Thomasville, Georgia-based Flowers Foods Inc. has announced that the U.S. Department of Energy Better Plants program recognized Flowers Baking Companies’ Batesville, Arkansas, facility with a Better Practice Award for its energy efficiency projects. These have reduced annual energy use by more 13,000 MMBtu – the equivalent of nearly 250 homes per year.
In partnership with local utility providers, the bakery leveraged tiered incentives to enable energy-saving practices during capital projects. From 2016 to 2021, the bakery implemented 13 efficiency projects including boiler, compressed air and LED lighting upgrades, waste heat recovery and variable-frequency drives for exhaust fans, among other projects.
“When planning equipment upgrades, Flowers Baking Co. of Batesville incorporated energy efficiency throughout the project design, reducing energy usage and costs long-term,” said Margaret Ann Marsh, VP of sustainability and environmental at Flowers Foods.
“Across the Flowers network, this program has become a case study in how to look at every operational upgrade project as an energy efficiency opportunity.”
As part of DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative, Better Plants works with leading manufacturers and water and wastewater utilities to boost their competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency, GHG emissions reduction, water efficiency and waste reduction. The annual Better Practice Awards are given to partners for its industry-leading accomplishments in implementing and promoting practices, principles and procedures of energy management.
“Better Plants partners are combating the climate crisis through meaningful energy, water, and waste reduction efforts. The Better Plants Better Practice and Better Project awards highlight innovation in industrial sustainability and a willingness to share good ideas,” said Carolyn Snyder, deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Read more about Better Plants partner results, showcase projects, and innovative solutions in the 2021 Better Plants Progress Update.
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