Hilex Poly
At a Glance
Industry
Industrial Goods and Manufacturing
Project Type
Industrial Energy Efficiency
Year
2012
Location
North Vernon, IN
Summary
Sean Grundy found significant energy savings for Hilex Poly, focusing on air compression efficiency.
Goals
Sean Grundy worked with Hilex Poly to identify numerous kinds of energy efficiency opportunities at the company's plastic bag manufacturing and recycling plants in North Vernon, Indiana.
Solutions
Grundy led an air leak audit and designed an ultrasonic leak-search procedure to keep at least 90 percent of compressed air flowing to its target. If carried out quarterly, the audit could save Hilex over $50,000 and 700,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. Grundy also determined that by capturing and repurposing the heat byproduct of air compressors, Hilex could capture 500,000 kWh of electric power and $20,000 of energy savings annually. Finally, Grundy found opportunities to save money and fuel by leasing waste management equipment. He also collaborated with vendors to estimate the financial return of optimizing chiller systems.
Potential Impact
Over 10 years, these projects could save Hilex Poly over $1.3 million, 26 million kWh and 24,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Ten Hilex Poly facilities are beginning to review plans to replicate some of these initiatives.