Energy Star Cement Plant Shares Efficiency Secrets
The Roanoke Cement plant conducts energy audits for its business partners to help them take advantage of cost savings
Roanoke Cement Company, a subsidiary of Titan America LLC, has been awarded the "Energy Star" five years in a row from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a company press release.
The Troutville plant, the only cement plant in Virginia, was the first plant to be certified with an Energy Star in 2011. A cement plant may earn the Energy Star if it achieves energy performance within the top 25 percent nationally using the Energy Star performance scale.
The company also has developed an outreach program for its customers, "Plant A Star." This program, encouraged by EPA and actualized by Roanoke Cement, provides customers with technical assistance and energy management training.
"Our Plant Energy Team recognized that businesses are struggling with increased burdens and need to address their energy consumption to remain competitive," said Kevin Baird, plant manager. The Plant Energy Team conducts presentations and energy audits, demonstrating the benefits of energy management, tracking, and benchmarking, while showcasing the available resources provided by the Energy Star program.
To date, Titan America/Roanoke Cement has invested approximately 3000 hours helping 15 business partners fast track their energy savings initiatives in 2010. Conservative estimates indicate that these businesses could see a 15 percent reduction of electrical energy consumption in their first year, applying the skills developed through this program. Based on these estimates, the Plant a Star program helped save enough electrical energy to power 150 households last year.
"Titan is committed to use energy in the most efficient and cost-effective manner," said Aris Papadopoulos, CEO of Titan America. "We strive to improve environmental performance to lead energy management within the cement industry."
Long-term goals have been established, calling for a 90,000 MWh (33 percent) reduction in energy utilization – the equivalent of the production of 700,000 tons of cement (or enough energy saved to power 8,000 homes for one year) across the Titan America organization by 2015.
Roanoke Cement is a subsidiary of Titan America LLC, the premier heavy building materials producer in the eastern United States. Titan America is headquartered in Norfolk, Va., and its products include cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, and fly ash beneficiation.
Source: Roanoke Cement Company