Connecticut-based Dee Zee Ice LLC, which markets its products under the Diamond Ice brand, has announced its recent energy efficiency improvements will save the company more than $7,500 annually and nearly $115,000 over the lifetime use of the equipment along with saving 11.4 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.
The ice manufacturing company partnered with Eversource, an energy provider in New England, which developed a set of standards for Dee Zee’s energy efficiency programs. The set of standards included switching to LED lighting, among other things.
“We work in the cold – one room is 18 degrees, one is 22, one is in the 30s – and the old bulbs used to take minutes to warm up,” said Dee Zee Ice plant manager Rob Holmes. “The LEDs now come on very quickly, which is a welcome change for our staff.”
Dee Zee Ice shares a long history with Eversource and its energy efficiency team. In 2017, the two partnered on additional facility upgrades including a new ammonia-refrigerant ice production system to replace their standard electric refrigerant unit, indoor and outdoor LED lighting, and freezer room improvements including adding fast-closing doors for shipping.
“We have the capacity to make ice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can produce more than 260,000 pounds of ice daily,” said Holmes. “Energy is a major cost for us. In order to stay competitive and grow our operations, including reinvesting in new equipment and our workforce, it’s important for us to keep our energy costs down.”
The upgrades have also had a positive environmental impact. The energy saved by Dee Zee Ice will result in 5,364 tons of CO2 reduction.
“We are making more ice, and with better electric cost ratios too,” said Holmes. “Our costs have stayed level as our production has increased, and without the energy-efficient upgrades, they would be significantly higher.”
