Ingersoll Rand - 2011

Amogh Garg and Chris Hegge worked as 2011 EDF Climate Corps fellows with the Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand in Charlotte, NC. The main focus of their fellowship was traveling to six production facilities located in Charlotte, NC; Augusta, Ga.; Columbia, SC; Princeton, IL; and Minneapolis to participate in IR’s expanded energy audit program. The program focuses on the company’s largest and most energy intensive facilities. The objective is to help the facilities meet the 2019 goal of realizing a 25 percent normalized reduction in energy mandated by Ingersoll Rand’s participation as a LEADER company in the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Save Energy Now” program.

The energy efficiency projects identified were primarily focused on HVAC and compressed air systems as well as manufacturing process analysis. If implemented, the projects recommended by this year’s fellows could result in annual savings of 5 million kWh, 4,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and $326,000. Over the projects’ lifetimes, they could save the company $1.6 million.

In addition to energy audits, Garg developed an Energy Analytical tool to help expedite the energy auditing process by making the quick calculations often required at the time of energy audits. Garg found that plant and energy managers often identify energy saving projects, but are not able to take further steps because it’s tough to determine the financial impact of implementing them. Existing tools that are similar in nature ask for complex information, which is not easily available, to estimate the financial aftermath. The Energy Analytical tool is easy to use and is developed to overcome these issues. Apart from Energy Analytical tool development, Garg also prepared a brief presentation on Superior Energy Performance certification program and the steps that IR needs to take in order to get certified.