Case Study:

PEZ Candy
Orange, CT

Customer Profile
PEZ Candy is one of the best known and beloved brands around
the world. Their 60,000 sq. ft factory in Orange, Connecticut,
runs two or three shifts, adjusted for seasonal demand.

APAP Analysis:
The Air Power Analysis Package (APAP) was installed with a power
meter on the existing 150 hp air compressor, running load/no-load Highlights
with a 1000 gal air receiver. A pressure transducer was installed on
the tank and an airflow meter was installed on the 2” header feeding • Reduced compressed air
the 4” main that services the plant. system energy consumption
by 50-60%
Compressor Room Pressure-Flow
Airflow
• 14 month ROI (including utility
Controller
Meter incentive)
150 hp Air
Dryer
Compressor 2” Headend • Upstream carbon emissions
Piping to 4” reduced from more than 200
1000 gal main feeding tons to less than 70
Air Receiver Pressure production
Transducer floor • Pressure variance improved
from 12-14psi to 2-3 psi
• Savings sustained by
DLNA continuous, ongoing
monitoring and analysis
APA
Internet
Server
Firewall

The meters were connected using RS-485 and meter data was collected every 3 seconds on the
Data Logging Network Appliance (DLNA). The metering data is consolidated and compressed on
the DLNA and uploaded to the APA server for analysis. The DLNA was installed on-site and
connected to the PEZ network. The DLNA comes preconfigured with VPN software that
automatically establishes an encrypted tunnel to the APA server through the client’s firewall.
The APAP reports showed that:
• The existing 150 hp air compressor was oversized. Rated for 720 CFM, demand in the plant
topped out at about 430 CFM. Most of the day, demand ranged from 180-350 CFM.

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• The existing load/no-load compressor was short-cycling, which can shorten the life of the
motor. Since APAP samples every 3 seconds, the cycle pattern is very clear.

The corrective action for short cycling is to increase the compressed air storage capacity (i.e.
get a bigger tank) or to change to a variable speed drive.
• The pressure at the headend fluctuated by 12-15 psi (in spite of having a pressure-flow
controller). This is another indicator that the storage/tank capacity was insufficient. It also
indicated that the headend piping was constricted.
• The PEZ airflow duration report on the left below indicated that the demand for
compressed air was not steady throughout the day. By contrast, the airflow duration report
on the right below comes from a paper processing plant with a steady airflow demand.

PEZ Airflow Duration Paper Plant Airflow Duration

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 The airflow demand from the paper plant has a steady demand throughout the day (i.e. the
airflow duration levels out). It is a good candidate for a base compressor optimized for that
load, with a trimming compressor to handle the start-up and peak loads.
The airflow demand curve at PEZ shows a steady demand reduction, indicating that it is a
good candidate for a variable speed drive on the air compressor. The variable speed drive
consumes proportionally less energy when demand is low.

Remediation Plan:
Based on the APAP reports, the project energy consultant, Jeff Wright, made the following
recommendations:

a) Purchase a 100 hp variable speed drive compressor to replace the existing air
compressor. The existing air compressor was retained for back-up.

b) Connect the distribution system piping to create a loop and allow air to flow throughout
the system more easily. This required the addition of approximately 15 feet of pipe.

c) Replace the headend piping with 3 inch diameter steel pipe. In the process, the piping
that interconnects to the Zekes refrigerant dryer and air filters was redesigned to reduce
the number of 90o turns.

d) Leak detection and remediation was done with a target of eliminating 20-30 CFM.

The APAP proposal management engine calculated that these enhancements would result in a
savings due to a 45% reduction in electric consumption. Based on the APAP analysis and
reports, the power utility, United Illuminating, gave PEZ an energy conservation incentive
payment equal to the projected first year savings.

With the utility incentive, the project payback period (ROI) was 14 months.

Results:
From the Sample Period Comparison report below, you can see that the airflow was reduced by
10-20% as a result of the leak remediation and closing the loop in the distribution system.
More importantly, you can see the reduction in energy consumption as a result of the
compressor upgrade.

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 Airflow

Power

Remediation
Plan
Implemented

In addition to the energy savings, the pressure variance dropped to 1-2 psi, allowing PEZ to lower
the operating air pressure by 10 psi.

The actual compressed air system energy savings at PEZ exceeded 50-60%, making the actual ROI
for the project 14 months.

The Team
Air Power Analytics (www.airpoweranalytics.com) provided the system monitoring and ROI
analysis. The APAP system installed at PEZ is still in service, generating regular reports to their
facility management staff.
Jeff Wright of Compressor Energy Service was the lead energy consultant on the project.
Compressor Energy Services (www.compressorenergy.com) is an energy consulting company
specializing in industrial compressed air system energy recovery and sustainability.
Matt Brown of Brown’s Compressor Repair services the PEZ air compressors and worked with Jeff
Wright on the project. Brown’s Compressor Repair services more than 100 facilities throughout
New England.
SAM Mechanical Services (www.sammechanical.com) was responsible for the piping upgrades,
which were performed with no interruption to the production floor. SAM Mechanical is a full
service plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor serving all of New
England for almost 20 years.

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