Firmenich
At a Glance
Industry
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing
Project Type
Industrial Energy Efficiency
Year
2011
Location
Plainsboro, NJ
Rich Grousset spent his summer as an EDF Climate Corps fellow evaluating energy efficiency projects at Firmenich's North American headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, where the privately-owned flavor and fragrance company has office, laboratory, manufacturing, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Grousset's research into individual buildings' energy consumption data revealed that the most modern laboratory and office building on campus had an energy use intensity (EUI) more than 50 percent greater than an older building with similar functionality. Subsequent investigation of the facility by an HVAC engineer uncovered operational and maintenance issues with major HVAC components and with the building management system. Grousset recommended a holistic approach to addressing these issues, including energy auditing and retrocommissioning, that could cut the building's electricity use by a minimum of 1.4 million kilowatt hours per year, saving $182,000 in annual electricity costs and 678 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
Additionally, Grousset looked into lighting retrofit projects, finding the potential to reduce more than 50 percent of annual lighting energy consumption in some areas, and his analysis of computer power consumption identified possible savings of more than 42,000 kWh per year. Grousset also made sure Firmenich is aware of applicable federal and state energy efficiency incentives.