Background: Pomme de Terre Foods has rented many spaces in Morris since it opened in 1971, but they purchased a building and renovated the north end of it so they could reopen for business in 2014. The south side of the facility was unable to be renovated due to a lack of funds. Their goal was to renovate this second side, so it could eventually be rented out by a complementary business. Obstacles—like ceiling damage from a roof leak—kept this from happening.
Pomme de Terre Foods used a seed grant from WC CERT to fix ceiling damage, conduct an energy audit, and implement audit findings to reduce energy consumption. While the ceiling was being fixed they added more insulation, and they also added occupancy sensors to offices and restrooms, a new LED exit sign, LED display and cooler lighting, installed a programmable thermostat (and programmed it), and turned down their hot water heater temperature.
Arne Kildegaard, the project coordinator and a professor at University of Minnesota Morris, reflected on what he and others at the coop learned during the energy improvements: “It was most illuminating (no pun intended) when we had the freezer lights replaced. The electrician handed me the old bulbs, which were T-8, fluorescents, as he took them out, and they were hot to the touch. The ones that just came out of the freezer! An hour later I reached in and touched the new LEDs and they were the same temperature as the wall of the freezer.”
Arne continued, “The audit claims a triple benefit from this upgrade: 1) lower wattage, so less electricity; 2) lower heat output, so less electricity powering the cooler compressor; 3) less A/C and therefore less electricity, because the compressors are now not dumping as much heat into the store space.”
Arne ended by expressing his gratitude for CERTs: “This project funding came at exactly the right time for our organization. It should pay big dividends in energy savings over the next few years.”
With this energy efficiency work under their belts, the food coop now has their sights set on the sun—solar panels for the roof! They also have interest from a farm-to-table restaurant that might rent the newly-available space, which would be a great fit.
Views of Pomme de Terre Foods from outside.
Project Snapshot
- Project: Building upgrades and operations including ceiling insulation, LED lighting and controls, and programmable thermostats
- Location: Morris, Minnesota
- Activity: Implementation, Outreach
- Technology: Building Energy Efficiency
- Benefits: Building improvements reduce operation costs thereby creating better economic stability for the non-profit
- Total Project Cost: $4,000
- WC CERT Seed Grant: $2,500
- Annual Energy Savings: 4,595 kWh and 95 therms
- People Involved: 15
- People Reached: 2,700
CERTs awards seed grants to community groups for energy efficiency and clean energy projects across Minnesota. We’ve awarded over $1 million in Seed Grants since 2006. Click here to see more Seed Grant blog posts or click here to see more past funded projects. |
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