Case Studies

Esra Barkman began his family beekeeping farm in the 1920s, launching a business that would bloom into one of the largest honey providers in the United States. Golden Heritage now produces millions of pounds of 100 percent pure and natural U.S. Grade A honey for retail grocery outlets and foodservice distribution companies.

As part of Walmart’s Supplier Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP), Golden Heritage brought in Clear Energy to audit and implement carbon-reduction, energy-saving and cost-saving measures for the company’s headquarters and primary packaging plant. Clear Energy helped Golden Heritage generate a payback of 3.5 years for investments made in plug load reduction, a lighting retrofit, HVAC controls improvements and heat destratification in production/storage areas. Clear Energy also designed a new compressed air system to replace aging equipment and generate additional energy and maintenance savings. Greenhouse gas reductions for the energy conservation measures for the energy conservation measures ranged from 16.4 percent to as much as 179.5 percent per year.

Here are some of the ways Clear Energy improved the 130,000 square-foot plant and 15,000 square-foot office space:

• Our team of engineers examined the compressed air system, cooling tower, barrel wash facility, heated production and storage areas, lighting systems, HVAC and controls, building envelope, insulation, and power factor to determine ways Golden Heritage could reduce its carbon footprint, improve sustainability measures and reduce operating expenses.
• Implemented a lighting retrofit program that eliminated T12, HID and incandescent lighting, while installing more efficient lighting controls, occupancy sensing, load shedding and daylight harvesting strategies.
• Replaced an an old and inefficient air compressor system with new units. We also changed the locations of the new compressor units and improved the piping systems for greater efficiencies.
• Replaced aging HVAC controls with modern digital controls that include electronically lockable and programmable thermostats.
• Installed “destratification” fans in the elevated temperature production and storage areas to reduce the energy required to heat those spaces.

For more information about Golden Heritage Foods, visit barkmanhoney.com

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