulati, Director at Frontier Energy, agrees that energy assessments allow Kirby Risk to add value that helps customers make good energy decisions. Gulati says operations personnel tasked with meeting sustainability goals set by corporate leaders often have no sustainability training and are busy with the everyday tasks of running a facility. By using a third-party, independent energy consulting service, they can rely on the expertise of auditors trained in sustainability for guidance.
The auditors also offer a fresh perspective on the facility, pulling from similar experiences with other facilities to help customers discover avenues presenting bigger energy loss issues than ones typically considered by the customer.
“People forget that the cheapest and easiest step to achieve decarbonization or sustainability is making your existing systems more efficient,” Gulati says, “because you already have invested in that infrastructure.”
The ASHRAE Level 1 assessments begin with a review of building energy usage for the past three years, gathered prior to going on site. This supplies benchmarking data for items like power factor penalties, load factor and current cost of taxes paid on energy. The information establishes a baseline useful in comparing the effectiveness of the improvements they decide to make.
Once on site, they interview the customer’s decision makers, as well as key operations/maintenance personnel involved with the facility’s daily operations. Next, they do a walk-through of the site, assessing various systems: process improvement, controls, heating and cooling systems, compressed air systems, vacuum systems, heat recovery, building envelope, lighting, motors and pumps. They also review how the systems are laid out and work together overall.
After completing the assessment, reporting is compiled and presented to the customer jointly by Kirby Risk salespersons with the Frontier Energy auditor. The report lists recommendations for energy-saving improvements accompanied by approximations of cost savings, paybacks and energy use reduction. It also suggests resources for incentives and programs for energy projects through local utility companies. Incentives can help cover the costs of the improvements the customer chooses to pursue.
Gulati adds that the assessment “points out what good things the plants are doing. We also put a dollar value to that. People can then report, ‘Hey, look, we made that change, and this is what it is saving us.’”
Adding to his point, Williams says the report lists multiple recommendations that may or may not provide opportunities for Kirby Risk to suggest products or services useful in performing suggested improvements. On its own, the assessment is an excellent tool for customers seeking energy saving solutions. But the potential exists for Kirby Risk to continue to assist with products like variable frequency drives (VFDs), lighting, controls, pipe, wire, etc. Williams can assist with finding applicable tax incentives and rebates while also helping customers meet energy regulatory requirements that vary by state or county.
According to Newton, when he would ask customers, “What is the number one issue you are looking at as we move into 2023,” across the board, customers responded, “We’ve got to cut our energy costs.” With the breadth of zero-energy products and solutions available through Kirby Risk’s partnership with Zero Distribution, Frontier’s energy assessments make sense as a first step in exploring options for conserving energy, lessening carbon footprint and reducing energy costs.