Wisconsin iron foundry saves over $20K annually with cutting-edge technology
Wisconsin metal casters like Manitowoc Grey Iron Foundry have emerged as leaders in energy efficiency by leveraging technical support and financial incentives available through FOCUS ON ENERGY®, the state’s energy efficiency program, to implement energy-saving improvements. In 2009, Manitowoc Grey accepted a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce their energy intensity. With support from the DOE, which offers resources and initiatives like the Better Buildings Challenge, the company accomplished an energy intensity reduction of 17% and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars on their energy bills over the past decade.
To identify opportunities within their facility, President of Manitowoc Grey Iron Foundry, Rob Peaslee and his energy team were introduced to Leidos, an implementer for Focus on Energy’s Business and Industry offering. A walk-through of the foundry identified and prioritized projects that would be the most impactful. Recommendations included better management of ventilation air to reduce heating cost and eliminate negative pressure in the foundry, managing compressed air leaks while optimizing use of the compressors, and recovering heat from exhaust air. With the leadership of the foundry committed to moving projects forward and the Leidos energy team engaged in the effort, the foundry prioritized and worked through identified projects over a multi-year period. The strides the foundry has made in energy efficiency over the last ten years has contributed to savings on their energy bills as well as progress toward their long-term energy intensity reduction goal.
The most impressive aspect of the collaboration was the incorporation of cutting-edge technology in the foundry’s castings, called Advanced Oxidation (AO). In addition to saving energy, the benefits of AO include: creating better quality molds, reducing the amount of silica dust in the factory air, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving the surface finish of the castings. Because the precision of the castings was improved by using the AO process, the result was less downstream work in for the grinding and finishing process which saved both time and money.
Through their AO project, the Manitowoc Grey Iron Foundry is saving an estimated 335,000 kWh and 2,000 therms – or over $20,000 in energy costs each year. Altogether, the energy efficiency improvements that they completed are saving them tens of thousands on their energy costs.
This success story demonstrates how Leidos subject matter experts partner with customers to uncover unique and industry-specific projects that incorporate emerging technologies.
Leidos designs, implements, and manages performance-based energy efficiency and demand-side management programs across the U.S., from the Hawaiian Islands to the Northeastern U.S. Our team specializes in engaging large commercial and industrial customers and helping them move forward with energy efficiency projects – including complex improvements – that generate significant savings. Learn more about our innovative approaches to energy efficiency programs.
