Energy conservation is seen as a way to ensure that utilities can meet future load growth and keep rates lower.
Without the need to build costly new sources of power, conservation measures ensure that today's proactive steps will result in less consumption and lower rates for tomorrow's users.
Manitoba Hydro's Power Smart industrial initiatives are meant to further this line of thinking by helping industrial users reduce their consumption, and, thus, their electric bill.
This strategy includes a number of ways to decrease power use and increase efficiency by doing such things as replacing old three phase motors with new high efficiency models.
Its Performance Optimization Program encourages industries to optimize their motive power systems: fans, pumps, compressors. Using a system approach method, the program defines the end use volume requirements for air or liquids, assesses the system layout for adequate storage and minimal pressure drops and evaluates the supply equipment efficiency and its means of control.
The Energy Efficient Lighting Program offers rebates for specified efficient lighting systems, exit signs, occupancy sensor switches, retrofit reflectors and high performance luminaires.
The Commercial Construction Program provides financial rebates for certain energy efficient window systems, high efficiency rooftop units and air barrier systems.
Power Smart's Reach
Power Smart's reach may even at times extend beyond strictly electrical concerns. As an example,
Weston Bakeries in Manitoba was experiencing problems with a compressed air system used to
inflate bags before they were filled with bread, buns or rolls.
Refinements suggested by Power Smart were not only able to reduce Weston's power bill by about $1,100 a month, they increased the efficiency of the bakery's compressor and reduced its use of water.
The facility has six bagging machines which bag as many as 40,000 loaves or 50,000 rolls during an eight-hour shift. But drops in air pressure were causing backups in the bagging cycle and resulted in a great amount of wasted food.
The bakery operated with two 75 hp air compressors feeding air via half-inch piping.
The first step toward greater efficiency was to install an air storage tank to act as a reservoir. The 32-cubic-foot tank stores air at 80-90 psi or the equivalent of 224 cubic feet at ambient pressure.
The half-inch piping was replaced with a two-inch line. This allowed the compressor to move larger amounts of air through the plant.
With the increased capacity and pressure, allowed by both the reservoir and the new lines, the plant's second air compressor was put on standby. By doing this, the company no longer has to pay for regular servicing of the machine, saving about $2,000 a year. It's electric bill has been cut by $1,100 a month.
Water use was reduced because there is less air being pumped. Air from compressors must be dried, cleaned and cooled to meet the standards of cleanliness required of a bakery. With only one compressor working, the refrigeration system, which uses water, did not have to work as hard. Weston has cut its water use by 2,000 gallons a week and is saving $760 in supply and sewage charges.
Other options being considered are the use of a 25 hp compressor for off-peak times and high efficiency air nozzles which would be used for cleaning around the plant.
Power Smart initiatives can also show customers that money spent can truly be money earned.
When a hub boring machine at Griffin Canada needed a new motor, Manitoba Hydro was able to suggest a $25,000 expense that would provide it own dividends.
A rebuilt head was not turning the machine's cutting blades as fast as it once did.
The time to cut the hubs, used for train wheels, jumped from 50 seconds to 61 seconds. At the end of a month that meant 3,600 fewer hubs were produced at a time when it was hoped to increase production by 20 per cent.
The machine was also plagued by frequent motor breakdowns. When the motor starter burned out, the company considered replacing it or installing a variable speed drive. The difference in cost was about $15,000 with a new starter costing about $10,000. Griffin Canada followed Power Smart's suggestion and purchased the more expensive variable drive.
A variable speed drive will drill out hubs at optimal speed and then slow down while a new hub is being placed. This consumes less energy and reduces the wear on the drive motor.
It's also one of several pieces of electrically efficient equipment available under Manitoba Hydro's Power Smart program.
Rob Armstrong, the mechanical engineer responsible for developing Power Smart solutions for Manitoba Hydro, visited the Griffin plant to appraise the situation.
His calculations showed that a variable speed drive would cut motor maintenance and production losses for an estimated annual savings of up to $5,000. The drive would also save another $670 a year by using 33,904 KWhrs less energy.
"Given these savings and incentives under Power Smart, we calculated that it would take only 2.2 years for the new drive to pay for itself," Armstrong said.