Columbia River PUD representative Thad Roth (2nd from left) presents check to Stimson Lumber Company's head electrician Steve Laird (2nd from right) and lead millwright Dick Maslen. Also participating in the check presentation is Larry Nett of Rogers Machinery Company, in Portland, the company that conducted the audit of the mill's compressed air system.
Stimson Lumber Company Inc, in partnership with the Columbia River PUD and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) have completed an energy efficiency project at Stimson's St. Helens mill that will result in $38,000 a year savings in power costs.
PUD spokesman Thad Roth said, "This project saves approximately 900,000 kilowatt-hours a year by reducing the amount of horsepower needed to provide compressed air to the mill. It's part of a larger effort by BPA and the PUD to purchase energy saved through investments in efficiency. Investing in efficiency is less expensive than purchasing power on the wholesale market or building more power plants. These projects benefit all PUD customers by keeping energy costs low.
"Roth said that the PUD asked Portland-based Rogers Machinery to conduct an audit of the mill's compressed air system. The staff at Stimson evaluated the audit recommendations and developed a project proposal that was approved for funding through BPA's Conservation Augmentation program. "The project improved the mill's efficiency, reduces costs and helps the mill stay competitive," he said. "Based on the verified energy savings, BPA paid Stimson $126,000 toward the total project cost of $158,000."
Stimson's head electrician Steve Laird said, "The partnership between the PUD, BPA, and Rogers Machinery helped us identify and implement a project that saves us 10 percent a year on your power costs.
The PUD is also working with other industrial customers to implement energy-saving projects.
The South County Spotlight, November 19, 2003