Rochester Businesses Reduce Energy Costs by $4 Million Per Year with NYSERDA

Source: The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

NYSERDA announced today that 243 Rochester-area businesses are reducing energy costs by more than $4 million annually as a result of the energy efficiency upgrades and sustainable building projects supported by NYSERDA during 2010.

The energy savings—32 million kilowatt hours—is equal to powering 4,600 single-family homes a year!!

“NYSERDA commends these leaders in the Rochester business community for their commitment to more environmentally sustainable business practices,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “And we encourage other companies to apply for the incentives available in 2011 for energy efficiency improvements for existing buildings and new building projects.”

NYSERDA provided nearly $4 million in incentives to Rochester-area businesses to make energy efficiency projects more affordable, enhance competitiveness and cut costs for businesses.  These incentives are available to every sector of the economy, including retail, manufacturing, hospitality, health care, agricultural, commercial and others.

The payback on these energy efficiency efforts is about three to five years. Businesses that did this work are saving an average of $80,000 annually.

Performance-based projects not only save energy but also improve productivity and lower equipment maintenance and operating costs.

Examples of Rochester-area businesses that have benefited from participating in NYSERDA programs in 2010 include:

• Top Quality Hay Processors, in Romulus, installed an energy efficient hay drying system that improves its productivity and the quality of its product, and reduces energy. The project will help reduce annual energy costs by $287,000 and decrease electricity consumption by 1.3 million kilowatt hours and 150,000MMBTUs.
• Kodak’s Eastman Business Park, in Rochester, reconfigured its compressed air piping system by adding storage tanks, demand flow controls and a new compressor head, increasing the overall efficiency of the system.  The project will help reduce annual energy costs by more than $400,000 and decrease electricity consumption by more than 5 million kilowatt hours.
• UltraLife Inc., in Newark, upgraded its air compressor and storage units by replacing two air compressors and a refrigerated drying unit. The project will help reduce annual energy costs by $39,000 and decrease electricity consumption by nearly 500,000 kilowatt hours.
• Wegmans supermarkets in Rochester, East Rochester, Canandaigua, Webster, Geneva, Penfield, Ithaca, Corning and Newark installed energy-efficient lighting, HVAC units, motors, and variable frequency, among other energy efficiency measures. The projects will help reduce annual energy costs by up to $450,000 and decrease electricity consumption by up to 2.8 million kilowatt hours.

In existing facilities, NYSERDA incentives can be used for lighting retrofits, upgrades to motor systems, energy management systems, heating and cooling systems, and other operations, as well as for combined heat and power systems. Assistance also is available for energy audits to identify cost-effective opportunities to increase energy efficiency, develop greenhouse gas emission inventories and more.

For new construction, NYSERDA offers technical support to building design teams and financial incentives to building owners for using green building practices.

Since 2000, NYSERDA has supported approximately 1,400 commercial and industrial energy efficiency projects in the Rochester region.  These projects are realizing more than $23 million in energy cost savings annually and have reduced their electricity consumption by 208 million kilowatt hours—the equivalent to the annual amount of electricity consumed by nearly 30,000 single-family homes.  NYSERDA provided $25 million in funding for the projects.