Enigin Update - Investment in Efficiency Produces Big Energy Savings for Minnesota
THIRTY-SIX facilities across the U.S. state of Minnesota will realise more than $3 million in permanent, ongoing energy savings every year for the foreseeable future.
These substantial savings are thanks to a one-time, $4.1 million energy upgrade grant programme administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources (DER). The grants, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), were targeted to make energy efficiency improvements to commercial, industrial, and nonprofit facilities across Minnesota.
Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman says the results of the programme can be measured in dollars and sense: “Energy savings projects like these are good for business, good for our environment, and good for our economy.
“This targeted investment of one-time funds will pay for itself over and over again. It has helped dozens of facilities dramatically reduce their energy consumption and realize millions of dollars in ongoing cost savings.”
As a result of the programme, the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Plant in Benson has estimated it will save about $700,000 a year, St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood will save about $200,000 every year in energy cost reductions, and Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. Inc. in Duluth will save $50,000 a year.
“Commercial buildings and industrial facilities like these consume about half of our state’s energy,” said Rothman. “Targeted retrofits using one-time investments deliver the biggest bang for our buck. And every dollar a business or nonprofit saves is a dollar they can be using to expand their operations, hire new workers, and get our economy moving again.”
Most of the grants were awarded for direct energy improvement projects, and three were given to nonprofit entities to operate revolving loan programmes to help finance energy efficiency projects.
Overall, the projects will save an estimated 440,000 MMBtu per year, or enough energy to heat 8,150 homes per year, and will have an average payback of four years.
Grantees included a cross section of for-profit and nonprofit entities. Efficiency measures achieved included upgrades to lighting, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems and controls to industrial processes.
Enigin Distributors are able to help industrial, commercial and non-profits to improve their energy efficiency by applying technology and systems from Enigin, these produce substantial energy savings.
Pictures of St. Paul, Minnesota by dougtone reproduced under CCL.
