Success Stories

Industrial Energy Efficiency

Business: Evanite Fiber Corporation (Corvallis)

Number of Employees: 330

Vignette

Evanite Fiber Corporation has three manufacturing facilities at its Corvallis campus: hardboard (wood interior panels), glass fibers, and battery separator material.

• Faced with an air compressor system that was not performing well enough, Evanite reconfigured and repaired leaks in the compressor system. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $36,000/year in electric bills, plus an avoided capital cost of $27,000 to replace the compressor system. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 900,000 kWh/year (estimated).
• When Evanite closed one if its plants, a purchasing agent chose to list 34 items needing removal as "available" materials in the Industrial Materials Exchange (IMEX). Within two months, Evanite had found users ranging from Portland to New Jersey for 12 of these listings, including various types of plastics and organic chemicals. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: at least $3,500 in avoided disposal costs. The market value of materials reused is over $11,500.

Case Study

• Case study exists.

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Business: Stahlbush Island Farms, Inc.

Number of Employees: 22

Vignette

Stahlbush Island Farms is a grower and processor of fruits and vegetables. Most of the company’s customers are large food product manufacturers.

• Water use has been reduced by more than 50%, due to an innovative system where water is used in three or four different applications. Water is used to cool hot pumpkin puree and compressor oil, and to condense ammonia refrigerant. The warmed water is then used to pre-heat both the boiler and pumpkins. Wastewater from pumpkin and equipment washing is applied to fields for irrigation.
• Timers were installed on fan motors in freezers so that fans don’t run all of the time. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $4,500/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 133,000 kWh/year.
• As targeted motors wear out, they are replaced with high-efficiency motors. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: when fully implemented, this will save $2,300/year in electric bills. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 50,000 kWh/year.
• Only "natural" (uncolored) five gallon HDPE plastic pails are used. These pails are easier for customers to recycle.
• Ammonia compressor head pressure and boiler pressure have been adjusted to conserve energy.
• The farm composts food scraps and is experimenting with using food scraps as cattle feed.
• Some bulk products are shipped in reconditioned drums.
• Corrugated cardboard boxes and office paper are recycled.

Case Study

• Case study exists.

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