Kellogg USA Manufacturing

CASE STUDY
CONSUMERS ENERGY
BUSINESS ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
Kellogg USA Manufacturing
Battle Creek, MI
Project Details
• Retrofit Project: Kellogg USA
• Custom Project: Air Compressor Automation
• Completed: 2010
• Contractor: Thermal Tech Engineering
• Incentive from Consumers Energy: $66,900
• Annual Energy Savings (kWh/yr): 836,250 kWh/yr
• Increased Air Compressor Efficiency: 3.4 cfm/
hp up to 3.9 cfm/hp
C
ompressed air systems account for approximately 10
percent of all electricity use and roughly 16 percent of
all electric motor system energy use in U.S. manufacturing
facilities. Industrial customers with compressed air
systems can cut energy costs significantly with energy
efficiency solutions. Consumers Energy Business Energy
Efficiency Programs provide cash incentives that reduce
the upfront project costs and speed the customer’s return
on investment.
Kellogg USA received approximately $66,900 in incentives
from Consumers Energy Business Energy Efficiency
Programs to help fund an innovative retrofit compressed air
project at a manufacturing plant in Battle Creek. A thorough
study of the facility’s compressed air system identified
opportunities to save energy by increasing system efficiency
from 3.4 cfm/hp up to 3.9 cfm/hp and reducing overall air
demand. The retrofit project maintained adequate plant air
pressure while decreasing the amount of energy required
to operate the compressed air system. By improving the
efficiency of the compressed air system as a whole, this
project also increased the quality of the compressed air
being delivered to the manufacturing equipment.
KELLOGG USA MANUFACTURING CASE STUDY
Before the retrofit project, the 4,000-hp compressed air system
powering the manufacturing equipment was manually controlled.
Energy dollars were wasted by producing excess horsepower in an
effort to maintain proper plant pressure (psig), while many of the
individual compressors often operated in the unloaded state.
“Since the start of the Consumers Energy incentive
program, Kellogg has completed various energy
efficient upgrades. Identifying ways to cut our
energy use has been our main objective and this
program has enabled us to capture energy savings
while improving the energy efficiency of the facility.
Ultimately, sustaining our environment and doing
what is fiscally responsible has helped shape our
organization.”
Installing automated controls has decreased energy costs by
delivering the minimum horsepower required to maintain proper
plant pressure. The automation ensures that each machine within the
system is operating at peak design efficiency. The automated controls
also allowed the facility to decrease the overall plant pressure which
reduced overall air demand and created additional energy savings.
The annual energy savings of the building retrofit project is estimated at 836,250 kWh.
- Bill Norton, Engineering Manager
Custom Energy Savings Measures:
New Compressor Controls
• Controls were added to all air compressors to automate
cycling, staging, and baseloading, to ensure that the
compressed air system operates at peak design
efficiency
• A new 5,000 gallon compressed air surge tank was installed, stabilizing short bursts of compressed air
loads for periods of peak demand
• Two new constant pressure control valves, one at each
compressor plant, were installed to save energy by reducing plant operating pressure (from 90 psig down to 85 psig). This also improved the quality of the
compressed air distributed throughout the facility
• Air compressor system efficiency increased from 3.4 cfm/hp up to 3.9 cfm/hp
Custom Applications: Unique Ways to Save Energy
Do you have a unique project like this compressed air system retrofit? Consider the Consumers Energy Business Energy
Efficiency Programs custom application for projects that fall outside of the pre-set menu of Prescriptive incentives. Custom
applications with documented and verifiable energy savings may qualify for an incentive of $0.08 per kWh (or $6.00 per MCF)
saved the first year.
Contact Us:
Consumers Energy Business Energy Efficiency Programs can help your business save energy and money. You can contact
our program team via letter, fax, e-mail, or phone. For your convenience, program applications are available online. You can
download the application from the Consumers Energy website at: ConsumersEnergy.com/startsaving.
Consumers Energy Business Energy Efficiency Programs
P.O. Box 1040
Okemos, MI 48805
Phone: 877-607-0737
Fax: 877-607-0738
Website: ConsumersEnergy.com/startsaving
E-mail: consumersenergybusinesssolutions@CMSEnergy.com
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