Large-Scale Bakery Operation Reduces Energy Costs with CHP

The Challenge

As the company prepared to open one of its largest production facilities, it sought ways to operate the bakery as efficiently as possible while supporting significant electricity and heat requirements. Following the evaluation of energy solutions, one of the organization’s large facilities in the United Kingdom was identified as a candidate for on-site energy generation.

The Solution

Centrica Business Solutions designed and installed a 1 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system that generates electricity for the facility while recovering heat from the engine for productive use on-site. Electricity generated by the CHP system is stepped up for connection to the facility’s electrical infrastructure, while recovered exhaust heat is used to help meet base steam load requirements.
The solution also recovers hot water from the engine for storage and reuse elsewhere in the facility. To support long-term system performance, Centrica Business Solutions provides a ten-year maintenance agreement for the CHP installation.

The Result

The CHP system is expected to reduce annual energy costs by approximately $500,000 while helping the facility generate power on-site to support ongoing operations. The projected savings are expected to allow the company to recover its investment in approximately three years.
The project is also estimated to reduce annual emissions by 1,000 metric tons of CO2.
Following the success of the installation, the company identified additional opportunities to implement similar projects across other facilities within its bakery portfolio.