Novolex – Kyle King – 2019
Goals
Novolex is a leader in the industry of supplying retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, institutional and industrial markets with their packaging needs. In 2019, Novolex enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Kyle King to identify and analyze energy efficiency opportunities in HVAC systems, lighting systems, and other building equipment at their Shields plant in Yakima, Washington. This location was determined as a good starting point to begin investigating energy efficiency projects as it is one of the larger manufacturing sites in the company.
Solutions
After an initial assessment of the plant’s diverse operating systems and energy use, King organized projects into three categories: systemic energy management projects, capital projects, and management projects. Capital and management projects ranged from upgrading HVAC and chiller units, to motor and lighting upgrades, as well as repairing compressed air leaks and educating employees about energy conservation. After identifying areas for improvement, Kyle partnered with the utility provider and Cascade Energy, an energy consulting firm, to identify incentives associated with the projects. King proposed an energy management program to begin tracking their energy data, benchmark their findings, and participate in the DOE’s Better Plant Program.
Potential Impact
Annually, the combination of capital and management projects could save the Shields plant over 5 million kWh of electricity, plus natural gas savings and energy generation through rooftop solar. These projects have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions annually by up to 4670 metric tons.
