Holcim Inc.’s energy manager tapped into $5.6 million in conservation incentives

—Sponsored article by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

Mississauga, Ont.—Holcim (Canada) Inc. decided to hire an internal energy manager tasked with identifying, prioritizing and bringing conservation and demand management (CDM) projects to the implementation stages through the saveONenergy program.

Holcim (Canada) had already completed some preliminary energy management studies at the facility, but the addition of an internal energy manager helped significantly in the development of the CDM projects.

Background
Holcim (Canada) Inc. is one of the country’s largest vertically-integrated building materials and construction companies. With 3,000 employees, Holcim (Canada) Inc. manufactures cement, aggregates and ready mixes concrete and provides construction services to many of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects. In Mississauga, Holcim operates a dry process cement plant that produces up to 1.5 million tons of Portland cement per year and up to 500,000 tons of GranCem per year.

Project
Holcim (Canada) Inc. agreed to participate in a pilot project with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)—formerly the Ontario Power Authority—and Enersource, which began in September 2010 and concluded in April 2011.

Graphic courtesy of the IESO

During that short period of time, Holcim’s new energy manager identified and assessed 10 projects that could provide a combined total of 37,000 MWh of potential energy savings and 7 MW of demand savings. The projects would also be eligible for $5.6 million in estimated incentives from the IESO.

Since these initial findings, Holcim’s management has prioritized top projects, developed business cases and put in place preliminary approvals in order to submit case study applications to the IESO for four out of the original 10 projects. Studies estimate project costs of $11.5 million that will result in 3.5 MW of demand savings. One application for facility lighting has already been submitted and the project completed. Holcim’s energy manager will continue to identify energy-saving opportunities and increase awareness among management and staff.

Holcim (Canada) Inc. was an ideal test case for the energy manager program as it represents large industrial customers that are both energy conscious and environmentally responsible. It has demonstrated that an internal resource with extensive experience in energy management is a key factor in successfully implementing CDM projects. This allows the company to focus on its core business while ensuring that energymanagement initiatives are brought to fruition.

The availability of provincial funding to hire an internal energy manager, as well as funding for studies and financial incentives for successful implementation of CDM projects, offers potential candidate companies cost-effective solutions to ensure they meet their energy-efficiency targets and to help reduce their energy costs.

Find out more about energy efficiency incentives and strategies at saveONenergy.ca/get-started