Columbia Machine has been working diligently with Clark Public Utilities over the past year and a half to significantly reduce its energy usage (primarily electricity). Columbia measures energy usage by using a statistical model that factors in production volumes and compares past energy usage against current consumption. Based on this model, Columbia has significantly reduced energy use per unit of output (termed energy intensity). Starting in April of 2010, Columbia started to show energy savings. From that time until the end of May 2011, Columbia has saved over 830,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. This equates to a 16 percent reduction in energy usage per unit output, on an annual basis. The biggest contributor to Columbia's energy efficiency has been the factory-wide upgrade in lighting.
Additionally, in June 2010 Columbia was introduced to a Clark Public Utilities and Bonneville Power Administration sponsored energy saving initiative by Michelle Missfeldt and Rich Miller, respectively, that is called High Performance Energy Management. Columbia has joined with several other industrial sites in the area to learn how to integrate energy management into their business practices. As a result, Columbia has focused on employee participation and soliciting energy saving ideas. These efforts have contributed to a significant portion of energy savings. Some of the new ideas include employee participation in fixing compressed air leaks, more energy efficient welders and turning equipment down or off during non production times. In July, Columbia's Energy Team reported on their progress at the final HPEM workshop and achieved the most savings of any company in the HPEM group. Bryan Goodman, Columbia's Executive Sponsor for the HPEM effort, also gave a presentation at the workshop to highlight activities implemented at Columbia.
Please contact Bryan Goodman at Columbia Machine, Inc. if you would like additional information on Columbia’s efforts to save energy.
Phone: 1 360 694 1501, email: brygoo@colmac.com, or visit our website www.columbiamachine.com
August 29, 2011
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