Energy Efficiency - Industrial Assessment Center

From 1984 to 2023, the UMass Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) conducted more than no-cost 800 assessments for a wide range of manufacturing facilities across the northeast. See the U.S. Department of Energy’s IAC program website to learn more about the program and find current centers.

• Recommendations projected to save $275,600 for Kettle Cuisine
  Kettle Cuisine, a handcrafter of all natural soups for restaurants, foodservice operators and grocery retailers, has done extensive work to improve sustainability and reduce operating costs. In our 2018 assessment, we made nine recommendations, including recovery and use of waste heat, installation of automated controls on fan motors, improved insulation, lighting upgrades, and optimization of the facility’s ammonia refrigeration system. In total, the projected annual savings is $275,600, or 12% of energy costs.

• IAC recommendations projected to save $59,500/year for Cisco Brewery
  In 2017, we did an assessment of the Cisco Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Our six recommendations included recovery and use of waste heat, improved insulation, installation of automated controls on selected equipment, and optimization of existing control systems. In total, the projected annual savings was $59,500 with an estimated payback period of only six months. In the year after the assessment, Cisco implemented two of our recommendations, and they are currently considering the others.

• Stanley Black & Decker saves $28,900/year
  Our team conducted an assessment of the Stanley Black & Decker facility in New Britain, Connecticut in 2014. The company is now saving $28,900 annually by implementing our recommendations to install variable frequency drives on injection molding machines, eliminate an unnecessary use of energy-intensive compressed air, insulate the boiler condensate tank, and select high-efficiency models when purchasing new injection molding machines. The energy savings paid for the implementation cost in 2.3 years after incentives from Eversource.

• Commercial bakery saves $83,500/year
  In a 2013 assessment of a 22,000 square foot commercial bakery, we made nine recommendations, including heat recovery from oven exhaust, HVAC and compressed air system improvements, and lighting upgrades. The company implemented all of our recommendations, which resulted in annual savings of $83,500 with a payback period of less than two years.

• Philips Lightolier saves $102,000/year - UMass case study | National Grid case study
  In 2015, we conducted an assessment of the Philips Lightolier (a division of Philips Lighting) facility in Fall River, Massachusetts. While the facility had ongoing efforts to increase efficiency and reduce waste, our team was able to identify 12 new recommendations for further savings. Philips saved $102,000 annually by implementing several of our recommendations, including improvements to their compressed air system and installation of variable frequency drives to optimize operation of pumps and fans. After utility incentives toward implementation costs, the energy savings paid for the company's investment in just a few months.

• Ball Corporation saves $215,000/year
  In 2011, our team conducted an assessment of Ball’s Saratoga, NY facility, which manufactures aluminum beverage cans. The company implemented all seven of our recommendations, resulting in total annual savings of approximately $215,000, with a payback period of less than one year.

Combined Heat and Power

CEERE conducted more than 150 combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, feasibility studies for businesses and institutions across the northeast. Learn more through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Onsite Energy Program. Following are examples of successful CHP installations with which CEERE assisted:

• University of Massachusetts Amherst Central Heating Plant and Microgrid
  A new central heating plant began operating here on the UMass Amherst campus in 2009. We were involved in two aspects of the plant's design: (1) using modeling software to optimize system size and performance, which allowed the designers to reduce the number of package boilers installed in the plant from the four initially planned to three, and (2) modeling the steam distribution system to provide physical plant managers an opportunity to evaluate system performance and evaluate potential modifications. Since then, we have continued to work with physical plant staff on system optimization, as well as integration of 5MW of solar PV and a battery storage system into the campus microgrid.

• CHP System at Seaman Paper
  In a facility-wide assessment through the IAC program, we identified an opportunity to reduce operating costs at the Seaman Paper facility in Otter River, Massachusetts by installing a wood-first CHP system. The company was interested in pursuring that recommendation further, so we then conducted a more in-depth CHP feasibility study. The CHP system was installed in 2009 and it has saved the company over $1.5 million annually.