GasBuddy Blog

GasBuddy News Article

votes

Plant operators save energy by daily tweaking

postindependent.com -- New Castle wastewater treatment plant cutting electric bills by 5 to 15 percent per month

NEW CASTLE, Colorado — Officials with the town of New Castle are happy now that their active energy management is helping save thousands of dollars a year in electricity costs at the town's wastewater treatment facility.

“During the last 12 months, we were saving between 5 and 10 percent, probably closer to 5, but that's significant” said Public Works Director John Wenzel. “Our electricity bills are over $80,000 annually, so we're saving between $4,000 and $8,000 a year. In March and April we did even better, saving about 15 percent on electricity costs compared to last year.”

The energy saving at the facility began after officials installed energy-tracking software developed by CLEER, Clean

Read the Full Article

Submitted Sep 05, 2012 By: teafortwo

Back To News

Category: Daily News Article Discussions > Topics	Add to favorite topics

Author	Topic: Plant operators save energy by daily tweaking	Post a Reply Back to Topics

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

First

Next Last

teafortwo Champion Author Washington Posts:22,076 Points:1,383,020 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Sep 6, 2012 11:20:49 PM Ignore teafortwo Report Abuse Thanks folks for your comments. The first step in reducing energy waste and increasing our efficient use of energy here in the US is to become aware of the issue. A lot of small steps by lots of folks across the country can add up to an overall tremendous energy savings. This will reduce the strain on our aging electrical grid.
LetemEatCake Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:5,596 Points:1,202,855 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Sep 6, 2012 10:25:23 PM Ignore LetemEatCake Report Abuse Well explained NH! Thanks for posting Teafortwo, darn good article!
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,076 Points:1,620,255 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 10:51:44 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse more detail fm news article: "CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region. The Energy Navigator (www.garfieldenergynavigator.org) is a software system that tracks energy use in real time and displays it on a large kiosk, where facility managers can see how much their buildings are using. The Energy Navigator and access to the CLEER team for active energy management are part of the services that the town of New Castle receives for being a partner in Garfield Clean Energy. “It monitors our power consumption every 15 minutes,” Wenzel said of the Navigator. “It allows us to track and trend our power consumption.”" Saving money and conserving energy by better operations management.
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,076 Points:1,620,255 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 10:47:07 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse A great money saving effort by government employees! We should all do as well in conserving energy with simple measures.
PDQBlues Champion Author San Diego Posts:7,059 Points:1,445,400 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 10:15:29 PM Ignore PDQBlues Report Abuse Every bit helps reduce the US dependency of foreign oil.
wamster Champion Author Houston Posts:4,240 Points:692,940 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:42:50 PM Ignore wamster Report Abuse We tried to utilize some solar energy, and ran pumps during off peak hours as much as possible; when I worked for a District.
JustDrill4Oil Veteran Author Dayton Posts:367 Points:33,505 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 12:51:49 PM Ignore JustDrill4Oil Report Abuse OMG. What an outstanding concept -- managing expenses with software. It is gov'mt doing it so maybe they can lower taxes. This has no connection to the site.
fracknsave Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:1,666 Points:58,000 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 11:57:07 AM Ignore fracknsave Report Abuse As if they didn't do that before
FPLREP Champion Author Virginia Posts:8,246 Points:2,446,125 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 10:08:12 AM Ignore FPLREP Report Abuse Electrical demand can be a bigger part of a customer's bill, dependent on the rate structure.
puinsai808 Champion Author Honolulu Posts:3,529 Points:724,380 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 9:24:51 AM Ignore puinsai808 Report Abuse ok
KrsnaDragon Champion Author Montreal Posts:2,397 Points:529,350 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 6:43:25 AM Ignore KrsnaDragon Report Abuse Thrift and efficiency go together hand in hand.
MImusicman Champion Author Michigan Posts:1,863 Points:405,725 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 5:19:13 AM Ignore MImusicman Report Abuse Saving money is good
speedys Champion Author Utah Posts:7,002 Points:2,555,960 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:33:41 AM Ignore speedys Report Abuse Every little bit saved helps.
snky2k Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:1,383 Points:300,640 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:22:05 AM Ignore snky2k Report Abuse Saving tax money is a good thing.
NavyEOD Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:9,996 Points:2,019,200 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:22:00 AM Ignore NavyEOD Report Abuse There doing meth....
divebomber Champion Author Nebraska Posts:6,068 Points:1,810,325 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:20:40 AM Ignore divebomber Report Abuse WE'VE ALL BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS, GET A GRIP THIS A DEPRESSION NOT A RECESSION! IF WE RE-VOTE THE PRESENT B.O. ADMINISTRATION IN WE'RE ALL DOOMED!
viperND Champion Author South Bend Posts:3,300 Points:733,990 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:20:02 AM Ignore viperND Report Abuse interesting
vulcan96 Champion Author Ohio Posts:26,890 Points:3,101,725 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:19:36 AM Ignore vulcan96 Report Abuse sounds like a good deal....
Dodge_Me Champion Author Atlanta Posts:2,214 Points:554,730 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:18:36 AM Ignore Dodge_Me Report Abuse Good, at least someone in gov. is trying to save money
findcheap Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:9,582 Points:2,006,950 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:17:48 AM Ignore findcheap Report Abuse ok
