Forestry

Pacific Wood Products (PWP) installed Ecogate control systems on their extraction fans. Through the use of air flow control gates and a variable speed drive connected to each fan that adjusts to meet the actual workload, PWP reduced their energy use substantially.

Energy savings were immediate from week one. The system will be paid for in be just over 4 years, and long-term they benefit from lower energy bills. Equally important, PWP will cut its annual CO2 emissions by 45 tonnes.

Carter Holt Harvey Kinleith's five-year plan for efficiency cut energy consumption per tonne of product by 31%. Although production increased by 25%, carbon dioxide emissions stayed stable.

A thermal energy audit of South Island MDF producer Dongwha Patinna identified seven energy management opportunities, and a buyer for excess fuel produced onsite - which together could be worth up to $288,000 a year.