Kootenai Electric Coop (KEC) Helps SYSCO Food Services Boost Efficiency

Larry Bryant, KEC Marketing Manager

KEC industrial member saves 1,266,383 kilowatt-hours in the first year after implementing energy efficient technology at a new plant

As Congress begins debate on proposals to increase the nation’s energy efficiency, the partnership between Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Inc. (KEC), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and SYSCO Food Services offers a timely and instructive model.

Prior to building its new 150,000 square-foot distribution plant in Post Falls, Idaho, SYSCO Food Services worked with KEC and Cascade Energy Engineering to conduct an energy analysis and incorporate state-of-the-art energy efficiency lighting and refrigeration into the design.

Through this investment, SYSCO, the largest food service marketing and distribution organization in North America, achieved significant energy savings. In the first year of the new plant’s operations, the company saved 1,266,383 kilowatt-hours – a 41.2 percent savings over the baseline use from standard equipment and design. The energy savings translates into a cost-savings of $40,000 per year.

KEC played a key role in the project. True to the co-op tradition, KEC brought all the parties together, helping to forge a cooperative partnership.

Most notably, the cooperative helped the company overcome the cost barrier by applying to BPA for funds from its Conservation Augmentation program. Through this program, SYSCO received a $151,966 rebate from BPA.

Improved refrigeration technology accounts for most of the improvements, along with more efficient heating and ventilation. Some of the specific energy efficiency measures include:

Variable VI compressors: compressors with variable internal volume ratios, as opposed to fixed, allow the system to operate efficiently over a range of operating conditions.

Evaporator fan VFDs: fan speeds vary in response to load, reducing fan energy consumption and refrigeration load from fan heat.

Bi-level lighting: Instead of standard lighting controls in the warehouse, this system provides for more efficient controls such as motion sensors and two different levels of lighting which will reduce both energy consumption and refrigeration load in coolers and freezers.

While KEC is required to take steps to improve energy efficiency under its contract with BPA, the cooperative has gone beyond the requirements of the contract, and the partnership with SYSCO is a case in point.

The ramifications of this project are rippling beyond KEC’s service area: SYSCO has made a corporate decision to reduce energy usage at other plants by 25 percent.

“KEC is fulfilling the wishes of our membership, providing technical and financial assistance , to help them afford efficiencies in their homes and businesses.”