July 20th, 2018
Congratulations to Saint-Gobain NorPro's Soddy-Daisy manufacturing facility for its Submetering project and selection as an award winner by the United States Department of Energy. The company will be recognized at an award ceremony in Cleveland on August 22, 2018 at the upcoming Better Buildings® Summit held at the Huntington Convention Center.
Electrical submetering is an energy management method of installing meters to measure electrical consumption at a more granular level than that of the utility meter. Utility meters measure the building-level consumption, while submeters can measure at the system- and/or device-level. Saint-Gobain North America’s (SGNA) Sustainability Network has developed a partnership with submetering provider Panoramic Power, who sells low-cost, wireless submeters that clip on to an electrical wire.
The visualization of the site’s energy usage allowed the site to use its World Class Manufacturing System to identify and implement energy reduction projects, four of which are case studies showcased in this report. The combined electrical savings of these projects will significantly reduce the site’s annual electricity spend. This does not include the added benefit of increasing operational efficiency and improving product quality, incurring maintenance, quality, production, and labor savings as well.
Based on the results seen in this pilot project, it is the Sustainability Network’s recommendation that all Saint-Gobain North American sites consider installing submeters to better manage their electrical usage and incur the added benefits.