Onondaga County’s Water Environment Protection Department Earns Energy Efficiency Incentive from National Grid

Onondaga County’s commitment to upgrading its wastewater systems by investing in new equipment and improving practices will make the county more sustainable and help it save more than $300,000 annually, thanks in part to energy efficiency incentives it earned from National Grid.

The county’s Department of Water Environment Protection recently invested nearly $10 million to improve its operations and reduce expenses. Nearly half of that -- more than $4.3 million – was used to install new equipment at its Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Oak Orchard Wastewater Treatment Plant in Clay. By qualifying for industrial sustainability enhancement incentives from National Grid, WEP will more quickly realize savings from their investments.

“Making sustainability upgrades at its wastewater treatment plants demonstrates leadership by Onondaga County and WEP in both environmental protection and energy efficiency,” said Alberto Bianchetti, regional director of customer and external affairs for National Grid. “Reliable wastewater treatment is an essential service, and these investments will help WEP operate with an eye toward both cost and energy savings.”

WEP, which operates and maintains systems that collect, treat, and discharge sewage generated by residential and commercial residents in the county, earned incentives totaling $850,000 from National Grid to replace legacy equipment with newer components featuring variable frequency drives. VFDs are controllers that drive electric motors by varying the frequency and voltage supplied to meet the demand required. By operating at peak capacity only when required, the devices use less energy, create less exhaust and are less expensive to operate.

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“As County Executive, my administration has consistently prioritized investing in our local infrastructure,” said Ryan McMahon, Onondaga County Executive. “While the investments we make in our roads and bridges are visible every day, we also are making strategic and comprehensive investments in our wastewater infrastructure. Thanks to our partners at National Grid, our most recent upgrades will not only result in efficiencies and cost savings, but the incentives offered by National Grid will ensure that we realize these savings and efficiencies even quicker.”

McMahon continued, “As a growing community, these investments are important more than ever and I want to thank our team at WEP for their efforts to ensure we are ready to meet this historic moment.”

These new machines will reduce the county’s electricity usage by 4.3 million kilowatt-hours and save nearly 4.75 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere. The projects include:

• Replacing 12 30-horsepower dual-speed mixers at the Oak Orchard Wastewater Treatment Plant with 30-HP VFD mixers. Onondaga County WEP will save more than 1,250,000 kWh and more than $100,000 in electric supply costs.
• Replacing four 125-HP sludge pumps at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant with 60-HP VFD mixers. This will save WEP over 844,000 kWh and $50,000 annually.
• Replacing eight blowers at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant with four 100-HP VFD blowers, creating annual savings of more than 2.2 million kWh and nearly $177,000.

Industrial energy efficiency programs from National Grid provide incentives to offset costs of equipment purchases that will reduce energy usage at customer facilities. National Grid offers specialized programs for the agricultural, education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and retail and restaurant industries.