Winter 2012

Vol 6

1. Congrats to CIPEC Winners
2. New employee engagement initiative a success
3. Recap of Pumps Workshop
4. Upcoming Workshop
5. Saving energy, saving jobs at the Twin Rivers Plaster Rock lumber mill
6. Call for nominations for the 2012 Premier’s Awards

CONGRATS TO CIPEC WINNERS

Congratulations to Flakeboard, Groupe Savoie and Irving Paper on their Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) Leadership Awards at Energy 2011, the first ever wins for New Brunswick! These awards celebrate energy efficiency achievements of Canadian industry and highlight how energy efficiency improves the bottom line and contributes to a cleaner environment.

Groupe Savoie and Flakeboard received awards for Monitoring and Tracking for enhancing their ability to provide accurate reports on energy consumption through implementing an Energy Management Information System.

Irving Paper won for Employee Awareness and Training for creating awareness of energy efficiency opportunities, best practices, as well as the advantages of energy management.

All three companies are active in Efficiency NB’s Large Industrial Program and are past winners of Premier’s Awards for Energy Efficiency.
 

NEW EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE A SUCCESS
On Sept.1, 2011 members of the Efficiency NB team, as well as MLA Greg Davis, were  in Altholville to launch a new initiative in collaboration with AV Cell, to engage employees in playing an active role in reducing energy consumption at work and at home. Employees enthusiastically took part in the various activities, learning how they can each make a difference in energy consumption and save money at the same time. The event’s success reinforces the notion that employee engagement is important in helping industries save on energy costs and, it’s important for employees themselves as they bring the same good practices home.

This pilot project’s success has paved the way to other employee engagement initiatives and events for the future as Efficiency NB strives to help industries maximize the opportunities for saving energy. If you are interested in learning more about engaging your employees around energy efficiency, please contact your Energy Advisor.

RECAP OF PUMPS WORKSHOP
Capacity building continues to be an area of focus for Efficiency NB.  Over the last three years we have offered several technology or industry-specific training days where we identify the subject matter expert for a given topic and then bring them to our market. This ensures that our clients, big and small, have equal access to the best experts in the field. We have offered workshops on topics such as     boilers, kilns and most recently on pumping systems.

In September 2011, Efficiency NB enlisted the expertise of Mr. Gunnar Hovstadius, PhD, and Mr. Vern Martin, P.Eng. to offer a one-day workshop which focused on energy efficiency opportunities in industrial pumping systems.  The intent of the workshop was to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and tools to return to their facilities and kick start energy efficiency projects within their own pumping systems.

Course participants learned about:

• The fundamentals of various industrial pumping systems and the larger systems in which they are operating, as well as any critical design constraints that would limit or prohibit energy retrofits

• How to calculate energy savings potential at a pre-feasibility grade estimation using pump curves, a methodology and software tools such as the US Department of Energy’s PSAT  software

• How to identify the types of observations, measurements and measurement equipment required in order to assess and calculate energy savings associated with different pumping opportunities at a detailed feasibility level.

• How to identify potential problems and “things to avoid” when seeking to optimize pumping systems for energy savings

If you were unable to attend the pumps workshop and would like more information, or if you have suggestions for future workshop topics, please contact your Energy Advisor.
 

UPCOMING WORKSHOP
Sponsored by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Efficiency NB will be offering a three-day Process Integration Workshop from March 27-29, 2012 in Fredericton, NB.

Process integration is a highly effective approach for analyzing and optimizing industrial processes using significant amounts of thermal energy. Process integration consists of a comprehensive approach that analyzes a plant or system as a whole, rather than considering equipment or functions independently. This integrated approach provides a complete picture of heat usage and energy recovery opportunities throughout the process to minimize waste heat and correspondingly, fuel energy use.

This three-day course is intended for energy efficiency consultants, process design engineers and energy project managers having to carry out or manage energy analyses aimed at improving energy efficiency in complex industrial processes.

Space will be limited to 15 seats and Efficiency NB reserves the right to limit registration. If you would like to learn more about this workshop or to determine if process integration is a fit for your organization, please contact your Energy Advisor.

SAVING ENERGY, SAVING JOBS AT THE TWIN RIVER PLASTER ROCK LUMBER MILL

Soaring oil costs. A global economic downturn. Creditor protection. By 2008, the financial situation at the Twin Rivers Plaster Rock lumber mill was anything but stable. In early 2008, with the mill closed, the company decided to study the possibility of installing a new biomass boiler using Efficiency NB’s Business Case incentive.

The study examined the detailed feasibility of installing a new biomass boiler to eliminate oil use and cost. The outcome of the study determined whether the mill would remain shut indefinitely or be the basis of a modernization investment by the company resulting the re-opening of the mill. Click here to find out what they did.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 PREMIER'S AWARDS

On May 10, 2012, Efficiency NB will be holding the fourth annual Premier’s Awards for Energy Efficiency celebrating some of the best practices in energy efficiency in New Brunswick. We are looking for Energy Efficiency Champions for the Large Industry and for the Small and Medium Industrial Sector for 2012. Energy Efficiency Champions are those who have overcome barriers and garnered internal commitments to make energy efficiency happen within their organization.

If you know an individual or industrial facility deserving of recognition in the field of energy efficiency, the call for nominations for the awards opens on February 15, 2012. Visit www.efficiencynb.ca/premiersawards for more information, or contact Tracey Somers to be added to the distribution.