California’s Food Processing Industry Energy Efficiency Initiative

 

In partnership with the California League of Food Processors, the California Energy Commission encourages the adoption of industrial Best Practices to advance energy efficiency in the food processing industry. The partnership works with investor and publicly owned utilities to hold training workshops and support the delivery of energy system assessments to their customers. These services encourage company managers to establish a corporate commitment to energy efficiency. The adoption of Best Practices can generate significant energy savings resulting in considerable cost savings to California’s $50 billion food processing industry.

 

Industry Background and Initiative

 

Goals California’s food processing industry generates over $50 billion in gross annual revenues, consuming more than 600 million therms of natural gas and over 3,700 million kilowatt hour, including the electricity used in refrigerated warehouses. Food processing is the third largest industrial energy user in the state.

 

This report documents the efforts conducted and the achievements to date of the California Food Industry Energy Efficiency Initiative (Initiative). The Initiative is rooted in the efforts of the California Energy Commission’s (Energy Commission) Process Energy Group in partnership with the California League of Food Processors (CLFP), the state’s investor owned utilities (IOUs) and Publicly Owned Utilities (POUs).

 

The Initiative promotes corporate commitment to energy efficiency through the products and services offered by the Energy Commission, the Public Goods Charge (PGC) programs administered by the IOUs and independent efficiency programs sponsored by the POUs. The CLFP encourages food processing companies to actively participate in efficiency programs and take advantage of these services to obtain a return on their contribution to the PGC funds.

 

For the purposes of this document: Industrial Best Practices (BP) refers to the products and services developed by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Industrial Technologies. Energy efficiency includes all activities related to the adoption of energy-efficiency technologies and best management practices, such as demand reduction through conservation, productivity improvements, peak load reduction and shifting, heat recovery and energy production. The food processing industry refers to all activities that transform food and fiber crop production into storable products.

 

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