Case study
Cool carrots save energy and water at Premium Fresh
Financial Dividends
Cost savings - $23,000/annum
Payback period - 8.4 years
Premium Fresh Tasmania grows
and packs vegetables, mainly
carrots and onions, at Forth in
north-west Tasmania.
Carrots are cooled on the
production line by immersing
them in chilled water.
Until recently, chilled water
spilled from the system when
new product was introduced to
the production line.
Environmental Dividends
Energy saved - 6.6 kWhr (13.4%), per tonne of carrots, in 3 months
Water saved - 740 litres (23%), per tonne of carrots, in 3 months
Estimations indicated the spills
were wasting about 4.2
megalitres of water over a year.
The energy used for chilling and
pumping this water was also
wasted.
To prevent the discharges of
chilled water it was necessary to
re-engineer the cooling system.
To do this, the main carrot line
and the pre-pack tanks had to be
separated from one combined
system into two separate ones.
This included installing a new
refrigeration plant, pump and
electrical switchboard.
The plan for the project was
created while the company was
participating in the CleanBiz
training and support scheme in
2007.
With the assistance of a
specialist facilitator, the
company’s eco-efficiency team
looked closely at the factory’s
energy and water use, and
devised ways to reduce
consumption of these resources.
The resulting $194,000 cooling
system project was completed by
March 2008, with the assistance
of a $50,000 CleanBiz grant.
The outcomes of this project
include ongoing energy and cost
savings, reduced demand for
water, and improved product
quality as the result of a more
consistent cooling performance.
Data relating to the operation of
the cooling system will be
collected and reported to the
CleanBiz team for at least one
operational year.
It became evident upon
commissioning that some water
still escapes from the new
chilling loop. However, the
volume is much less than with
the previous system.
Premium Fresh Tasmania has
also saved money with other
resource efficiency projects,
such as improving the efficiency
of their onion drying system.
Three smaller pumps will be
installed in the 2009 carrot
season to cope with the extreme
flow variations caused by the
inflow of carrots and prevent the
remaining spills of chilled water.
Business profile
Preliminary (3 months) data from
the project indicated that in 2008,
the factory used 42 kilowatt
hours (kWh) of energy per tonne
of carrots washed (mainly for
cooling and pumping water). The
energy demand had reduced by
13.4% (6.6 kWh).
Also in 2008, 2,433 litres of
water was used per tonne of
washed carrots. The water use
had reduced by 23% (740 litres)
compared with the previous year.
The cost of electricity per tonne
of washed carrots has increased
slightly due to increases in the
cost of electricity, despite the
reduced energy use.
However, this increase would
have been about 16% higher in
the absence of the new cooling
system. The estimated annual
cost saving is $23,000.
Premium Fresh Tasmania’s co-directors, (from left to
right) Jim, Rick and Mike Ertler
Premium Fresh Tasmania grows
and packs vegetables at Forth in
north-west Tasmania.
This family owned business is
located in the heart of Tasmania’s
premier vegetable growing area.
Rick Ertler and Lee Cam, environmental manager,
inspect a refrigeration compressor, which is part of
the new cooling system.
The company started as a small
farming enterprise in the early
1950s.
“The energy, water and cost savings from
this project will help Premium Fresh
Tasmania be environmentally and
financially sustainable.”
Today the company has an average
weekly output of about 1,000 tonnes
and lays claim to owning the largest
carrot washing facility in Tasmania.
“We are happy because we have saved
energy and money. Our customers are
happy because the quality of our product is
even better than before”.
The market is mainly domestic, with
produce being sent to all major
markets.
“This project demonstrates that a
collaborative approach between business
and the State Government achieves
excellent outcomes.”
An increasing demand for high
quality Tasmanian vegetables has
resulted in the company expanding
to employ about 100 staff.
Premium Fresh is an award winning
and quality certified company so
quality and food safety of all
produce is assured.
Front page images:
Packing carrots and onions at Premium
Fresh Tasmania’s facility at Forth, and the
new ‘hydro cooler’ refrigeration plant
(right).
Rick Ertler, Co-Director, Premium Fresh
Tasmania
Contact details
Premium Fresh Tasmania
199 Forthside Road Devonport
Tasmania 7310
[email protected]
Phone (03) 64282253