Cool savings for Tegel

Tegel Food’s New Plymouth factory has implemented a heat recovery system that looks set to save the company more than $110,000 a year in gas and electricity. The system is expected to pay for itself in just two years.

The factory is one of New Zealand’s largest poultry plants, processing over 300,000 birds a week.

The plant needs considerable refrigeration and uses a lot of hot water, making it an ideal candidate for a heat recovery system. Refrigeration creates waste energy in the form of heat, while heating large quantities of hot water requires a lot of energy.

The heat recovery system uses waste heat from the plant’s industrial refrigeration system and main air compressor to preheat process water. It is expected to cut the factory’s carbon dioxide emissions by over 600 tonnes a year.

The system means the plant now has a constant supply of very hot water, and hot water rationing is a thing of the past.

An unexpected benefit is the reduced load on the refrigeration system, prompting Tegel to shelve plans to install another $300,000 cooling tower.

Tegel is now looking at extending the system to include water used for other equipment at the plant, which would save a further $30,000 to $40,000 a year.

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