August 28, 2010

NYSERDA Funding Helps Saratoga’s Ball Corporation Plant Improve Energy Efficiency

NYSERDA Funding Helps Company Lower Energy Costs

As part of its ongoing commitment to help manufacturers become more energy efficient, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) this month provided funding to help the Saratoga-based Ball Corporation beverage can manufacturing plant reduce its annual energy costs,

NYSERDA financial incentives helped Ball, one of the world's leading can manufacturers, install a high efficiency compressed air system that will decrease its electrical demand by nearly 120kW. The $160,000 cost of this project was offset by $80,000 in financial incentives from NYSERDA.

NYSERDA president and CEO Francis J. Murray said, “Cutting energy use is good for business and good for our environment. NYSERDA commends Ball officials for their work to reduce the energy use at its Saratoga manufacturing facility, and we stand ready to help businesses of all sizes benefit from smart investments that will provide strong returns for years to come.”

“Ball Corporation is committed to significantly and cost-effectively reducing energy consumption as part of its sustainability goals,” the company said in a statement. “By partnering with NYSERDA, Ball's Saratoga Springs facility implemented several successful energy reduction projects. Since 2004, the Saratoga Springs plant has reduced its electrical energy consumption 26%, or 1,250kW. NYSERDA's programs, incentives, and assistance were instrumental in making these energy saving projects possible.”

NYSERDA provides incentives for all types of businesses to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings. In March of this year, NYSERDA launched a $100 million Industrial and Process Efficiency program that targets funding specifically to manufacturing facilities and data centers, which are among the largest consumers of energy, for energy studies and capital improvements that will improve the sector's competitiveness and productivity. Data centers have been cited as one of the fasted growing fields in New York State.

In 2009, NYSERDA invested approximately $4 million to improve the energy efficiency of the manufacturing and data center industries, reducing their energy consumption by nearly 41 million kilowatt hours of electricity — the equivalent of supplying nearly 6,300 single family homes with electricity for an entire year.

For decades, Ball Corporation has embraced sustainable business practices that balance economic, environmental, and social impacts into its decision making that will create long-term value to its host communities and customers. These practices have reduced the amount of materials used to create its products, reduced energy consumption, emissions, water and waste, and supported recycling collections programs at each of its facilities.

Ball's 290,000 square foot Saratoga Springs facility operates four high speed manufacturing lines that produce over 3 billion 12 ounce cans annually for the domestic beverage container industry.
For more information, visit NYSERDA's Industrial and Process Efficiency Program (IPE) .

Contact:

Jeffrey Gordon, NYSERDA
518-862-1090 ext. 3544
jrg@nyserda.ny.gov