Finger Lakes companies receive $18 million for process and energy improvements

Finger Lakes area businesses are taking advantage of NYSERDA commercial and industrial programs to save energy, increase productivity and build a more sustainable future. NYSERDA awarded $18 million to more than 1,000 Finger Lakes region projects in the past three years to improve business processes and help cut energy consumption and costs. Companies have many opportunities to become more energy-efficient. A good place to start is with NYSERDA, which offers incentives for energy efficiency, process improvements and energy studies. For example, NYSERDA's industrial and process efficiency program is making available $120 million through 2015 to help manufacturing plants implement productivity improvements and energy-saving processes. Additional funding is available through NYSERDA's existing facilities, new construction and FlexTech programs. Here are a few highlights: * Xerox Corp. is implementing a retro-commissioning program for its Webster campus, and utilizing NYSERDA's FlexTech program to quantify energy savings and identify deficiencies. Objectives include reducing energy usage and costs, increasing occupant satisfaction with environmental conditions, increasing automation and monitoring of building equipment and systems, documenting system operation and developing plans for continuous commissioning. NYSERDA cost share for the study is $695,000. * Wegmans, a large supermarket chain headquartered in Rochester, improved the energy efficiency of its lighting and HVAC systems at 32 store locations statewide that will reduce annual costs by $1.9 million and reduce electricity use by 22 million kilowatt hours (kWh). Incentives awarded through NYSERDA's existing facilities program were $2.3 million. * Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC (GST) in Palmyra was awarded $936,000 through the NYSERDA industrial and process efficiency program. Projects include boiler system replacement, chilled water system replacement, improved steam system management, and modernization of an extruder process. These improvements will decrease the energy consumed in the manufacturing process and increase product throughput, saving the company an anticipated $450,000 annually. GST is expected to reduce energy use by an estimated 690,000 kWh and 57,000 million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) annually. The Finger Lakes is only one area of NYS where NYSERDA is helping companies compete in the global marketplace through energy improvements from the manufacturing floor to the data center to HVAC and lighting systems. Learn more about NYSERDA's programs at www.nyserdasolutions.org. Stacey Sabo is senior project manager for process, power, and FlexTech at NYSERDA, Buffalo, N.Y.