WH and City of Otsego work together to save energy, money

Wright-Hennepin (WH) is proud to have partnered with the City of Otsego to renovate and modernize one of the City’s wastewater treatment sites, facilitating the inclusion of energy-efficient equipment that will save Otsego residents energy and money. 

The West Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is one of two treatment sites in Otsego, in operation since 2005. As Otsego’s population has increased and capacity reached, a facility expansion was needed to support additional population growth and system modernization for the next 20 years. 

Kicking off the project, WH’s Key Account Executive Ryan O’Connor worked with energy efficiency affiliates Frontier Energy and met with City representatives to discuss the project’s best opportunities for energy efficient technologies. Frontier Energy focuses on “boosting energy efficiency and sustainability to empower residents and businesses to make informed energy choices and invest in cost-saving, eco-friendly upgrades,” their website states.

After upgrades to the facility were agreed upon, WH supported the City of Otsego to obtain rebate dollars for implementing items like variable frequency drives (VFDs) and LED light fixtures.

“Every year WH is required to meet an energy savings goal through the Minnesota Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act,” said O’Connor. “Projects like the Otsego wastewater treatment facility enable WH to achieve these savings goals, along with assisting in the costs involved for our WH members to become more energy efficient.”

One of the major energy efficient tools implemented at the facility included VFDs. Variable frequency drives optimize motor-driven equipment such as pumps, blowers, and mixers by adjusting their speed to match real-time demand, offering energy savings of up to 60%, plus reduced mechanical stress and improved process control. By automatically adjusting to match demand, all equipment works only as hard as needed at any given time, rather than running full-speed or full-power all the time.

The VFDs installed at the WWTF are anticipated to save over 1.6 million kWh annually. Minnesota households consume an average of 10,000 kWh annually, meaning the annual savings from the facility’s VFD technology equates to the total annual consumption of 160 households. 

“The magnitude of annual energy savings for this site alone shows the cooperative benefit for Otsego and the WH long-term energy profile,” said Neidermeier.

Wright-Hennepin (WH) offers rebate incentives for a wide range of energy-efficient upgrades. With the energy efficiencies Otsego implemented, WH was able to provide the City of Otsego with a rebate check for $25,000. On top of that, the VFDs are so efficient the city will save an estimated $120,000 annually on electric bills.

“Long term, by taking the time to look at all the options when it comes to energy efficiency, the City of Otsego is helping residents that include our WH residential and commercial members save a great amount of money,” said O’Connor.

WH’s commercial energy efficient rebate incentives include lighting, HVAC, motor-control systems like VFDs, and any project where efficiency improvements reduce overall energy consumption. WH also offers Energy-Saving Programs that may help reduce your company’s electric bill. Learn more about how your business can work with WH.