La Broquerie-based Hylife, one of Canada’s leading pork producers, has recently overhauled the dated, inefficient incandescent lighting in its 65 hog barns with high efficiency LED lamps – over 14,300 of them.
Ken Krentz, Power Smart sales supervisor at Manitoba Hydro, presents Kevin Barkman, senior director of facilities at Hylife, with an incentive cheque for upgrading to LED lighting.
“We’ve noticed a big difference in the quality of light within the barns,” said Geoff Stevenson, supervisor of Hylife’s mechanical services department. “It’s improved conditions for employees and for the animals.”
Along with brightening up the surroundings, the lighting upgrade provided a somewhat unexpected benefit.
“All our facilities have standby power to keep our operations running smoothly in case the power goes out,” said Stevenson. “By upgrading our lighting, we’ve had a decrease in our demand charges. That was a bonus for us, because our standby power is utilized to its maximum capacity.”
Stevenson worked closely with Kevin Barkman, Hylife’s senior director of facilities, to identify where improvements could be made. For further assistance, they called on Manitoba Hydro’s Commercial Lighting Program, which offers guidance and financial incentives to commercial, industrial and agricultural customers who want to upgrade their lighting to energy efficient standards.
By doing so, Hylife has saved over 3.4 GWh of electricity, or $200,000 per year, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 2,600 tonnes of CO2e annually. This is equivalent to taking more than 550 cars off the road. In addition, the company received nearly $300,000 in incentives from Manitoba Hydro to make the upgrades.
As a company that has grown from its southeastern Manitoba roots to become a pork producer with locations and sales around the globe, Hylife is continually finding ways to evolve. Part of that evolution has meant incorporating energy efficient technologies in its operations, which has improved working conditions, saved dollars, contributed to a greener environment, and made an impact on customer service.
“For us, it’s all about being able to produce our product in a cost-effective manner, so we can pass the savings along to our customers,” said Stevenson.
The Commercial Lighting Program is one of Manitoba Hydro’s many Power Smart programs, and one of many Hylife plans to participate in. Hylife has already installed other energy efficient upgrades through the Building Envelope, Performance and Natural Gas Optimization Programs. Next, Hylife is looking to add energy efficient boilers through the Commercial HVAC Program, and continue with more lighting upgrades.
“We’ve completed installing the LED bulbs, but that’s just the start,” said Stevenson. “Our facilities have a lot of fluorescent fixtures that need to be replaced with LED fixtures, too.”
With the ongoing development in the southeastern part of the province, Manitoba Hydro is pleased to have a Power Smart sales representative in the area to assist customers with participating in Power Smart programs.
“Having someone local who can walk customers through the application process and give them personal assistance along the way has been very helpful,” said Ken Krentz, Power Smart sales supervisor at Manitoba Hydro. “We’re pleased that Hylife, along with other large hog companies in the area, has taken full advantage of the Commercial Lighting Program and the customer service we’re able to offer in making their operations as energy efficient as possible.”
