H.B. Fuller Company

Situation

The H.B. Fuller Company headquartered in St. Paul, MN had an insulation energy appraisal performed on three of its Adhesive, Sealant and Coatings (ASC) plants in the Atlanta, GA area. They wanted to determine (a) how much energy their mechanical insulation really saves, (b) if the installed mechanical insulation is performing adequately, and (c) if each plant's energy usage and emissions could be reduced with more insulation. The three plants manufacture a variety of commercial and industrial products ranging from water base coatings for the carpet industry to hot-melt wax for kraft corrugated cartons. Manufacturing requires heat in the form of steam and heat-transfer oil distributed throughout each facility, in order to process and transport raw materials and finished products.

Using 3E Plus^® to Calculate Savings

The 3E Plus^® program was used as an integral part of the insulation energy appraisal to calculate the input data gathered during the appraisal process. The program calculated the savings in terms of Btu(s), dollars, and emissions for each of the three plant locations as well as the combined savings for all three ASC plants. The calculations were based on a 2"+ insulation thickness upgrade.

Results

Using the 3E Plus^® program, the appraisers were able to document and then quantify H. B. Fuller's current energy performance with existing insulation and the potential energy performance should H. B. Fuller choose to implement the recommended insulation program.

3E Plus^® calculations showed that with its existing insulation system, H.B. Fuller was losing 5.39 billion Btu(s) per year or $43,437. If the company should decide to insulate to the recommended thickness beyond what is currently in place, the savings would be an additional 3.26 billion Btu(s) or $25,339 annually.

Even without implementing an insulation upgrade, the 3E Plus^® calculations demonstrated to H.B. Fuller that effective insulation already in place was contributing to significant annual savings: 44.43 billion Btu(s) or $269,310; 8 million pounds of CO₂ emissions; 17,115 pounds of NO_x emissions; and 2.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.