Case Study
Best Practice and Process Analysis
Green Team Efforts Lead to Sustainability Successes
in Waco, Texas
Background
Ingersoll Rand’s Trane Command Aire facility, located in Waco, Texas, manufactures commercial water-source heat pumps for use
in education, office, healthcare, lodging, government, and retail facilities. In operation since 1990, the site has 174 employees in a
139,000 square foot facility that spans 20 acres.
Green Team History and Impact
Founded in 2009 by Plant Controller Greg Groves, the Waco Green Team has grown from just three members at its inception to nearly
10 percent of the plant’s workforce (16 members). In just three years, the team has yielded impressive sustainability results.
Through HVAC and lighting retrofits, facility footprint and industrial fleet reductions, replacement of inefficient industrial equipment,
development of nearly a dozen recycling streams, and advanced submetering, the group has:
l Completely eliminated the need for hazardous waste disposal
l Reduced non-hazardous waste disposal by 29 percent
l Slashed energy consumption and costs by 33 percent
l Cut water consumption and costs by 46 percent and 33 percent, respectively
Overall, the carbon footprint of Ingersoll Rand’s Waco site has shrunk by over 2,100 tons of CO2, or 33 percent, from 2009
levels – the equivalent of removing 179 cars from the road (source: EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator).
Project Spotlight: Air Compressor Retrofit
Every year, companies spend significant amounts of money to compress air in support of production processes. However, industry
studies suggest that 30 to 60 percent of energy consumed by air compressors is wasted due to inefficient system operation, misapplication
of air system components, and system leaks.
Ingersoll Rand’s Waco Location – Electricity Consumption
and Carbon Emission Reductions (2008-2011)
Faced with an aging and inefficient 75hp air compressor
that required $24,000 in repairs, and driven to reduce costs,
the Waco Green Team explored the economics of replacing
the existing air compressor with a new Ingersoll Rand
Nirvana 100HP. A rigorous financial analysis indicated that
they could save nearly $6,400 in energy expenditures
annually by purchasing the new model rather than repairing
the old one. Further, the new model would require less in
annual maintenance costs and provide greater operational
reliability. Even with higher upfront capital costs, the
Nirvana replacement offered a net present value of nearly
$11,000, an internal rate of return of 68 percent, and a
simple payback of just 19 months. As a result, the Waco
Green Team was able to convince plant management to
approve the project.
As a testament to the team’s effectiveness, the Nirvana
was up and running just three months after the project
was formally identified. On an annual basis, the new
unit saves the site nearly 60,000 kWh annually in energy
consumption – the equivalent of removing six cars from
the road every year.
Breaking Down Barriers
The air compressor project is just one example of the
many successes of the Waco Green Team. But not all of
these achievements came easily. The team first had to
break down existing cultural and organizational barriers
impeding sustainability efforts. They sought to foster
a culture of energy efficiency and environmental
consciousness amongst the plant workforce by leveraging
the lessons learned from previous efforts to transform
the plant’s safety culture.
Waco Green Team Members (2011)
First, the team initiated a communications strategy to drive sustainability awareness among employees, then followed up by using daily
start-up meetings to brainstorm and identify efficiency and sustainability projects. Finally, they won over skeptical employees by focusing
on the financial and efficiency benefits produced by its projects. On the organizational side, the team overcame the finance department’s
wariness of longer payback periods and higher upfront capital costs by emphasizing the longer term (greater than five years) financial,
energy, and environmental benefits from its projects.
Long-Term Vision
In recognition of significant sustainability achievements, the Waco Green Team earned GOLD Green Team Certification from Ingersoll Rand.
But the team is not done yet. With a long-term vision of approaching grid neutrality in five years, members are ambitiously planning the
following high impact projects:
1.) Cool Roof Installation and Daylight Harvesting – Applying a white reflective membrane to existing roof and installing skylights can
reduce lighting and HVAC related energy expenditures and emissions by an estimated 510,000kWh ($41,000) annually.
2.) Installation of 2-100’ Wind Turbines – The installation and resulting power generation capabilities of the turbines could allow the
Waco site to reduce its energy consumption by over 10 percent and generate additional energy during evenings and weekends that
can be sold back to the local utility at generation cost.
3.) Geothermal HVAC Rooftop Replacements – Initial estimates indicate that replacing all air-to-air HVAC rooftops with geothermal units
could reduce the plant’s aggregate energy consumption by 10 percent.
Lessons Learned
The most salient piece of advice the Waco Green Team has for other Green Teams is to get more employees involved faster.
More sustainability-engaged employees are able to identify and actualize a greater number of high impact efficiency and sustainability
projects – resulting in more cost savings and social and environmental benefits going forward.
For more best practices and ideas on improving energy efficiency, visit cees.ingersollrand.com.
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08.23.12