Success Story: Interpress Technologies

Partner Information

Located in Sacramento, California
50,000 sq. ft. printing facility
Annual Cash Savings: $42,553
Annual Energy Savings: 450,354 kWh
Payback period: 2.5 years
Prevented 550,000 lbs. of pollution

Service and Product Provider

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)

Printing Company Presses On for Huge Energy Savings

Interpress Technologies, which manufactures printed cartons for butter, raisins, cups of soup, and other food products, knows the value of keeping operating costs down. It also prides itself on being an environmentally conscious company.

So when it learned from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) that it could save thousands of dollars by making its 50,000 square foot facility as energy efficient as possible, the company’s course of action was a “no brainer.” By installing a number of relatively low-cost energy efficiency measures, the company is saving more than $42,000 annually on energy costs. And the company’s payback on its energy efficiency investment is only 2.5 years!

For its dramatic environmental and economic success, the company received a year 2000 ENERGY STAR for Small Business Award.

High Efficiency Lights Save Energy, Slash Costs

How did Interpress Technologies achieve such huge annual savings with such a short payback on its initial investment? It thoroughly examined its facility’s energy use and then came up with a multi-faceted energy plan. The first step was to replace standard T-12 fluorescent lamps with metal halide lamps and, in some cases, with new T-5 fluorescent lamps. That step alone saved approximately 60,000 kWh per year, or about $5,600 annually. But Interpress Technologies wasn’t satisfied with that savings, and wanted to press on for even more dramatic savings.

Stop the Presses! Huge Energy Savings!

One of the company’s biggest concerns was efficiently cooling its press room which, due to the operation of large presses, could get very warm. After completing load calculations to determine how to most effectively cool the area, the company opted to use a relatively new technology — an indirect-direct evaporative cooling system. To make the decision to use this technology even simpler, SMUD offered Interpress Technologies a rebate.

Thanks to the new system, the company is saving approximately 66,000 kWh per year compared to the energy that would be used by a standard mechanical cooling system.

To help preserve these energy savings, the pressroom was insulated with an insulation that has a radiant barrier backing in order to minimize the heat gain transferred through the roof.

Curing the Energy Waste Blues

Even with the energy savings associated with upgrading lighting and more effectively cooling its pressroom, Interpress Technologies still wasn’t satisfied. It discovered a new ultraviolet curing technology for its presses that not only saves the company a whopping 200,000 kWh annually, but also speeds up production by a staggering 25 percent. To make the new technology even more attractive, SMUD gave the company another rebate if it used the technology.

Combine all these savings with other savings gained by tuning up its building systems and the company is saving more than 450,000 kWh annually, or about $42,000 a year. And thanks to the rebates from SMUD, the company’s payback on its energy efficiency investment is only 2.5 years. And after the investment is paid back, the company will continue to reap the financial benefits of its energy efficient facility.

It’s Like Printing Money

Rod Minor, the owner of Interpress Technologies, listened to the advice of energy efficiency experts and saved his company thousands of dollars a year while increasing production 25 percent. But being environmentally conscious and progressive, he also installed a waste recovery system that separately bales the waste associated with printing paper products so that it can be recycled more efficiently.

Because of the company’s dramatic success in making its facility more energy efficient, it received a year 2000 ENERGY STAR for Small Business Award.