J Eric Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:10,259 Points:2,069,005 Joined:Feb 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:15:44 AM Ignore J Eric Report Abuse You don't fool me. You tweak every day, you'll get bugs beneath your skin and your teeth will fall out!
JagXKR Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,144 Points:1,088,605 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:15:37 AM Ignore JagXKR Report Abuse I would like LED light bulbs to be less expensive and then I could save a lot more than 5%. I have one and it works great but it cost $20 and that's way too much.
heartbroken2010 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,334 Points:895,585 Joined:Aug 2010	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:14:49 AM Ignore heartbroken2010 Report Abuse Interesting.
DblChek Champion Author San Antonio Posts:2,341 Points:613,390 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:14:07 AM Ignore DblChek Report Abuse sounds good
ddgb40 Champion Author Las Vegas Posts:1,411 Points:356,480 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:13:08 AM Ignore ddgb40 Report Abuse Where are our savings?
lgwhitlock Champion Author Chico Posts:7,375 Points:1,683,545 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:10:17 AM Ignore lgwhitlock Report Abuse But do they pass the savings on to the customers?...
Samo1961 Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,880 Points:617,750 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:10:01 AM Ignore Samo1961 Report Abuse Smart!!!
steve621 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:1,987 Points:2,106,230 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:08:13 AM Ignore steve621 Report Abuse ok
Pozole Champion Author Portland Posts:9,584 Points:1,592,570 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:06:29 AM Ignore Pozole Report Abuse ...thaaat's nice, will they spot me my next tank ?...
Quick68 Champion Author Columbus Posts:8,195 Points:1,223,850 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 2:03:54 AM Ignore Quick68 Report Abuse What was the cost to install the energy-tracking software?
judgemobile Champion Author Ohio Posts:7,560 Points:2,443,185 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:59:37 AM Ignore judgemobile Report Abuse less waste ? more profit
Happytalk Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:2,125 Points:575,165 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:59:00 AM Ignore Happytalk Report Abuse Good for them
afghaned Champion Author Hamilton Posts:11,802 Points:1,283,415 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:50:51 AM Ignore afghaned Report Abuse Great!!!
VanIsleLes All-Star Author British Columbia Posts:898 Points:275,345 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:50:05 AM Ignore VanIsleLes Report Abuse Great!
megadiesellv Champion Author Atlanta Posts:1,474 Points:503,585 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:46:46 AM Ignore megadiesellv Report Abuse Cool.
WIWalt Champion Author Wisconsin Posts:1,716 Points:413,595 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:34:38 AM Ignore WIWalt Report Abuse Very good article
Retowered Champion Author Colorado Posts:8,567 Points:2,683,465 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:30:03 AM Ignore Retowered Report Abuse That sounds good to me as long as it helps.
Dragnet Champion Author Arizona Posts:15,396 Points:2,906,810 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:29:54 AM Ignore Dragnet Report Abuse But the prices continue to climb higher and higher
PetroScopper Champion Author Houston Posts:6,612 Points:1,548,025 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:26:52 AM Ignore PetroScopper Report Abuse Every plant should be doing the same thing- if we all take the little steps we could change the direction of our energy usage in the United States.
bigsranch Champion Author Houston Posts:3,131 Points:1,003,305 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:23:48 AM Ignore bigsranch Report Abuse Every little bit helps.
FuelOilOH Champion Author Cleveland Posts:2,837 Points:1,180,220 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:22:35 AM Ignore FuelOilOH Report Abuse That's money well spent if what's spent can work to pay for itself over and over again.
TIGERPAW46 Champion Author Florida Posts:7,120 Points:1,353,810 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:21:57 AM Ignore TIGERPAW46 Report Abuse Have to weigh the cost of the new equipment vs the money saved without including Gov. Subsidies etc.
5kvdave All-Star Author Los Angeles Posts:688 Points:350,000 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:21:15 AM Ignore 5kvdave Report Abuse GOOD FOR THEM!!!!
BobD2009 Champion Author Long Island Posts:6,979 Points:1,237,835 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:21:10 AM Ignore BobD2009 Report Abuse Every bit helps. Will the savings be past on to the cosumer?
mrjames1818 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:1,535 Points:1,996,145 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:15:43 AM Ignore mrjames1818 Report Abuse Knowing where the energy hogging equipment is and tweaking is good - even better is upgrading to more energy efficient equipment
jpgilmor Champion Author Houston Posts:2,155 Points:601,125 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:14:39 AM Ignore jpgilmor Report Abuse Great.
bearzz Champion Author California Posts:1,417 Points:416,645 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:14:28 AM Ignore bearzz Report Abuse It is a good idea although I wonder sometimes that with efficiency, the utility raises its costs because less is being used. Just a thought .. . . we are always being asked to conserve and still see our bills increase.
CPGas1815 Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,027 Points:1,099,605 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:14:05 AM Ignore CPGas1815 Report Abuse I reside about a quarter mile from our local water treatment plant. This aging facility not only pollutes the air we breath it has not been upgraded for at least 5 years.
Packman3231 All-Star Author Oregon Posts:627 Points:1,849,240 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:13:51 AM Ignore Packman3231 Report Abuse Can we install that program in cars and trucks?
GasCzarCO Champion Author Colorado Springs Posts:1,403 Points:798,200 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2012 1:11:26 AM Ignore GasCzarCO Report Abuse Let's spread these ideas around.