Sewer District’s Efficiency Focus Keeps Rates in Line

WaterWorld Magazine, a trade publication which reports on technology, products and trends in the water and wastewater industry, recently ran a story about the Freeport Sewer District’s $1.3 million energy efficiency project funded in part through incentives by Efficiency Maine.

Working with the consulting firm Woodard & Curran of Portland, the district analyzed energy data from its plant using EPA’s Portfolio Manager Software. The assessment uncovered that the air compressors were delivering huge volumes of compressed air for a plant of its size, the facility was using a whopping 7,000-plus gallons of heating fuel annually, and the facility had no ceiling insulation. In addition, the oil boiler was old and inefficient.

Enter Efficiency Maine’s Business Incentive Program, which awarded $290,000 in incentives. As of mid-summer 2012, the district was on track to reach $80,000 in annual electricity savings, according to district estimates.

According to authors Brian Cataldo, Leland Arris and Thomas Schwartz, “Despite the project’s overall $1.3-million price tag, users did not see an increase in their rates and will likely see a delay in the next rate increase because of the efficiency savings. …The successes of this project have been easy to document, from the decrease in the facility’s monthly electric bill of $7,500, the elimination of the $24,000 per year heating oil bill, and its updated EPA Portfolio Manager score of 82. The Freeport Sewer District does not plan to stop here. It continues to look to the future with a review of pump stations and system-wide collections system rehabilitation.”

To read the full story, CLICK HERE.