PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
Lamp Swap Saves Lufkin Foundry $200,000 a Year Like most manufacturing plants
Lufkin, which operates an in-house
in 2010, oilfield and power transmis- sion products manufacturer Lufkin Industries, Lufkin, Texas, faced energy costs on par with the industry average of 5 to 7% of total operating expenses. Additionally, the U.S. Energy Infor- mation Administration has indicated a potential 42% increase in use in the industrial sector by 2035.
metalcasting facility along with its other manufacturing plants, opted to take a close look at energy-related expenditures to develop a plan that addressed all aspects of energy use, from individual cost components to total environmental impact. The company teamed with GDF Suez Energy Resources, a retail elec-
tricity provider, to conduct an en- ergy audit of Lufkin’s operations. In cooperation with American Energy Solutions, a company that deliv- ers energy management strategies, GDF Suez benchmarked Lufkin’s usage patterns to address potential opportunities to improve enterprise- wide efficiency. Of the identified improvement opportunities, light- ing was a significant area of focus. Company-wide, approximately 30% of energy spending was going to a lighting system that mainly included high-wattage, metal halide and high pressure sodium fixtures for high bay applications, as well as magnetic, T12 lamps and ballasts for low-bay and office lighting. Te proposed plan involved a
complete lighting retrofit at five of Lufkin’s facilities, including the met- alcasting facility. Te converted system used custom fixtures—predominantly four- and six-lamp T5 high efficiency fluorescents for high-bay applications and T8 fixtures with electronic ballasts for low-bay and office lighting. Oc- cupancy controls also were installed to turn lights off when spaces are unoccupied. At Lufkin’s metalcasting facility,
lion lbs. annually. Te retrofit lighting system at the
energy usage was decreased by 9% to 3.2 million kWh/year as a result of the new lamps. It projects an annual savings of $200,000 in utility costs, as well as a reduction in CO2
of 4.6 mil-
metalcasting facility cost $800,000. Lufkin qualified for two rebate pro- grams, as well as federal tax incentives through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to help offset the costs. In the foundry alone, a rebate of $290,000 was ap- plied to the $800,000 price tag. Te total cost to re-light all five Lufkin plants came to $2 million before rebates, with a projected annual energy savings of $800,000. Te lighting upgrades at the five
Lufkin replaced its metal halide lights (top) with high efficiency fluorescent lights (above) in its high-bay areas in the metalcasting facility. The new lights save the foundry $200,000 a year in energy costs.
facilities were carried out on time and in budget in a phased approach, since the retrofit affected a wide range of
departments and locations. Visit
www.gdfsuez.com for more information.
October 2011 MODERN CASTING | 53
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