In today’s economy, small businesses might question whether they can afford to make energy-efficiency upgrades. As Columbia Grinding, Inc.’s experience proves, the better question might be whether they can afford not to!
Columbia Grinding opened in 1953 as a 1,800-square-foot, one-man shop in South Milwaukee. Over the years it’s grown to become a 35-employee facility with a 43,000-square-foot manufacturing space in the Oak Creek Industrial Park.
As the company has grown, so has its awareness of and commitment to energy efficiency. Columbia Grinding has enhanced its energy efficiency and high-performance standards to power its state-of-the-art equipment, processes and services.
Working with Focus on Energy, Columbia Grinding’s Oak Creek plant recently reduced energy consumption by more than 230,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 14,000 therms of natural gas annually—changes that generate enough energy to power 40 houses for a year and will save the company $33,500 annually.
The biggest energy saver was an innovative air-filtration system that will significantly reduce the facility’s heating and air-conditioning loads. The system connects with the existing energy management system to provide automated control of the make-up air and exhaust in the main production area. Since 2008, Columbia Grinding has received $13,500 in cash incentives from Focus on Energy to support its energy efficiency efforts.
“Focus on Energy has helped us save a lot of money while achieving higher air quality inside the plant,” said Richard Lussier, president of Columbia Grinding, Inc. “With the new controls and filtration equipment, we’re keeping warm air inside the building in the winter to reduce our gas consumption. And in the summer, the controls automatically send hot plant air outside to lower our cooling costs.”
The plant also installed a variable-speed drive in its coolant pumping system. This drive allows for more precise process operations, which reduces operating and maintenance costs while increasing system reliability and equipment life and reducing energy use.
“Columbia Grinding is a great example of an independently owned business that is saving significant amounts of energy,” said Ken Williams, Focus on Energy’s business programs director. “By incorporating energy efficiency into its operation, Columbia Grinding benefits its bottom line, and helps the environment and the community.”
How can Focus help you?
Focus on Energy offers a wide variety of service and support options that can help your business save energy—and money! Options include: efficiency surveys, energy management plans, vendor assistance, and technical training. To learn more about Focus on Energy, call (800) 762-7077 or fill out an Energy Self-Audit and find out custom recommendations for your workplace.
