Written and Published by Idaho Power Company for the quarterly newsletter Energy@Work
Did you know Idaho is the third largest dairy-producing state in the country? Local dairy farms and reliable, affordable energy from Idaho Power help Commercial Creamery in their day-to-day operations. Commercial Creamery has been operating for 116 years, and they are a leading producer of cheese powder, specialty dairy powders, and seasonings. The facility in Jerome, Idaho, is responsible for processing bulk cheese and packaging. To help their business run smoothly and more efficiently, they have participated in Idaho Power’s Custom Projects energy efficiency program. Their participation in the program saves over 197,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year – enough energy to power 17 average residential homes in Idaho Power’s service area for one year.
Operating a family business in today’s inflationary context is hard enough as it is, but having a partner like Idaho Power makes facility maintenance and upgrade investments a little easier to sell to stakeholders. We are experts in manufacturing cheese powder. We are not experts in the detailed workings of motors and electrical systems that power industrial equipment. We need support from folks like Idaho Power Key Account Energy Advisor, Leo Sanchez to communicate where opportunities exist and how to gain access to Idaho Power resources and energy efficiency incentives.
-William Gilmartin, Commercial Creamery Owner
Energy efficiency is a cost-effective way for dairy processors to reduce costs, improve safety, meet sustainability goals, enhance quality, and increase productivity and profitability. Commercial Creamery received an incentive for their energy saving efforts by making updates to their control systems, variable-frequency drives (VFD), and control equipment. The updates allowed for automation, replacing the more energy intensive manual operations. This is the first of multiple planned phases of energy saving upgrades at Commercial Creamery.
As a firm turning 116 years old this year, we often emphasize the idea of stewardship. So, for Commercial Creamery, energy efficiency boils down to being good stewards of a local resource and not wasting unnecessary energy on a process that can be performed with less energy. We strive to constantly analyze our systems and invest in automation that results in less consumption and less waste.
-William Gilmartin, Commercial Creamery Owner
