How Two Businesses Cut Their Energy Costs

The demand for electrical energy in Québec is anticipated to rise by 14 per cent by 2032 resulting from financial enlargement and the electrification of the economic system. Faced with this ever-increasing demand and a need to handle it in a cheap means, Hydro-Québec is urging firms to optimize their power consumption. It is certainly very important for companies to begin adopting energy-efficient practices and grow to be brokers of change.

Hydro-Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program, which offers monetary help for companies able to prepared the ground in power effectivity, adopting these practices pays off from the outset. Participants obtain steering and funding to conduct energy-efficiency analyses and implement options—from easy measures to complicated, progressive tasks. The program is open to small, midsize and enormous firms in addition to public organizations in Québec.

Here are two companies have taken benefit of Hydro-Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program.

Fruit d’Or

As a grower and processor of natural cranberries and wild blueberries, Fruit d’Or prioritizes sustainable practices in its operations as a result of its merchandise are immediately affected by the setting. Agri-food manufacturing usually requires switching between cold and hot situations, resulting in vital power consumption and warmth loss. Fruit d’Or President and Founder Martin Le Moine turned to Hydro-Québec for assist in assessing his firm’s power use.

Hydro-Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program gave Fruit d’Or almost $300,000 to put in warmth pumps. Instead of losing warmth by venting it exterior, the pumps flow into the warmth generated from industrial dryers to heat their washing water in a closed-loop system for a sensible and extra energy-efficient answer. Fruit d’Or was additionally keen to switch a chlorofluorocarbon (Freon) refrigeration system with a carbon dioxide system to additional scale back its power use. 

In the primary yr of operation, the brand new warmth pumps alone saved Fruit d’Or greater than $23,000 in power prices whereas additionally lowering their carbon emissions by 350 tonnes a yr.

However, adopting energy-efficient practices isn’t simply concerning the backside line. “Moving toward sustainable practices attracts job seekers, who are increasingly sensitive to the actions companies take,” Le Moine explains.

Improving the group’s power effectivity wasn’t straightforward at first. “It’s very wide-ranging and the technologies evolve quickly,” Le Moine says. “Hydro-Québec’s experts helped us prioritize the projects that will yield the fastest returns.”

Kruger

Kruger’s operations in pulp, paper, cardboard and packaging sectors are power intensive. A good portion of the corporate’s manufacturing prices stem from its power use, with getting old tools being a notable wrongdoer. The firm utilized to Hydro-Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program and obtained $900,000 to keep up manufacturing ranges whereas lowering power use, however with out utterly changing useful equipment. 

Kruger upgraded previous paper manufacturing machines by changing air flow shutters with variable-frequency drives, thereby lowering the quantity of power the machines consumed. Other energy-efficient measures had been additionally carried out, similar to putting in environment friendly lighting and optimizing screening, refining, pumping and air-compression processes. With these options in place, Kruger expects its annual power financial savings to achieve $153,000.

Thanks to Hydro-Québec’s monetary help, Kruger has been capable of implement energy-efficient options extra rapidly, resulting in quick outcomes and placing the corporate on a path to lowering its carbon footprint.

While saving cash is a prime precedence, Maxime Cossette, company vice-president of fibre, biomaterials and sustainability at Kruger, says that adopting energy-efficient practices at his office can be about values. “For me, it’s important that the company I work for respects and reflects my values. When I go to work in the morning, I feel like I’m contributing.”

To be taught extra about how your business can profit from Hydro-Québec’s Efficient Solutions Program, click on right here.