Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was the perfect fit for Cornish dairy manufacturer Rodda's, saving the business 70 tonnes on CO2 emissions and 11% on fuel costs.
Wishing to reduce its carbon footprint (while at the same time reduce costs), Rodda’s knew the time had come to move away from oil as the energy source for its production process.
The company’s main uses of fuel are for steam generation used in the pasteurisation separation system, heating the cleaning equipment and powering the heat exchanger CIP system. It is vital these systems receive a controllable, consistent and uninterrupted supply of fuel.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Flogas Britain was the perfect fit for Rodda’s. It’s a proven energy source, offering huge financial and carbon savings when compared to all grades of oil.
Rodda’s Operations Manager, Chris Quelch explains: “There were numerous reasons for converting from oil to LPG and we’ve seen many benefits.
“CO2 was the main source of focus, and since installing our LPG system, we’ve reduced CO2 emissions by 70 tonnes a year. This is hugely important to us given our focus on hitting our set environmental targets
“Naturally, we also wanted to reduce costs, and switching to LPG, has saved us 11% on fuel alone. With LPG another more hidden benefit has been a large reduction in boiler servicing. This means the boiler isn’t offline as much, giving us quite a significant time saving, but also increases the amount of money the switch to LPG has saved us.
“We’ve seen big changes in efficiency too. Whereas we used to get an 8:1 burn ratio with oil, we now get 11:1 with LPG. The burners now run for longer, but on a lower load, reducing the shock on the boiler. This will also help keep maintenance requirements (and costs) down.”
As with most installs of this size, there were a few logistical challenges to overcome, but these were easily dealt with by Flogas. The expert team provided a start-to-finish, turnkey LPG service to maximise heating performance and minimise disruption.
Quelch continues: “As with every part of this project, the Flogas team handled the challenges professionally and efficiently. One of the reasons we chose Flogas for our LPG project was that they offered a fully managed solution – the whole package. This meant that we were assured of a start to finish solution taking into consideration all of our individual requirements.”
In terms of payback, Rodda’s was expecting to recoup its outlay in 18 months; however the company hit its target even earlier, as Quelch explains: “The project has paid for itself in just over a year, which was beyond our expectations. It’s very impressive.”
Lee Gannon, managing director at Flogas, concludes: “Dairy production can be an energy-intensive process, which has a knock-on effect on costs and emissions. This is something that Rodda’s recognised within its own business, and was keen to address. The results of a simple switch from oil to LPG speak for themselves, and Rodda’s will be enjoying tangible financial and environmental savings for years to come.”
For more information on how switching from oil to LPG could benefit your business, please visit www.flogas.co.uk.
