The Naperville Sun
By Meg Dedolph Staff Writer
Posted Sunday, June 17, 2007

When Woodridge-based Home Run Inn Pizza made plans to expand its production facility, company officials thought about more than sauce, cheese and dough.

The company took advantage of an energy-conservation program available to Illinois companies through the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Consultants recommended nine ways for the company to reduce energy consumption and energy costs. The company used six of the nine recommendations, reducing energy consumption by about 9 percent and so far this year, saving about $17,000.

Time is money
Home Run Inn will start producing frozen pizzas at its 20,000-square-foot addition this month. In addition to the Woodridge facility, the company makes frozen pies at another plant on 31st Street in Chicago.

William Worek, director of the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he is a professor and head of mechanical and industrial engineering, said he thought many times, industries don't have the time to evaluate energy usage.

Joe Perrino, president of the family-run company, agreed.

"Sometimes, you just don't know what's out there because you get so consumed with what you do," he said. "I think the studies we did and the items we updated are just scratching the surface."

"If every plant could do their part, it's beneficial not only to the company but to the whole world."

Student involvement
The center at the University of Illinois at Chicago is one of 26 nationwide, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The center works with small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the Chicago area, as well as Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, performing free energy and waste minimization assessments.

The UIC center - one of two in Illinois - opened in 2000 and performs about 25 assessments a year.

"The goals of the program are to provide manufacturers with expertise from universities with respect to energy conservation and waste minimization," said Michael Chimack, assistant director of the Industrial Assessment Center. "Also, as importantly, it's to provide students with real-world experience to supplement their curriculum."

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale, who toured Home Run Inn Pizza earlier this month, supports the idea of regional centers, such as the one run by the university, as the best way for individual companies to get advice in implementing energy-efficiency programs.

"I learned there's all this basic research on energy efficient ways to help us," she said.

Energy savings
The center had nine recommendations for Home Run Inn Pizza, ranging from reducing compressed air leaks to installing and using thermostats that control the temperature based on whether the building is in use - for example, not running the air conditioner when no one's working.

The plant's newly completed expansion has several energy-friendly features as well, said Home Run Inn employees.

The new $1.1 million oven is self-cleaning and isn't water-insulated, which saves on water use at the plant. The freezer uses ammonia, rather than nitrogen, which the company estimates will save about $1 million a year, and work more efficiently, freezing pizzas faster.

In terms of energy savings, Chimack said the changes the company implemented are expected to reduce electricity consumption by 130,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Based on federal energy consumption figures from 2001, that's enough electricity to supply about 14 average Midwestern households for a year.

"For that plant, that's a very good savings," Chimack said.

Family business
There are reductions in natural gas usage and electricity demand as well, he said.

Despite savings in electricity and natural gas, Perrino said he's still concerned about his water costs.

"Here, we're required to put in a sprinkler system and water our lawn," he said. "I think water costs are going to continue to grow."

As a family-owned company, Perrino said it was a little easier to look past the bottom line when it came to making decisions about spending money on equipment, for example.

"Everything we do here - it's the difference between a publicly traded company and a privately held company," he said. "A publicly held company has to look at quarterly results. For us, everything we do here is, what's the long-term benefit?"

Contact Meg Dedolph at mdedolph@scn1.com or 630-416-5297.