Published September 12, 2014 DUNLAP, Tenn. (Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Consulting) Customized Solution Dunlap Industries, a textile trim manufacturer headquartered in Dunlap Tennessee, has always been committed to exceeding customer expectations when it comes to quality and customer service; a key factor in their ability to adhere to that commitment is keeping their operations focused on what they do best, high quality textile products. To ensure their reputation would stay intact without sacrificing their bottom line, Dunlap Industries turned to EES Consulting to first assess and then implement energy efficiency solutions in three of their facilities. To help them get the most financial benefits, EES designed a customized solution specifically for their needs. EES Consulting’s customized solution consisted of retrofitting a manufacturing facility, a distribution facility and the sales office with energy efficient light fixtures. The financial benefits of this solution was two-pronged, reducing utility costs through kilowatt hour reduction and increasing the lifetime of equipment by reducing the heat load on the HVAC unit. The less heat that is put into the facilities from the windows means the less work that the HVAC unit will have to do to keep the building cool. Big Savings Prior to the energy efficiency retrofits, Dunlap Industries was using an average of 31,940 kWh per month in their manufacturing facility. After the retrofit, the manufacturing facility’s average kWh usage per month was 12,688, a 60 percent decrease. The results of the distribution facility were similar but the quality of light was much more noticeable. The distribution facility used an average of 39,129 kWh each month before the retrofit but realized a 67 percent reduction to 12,880 kWh per month after the retrofit. The sales office realized significant savings as well despite its much smaller size. The sales office went from an average of 1,885 kWh per month before the retrofits to an average of 648 kWh each month after the retrofit, a reduction of 66%. The manufacturing facility saw a 33 percent reduction in utility costs and realized over $10,000 in annual savings. President and Owner, Robert Kwasnik, was very impressed with the depth of EES Consulting’s work and is considering hiring EES to complete a solar project on some of his larger facilities. “They earned the business by coming in and doing the evaluations and helping us to see what options would work the best for us,” he said. “Those options allowed us to accomplish our personal and corporate goals.” The distribution center saw a 29 percent reduction in utility costs and realized over $7,000 in annual savings, a 73 percent return-on-investment. The sales office realized over $1,600 in annual savings with just over a three-year payback. All three facilities realized a combined energy savings of over 170,000 kWh each yeah, an annual savings of almost $20,000 and a 32 percent reduction in costs. With these kinds of financial savings, EES estimates that Dunlap Industries will recoup its investment in less than three years. While energy efficiency improvements had a huge impact on Dunlap Industries’ financials, they also provided other important benefits. They are very involved in the community and believe that reducing their impact on the environment has a benefit to the community as well as to the generations to come. Being able to save money and diminish their negative impact on the environment was a key factor in moving forward with the project. “The response has been very positive,” said Kwasnik. “Both facilities saw increased lumens but the lighting in the distribution center has been significantly improved.” By working with EES Consulting, Dunlap Industries was able to reduce costs, improve its bottom line, improve the quality of lighting and diminish their impact on the environment. Project at a Glance: Annual kWh Savings : 560,866 kWh Annual Dollar Savings : $19,281 Energy Consumption Reduction : 64% Carbon Dioxide Reduction : 1.2 million pounds Payback : 1.37 years Simple ROI : 73% President and Owner, Robert Kwasnik, was very impressed with the depth of EES Consulting’s work and is considering hiring EES to complete a solar project on some of his larger facilities. “They earned the business by coming in and doing the evaluations and helping us to see what options would work the best for us. Those options allowed us to accomplish our personal and corporate goals.”  Robert Kwasnik, President & Owner Dunlap Industries. By: Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Consulting