YAKIMA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Three Washington businesses recently earned the coveted title of “wattsmart® Business Partner of the Year” from Pacific Power for taking actions that conserved enough energy to power almost 200 Washington homes for a year.
Shields Bag and Printing, Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc., and Matson Fruit collectively earned more than $354,000 in incentives from Pacific Power and will save more than $142,000 in energy costs as a result of energy efficiency improvements implemented under the guidance and support of Pacific Power’s wattsmart® Business program. Each year the program recognizes those businesses that take action and demonstrate significant results in improving how they use energy. Interested companies can start their projects at any time; their energy and financial savings will be factored into consideration for this annual award.
“Pacific Power has always been fantastic with coming in and saying ‘show us your normal day-to-day operations so that we can better isolate areas of potential improvement,’” said Derek LaFramboise, environmental services manager for Yakima-based Shields Bag and Printing. By using an energy analysis paid for by the wattsmart® Business program, Shields was able to implement a new design for its printing press and make improvements to its compressed air system – saving the company more than 1.6 million kilowatt-hours ($75,900) per year. Such innovation also earned the company the Governor’s Award for Leadership in Innovation from Gov. Jay Inslee.
Energy is also one of the major business costs for Grandview-based Kenyon Zero Storage, Inc., a leading provider of freezer and cooler storage services for food product producers and processors. “We are continuously looking for ways to be energy efficient because of the impact it has on our bottom line,” said Scott Wingert, president of Kenyon. With guidance from a wattsmart® Business project manager and an engineer from consulting firm Cascade Energy, the company was able to cut 540,000 kilowatt-hours ($29,000) per year.
Matson Fruit, located in Selah, is saving 956,810 kilowatt-hours ($46,921) annually on its electricity bill after completing several projects since 2011, including the construction of an automated shipping facility that uses robots to pack and move fruit in its refrigerated storage warehouses. “Our project was new for our industry, new for our region, and was on an accelerated time table,” said Jordan Matson, general manager of Matson Fruit. “Pacific Power worked with us to keep it moving while being energy efficient.”
These companies are shining examples of how Pacific Power is helping commercial, industrial and agricultural customers throughout Washington, as the state seeks to reduce energy use and achieve energy and economic sustainability. The wattsmart Business program offers technical expertise and cash incentives for lighting, HVAC, industrial processes and more for companies of all sizes. Visit bewattsmart.com to learn more and implement savings.
About Pacific Power
Pacific Power provides electric service to more than 730,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. Our goal is to provide our customers with value for their energy dollar, and safe, reliable electricity. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 1.8 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.
