Lime Energy Helps Sara Lee Become Energy Efficient
Have you ever wondered how much electricity it takes to power a commercial baking operation? Sara Lee did, and the result was a contract with Lime Energy to implement efficient lighting in 17 Sara Lee facilities across the U.S. The types of facilities retrofitted with efficient lighting include baking operations, warehouses, offices, and exterior portions of production plants.
The retrofits installed at Sara Lee facilities are projected to cut peak demand by 990 kilowatts, enough to power 800 homes. The retrofits also cut energy use by 8.1 million kilowatt hours per year, the equivalent of permanently removing 933 passenger cars from the road. With interior lighting accounting for significant electricity usage and efficient lighting being capable of reducing that amount by over half, Sara Lee will save thousands in annual electric cost, as well as strengthen its environmental commitment by doing the following:
• Canceling the emission of 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide, which scientists cite as the leading cause of global warming
• Canceling the emission of 42,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, which scientists cite as the leading cause of acid rain
• Canceling the emission of 26,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, which scientists cite as the leading cause of smog and acid precipitation
As a result of its work with Sara Lee, Lime Energy received the B.E.S.T. in baking (Becoming Environmentally Sustainable Together) award from the grain based food industry. In addition to its work with Sara Lee, Lime Energy has also implemented efficient lighting for other companies that perform baking or support the food industry, including: Azteca Foods, a pioneer in the refrigerated tortilla business located in Chicago, IL; Franz Bakery, the largest family-owned independent bakery on the West Coast, A. Zerega’s Sons, Inc., a leading custom manufacturer of dry pasta located in Fairlawn, NJ; and United States Cold Storage, a provider of refrigerated storage and food distribution services to the U.S. food industry for over 100 years.
Lighting retrofits remain one of the most desirable efficiency measures because of the potential for cost savings and high return on investment. But other efficiency upgrades are effective as well, including: upgrades to HVAC systems, which often have “oversized” elements that use more electricity than necessary to produce the optimal effect; upgrades to building envelopes, which can be improved to preserve interior temperatures for longer periods of time, thus reducing heating and cooling bills; and upgrades to industrial machines, which can often be replaced with more efficient models.
In addition to offering unique energy solutions without promoting certain technologies or brands, Lime Energy also provides construction management, utility incentives procurement, results tracking, and in house financing for projects of all types and sizes. Until recently, only larger companies could afford large-scale efficiency projects. But Lime Energy is leading the way in offering extended payments to businesses that qualify. Because most large-scale efficiency projects have a first year ROI of 50 percent or more, many companies are able to pay for their project within two years, using money generated from energy savings.
