b"ENERGY AUDITSIs It Time for an Energy Audit?What is an energy audit and why is it something those working in agriculture should take a closer look at?THE THREE HILLS and District Seed Cleaning Plant hasyou want to see is a nice even wave without big highs and faithfully served its local farm community since 1958. However,lows. Ours was like a scattered wave going frantically in every a series of energy audits over the last handful of years showeddirection, says Andrews. Thats not good.that the equipmentmuch of which hasnt been upgradedThe Three Hills Plant contracted their go-to electrician firm, since the plant relocated to the west side of town in 1991wasByrne Lammle Electrical, to conduct both the audit and the woefully energy inefficient.electrical upgrades. Company owner and master electrician, Last fall, the Three Hills Plant underwent a major renovationByrne Lammle, says the Three Hills plant is a great example of to more than double grain handling capacity. The upgradeshow much energy can be saved through auditing and upgrading. proved the perfect opportunity to dramatically improve energyIn my opinion, theres not a facility out there that wouldnt use efficiency too.benefit from an energy audit, he says. I would say 100 per cent Plant manager Greg Andrews says the efficiency upgradesof them should go through an energy audit process because should pay for themselves through decreased power usagethere is so much room for improvement right across the board.within the next five years. Its an investment he recommendsThat said, he cautions that not all energy audits are the same. other large, high energy-use agricultural plants, from seedWhat Ive heard way too often is that plants have energy cleaners to potato storages to grain dryers, consider, and heaudits done and the advice is, You should do the lights. It's an credits the energy audits for starting it all.easy token: everybody knows you can improve your efficiency The first time our electrician put a scope on to read theon lighting. But in these plant facilities, lights are a drop in energy use, I was very surprised to see the inefficiencies. Whatthe bucket that's less than probably one or two per cent of their overall consumption. Why would you focus on such a small return on investment when you have these magnificently large electrical motors that, in probably 70 per cent of the infrastructure in The current Three Hills andAlberta, are old and outdated and using energy District Seed Cleaning Plantsucking technologies like magnetic starts? in Three Hills, Alta. recentlyA proper energy audit uses a range of underwent an energy audit.energy use analysis metering tools, most PHOTO: THREE HILLS AND DISTRICT SEED CLEANING PLANT notably a power quality analyzer, to record exactly how much energy is drawn and 28seed.ab.ca"