Case Studies

Optimira is proud of its long history of successful projects. We have managed over $500 million during more than 220 energy projects, with an average project size of over $2 million. We understand and tailor our solutions to the specific needs of each client, whether public/government, commercial, education, healthcare, or industrial in nature.

Optimira's Project History

Public clients

City of Niagra Falls - Ice Pavillion
Niagra Falls, New York

The Niagara Falls Ice Pavilion houses two ice pads that are roughly equal in size. The original rink was installed in the late 1960s; the second one was added in 1974. The Pavilion was seeking to implement a set of energy management initiatives that would improve daily operations.

City of Colton - Agua Mansa Power Plant
Colton, California

The City of Colton sought to replace approximately 45MW of contract energy purchases and to protect its customers against the price volatility associated with electric purchases. The City decided that its customers were best protected by City-owned and City-controlled electric generation resources.
The City also recognized it was necessary to build the plant on an extraordinarily fast track basis while complying with some of the most stringent air and water emissions and site use standards in the country.

RCMP Training Academy - Efficiency Upgrades and GHG Reduction
Regina, Saskatchewan

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan, is the main Training Academy for the RCMP. Also located on the site is “F” Division Headquarters, which provides policing services for the province. The RCMP sought energy and water efficiency improvements at the Training Academy as part of a savings-financing arrangement under the Federal Buildings Initiative. A 10-year, $4.6 million energy performance contract (EPC) was drafted by Optimira to design, manage, construct, finance and guarantee the results of their energy efficiency retrofit. Of the 49 buildings at the site, 35 have been included in the EPC. Several types of buildings were refurbished – garage, laboratory, medical, mess, office, pool, residence and recreational. Each one presented a different energy use intensity, pattern and savings opportunity.

State of Rhode Island - John O. Pastore Center Energy Plant
Cranston, Rhode Island

Due to the very sensitive nature of the facility operations on the campus, a secure and guaranteed energy supply was required in the event of local grid failure. Given the aging infrastructure of the central plant, a new plant was required to enable the mental health hospital, administration offices and two prisons to have the capability of operating completely autonomously from the utility electric grid, while simultaneously producing steam to meet the heating and cooking requirements of the campus. During construction it became clear the project schedule was slipping and that the number and magnitude of field change orders were increasing.

Commercial, education, and healthcare clients

Ohio University - Campuswide Energy Management Project
Athens, Ohio

Ohio University sought a long-term partner to provide technical engineering expertise as well as performance contracting expertise with the goal of reigning in energy overhead costs. The University wanted to find a partner that shared a similar business philosophy and culture that could provide recommendations, implementation, and management of the project.

Heritage Valley Health System - Energy Reduction Program
Beaver, Pennsylvania

Optimira Energy was competitively selected as the Medical Center's performance contracting partner in 1996. The Medical Center sought comprehensive solutions that would address escalating utility costs.

Meadville Medical Center - In-Place Facility Upgrade
Meadville, Pennsylvania

Meadville Medical Center, the third largest in Northwestern Pennsylvania, is a community hospital with over 100 medical staff, including 37 medical/surgical specialties and an extensive primary care foundation. It serves a community of 75,000 residents. While focused on providing the community with the best level of service at the lowest costs, the Medical Center is also faced with the challenge of upgrading and improving the physical facilities as well as reigning in spiraling operational overhead, particularly energy costs.

Industrial clients

Formica Corporation - New Natural Gas and Boiler Plant
Evendale, Ohio

The existing coal fired boiler plant was antiquated, in very poor condition, and environmentally non compliant. In addition, Formica did not have funding for a new boiler house project that would have addressed the steam requirements for ongoing plant operations.

General Motors - Facility Upgrade
Bedford, Indiana

A facility upgrade was required to reduce utility costs with minimal investment.

General Electric Plastics - Installation of 1 MW Turbine
Ottawa, Illinois

The GE Plastics energy productivity manager sent Optimira to the Ottawa plastics plant to review an energy productivity initiative for this plant. During the site visit, the steam generating system steam pressure dropped from 400 psig to 200 psig with the process steam at 150 psig and saturated. Apparently, the feed water pump impellers were replaced with a lower pressure system and its boiler controls were set at 200 psig operating. It was determined that if the boilers returned to the original pressure an initiative could be developed that would meet GE's hurdle rate.

Procter & Gamble - Oxnard Facility Upgrade
Oxnard, California

P&G sought reduction of energy demand and utility costs while minimizing capital investment. Optimira designed and implemented an energy efficient lighting upgrade.

General Electric Plastics - Boiler House Expansion
Mount Vernon, Indiana

The GE Plastics plant in Mt. Vernon, Indiana required an expansion of its existing boiler capabilities due to growth of their Lexan plastic business. This would be the second expansion of Boiler House 2 in 5 years.

General Motors - Facility Upgrade
Bowling Green, Kentucky

A facility upgrade reduced energy usage and resulting utility costs while minimizing capital investment.

General Motors - Truck & Bus Plant Lighting Upgrade
Flint, Michigan

Upgrade required to improve the working environment of this GM truck and bus plant; involved replacing old lighting technologies, reducing maintenance and utility costs, and standardizing lighting materials.

LaFarge Cement - Installation of 4 MW Back Pressure Turbine
Alpena, Michigan

Lafarge Cement generates heat in its industrial kilns during the cement making process. The high temperature exhaust is captured in a heat recovery boiler where high pressure and high temperature steam is generated. These boilers are designed for low gas velocities due to the dirty gas/high particulate loading of the gas stream.
Lafarge Cement wanted to reduce maintenance costs and plant manpower by converting 5 steam turbine drives to electric motor drives. The result of this change allowed for more steam flow through the pressure reducing station.

Miller Brewing - 8.5 MW Condensing Extraction Generator
Trenton, Ohio

Miller Brewing wanted to increase their in-plant generation from its existing 13 MWs to 15 MWs primarily by increasing the capacity of their existing GE turbine generator. Miller Brewing also sought to become self sufficient electrically. The Trenton plant is the highest volume beer production plant in North America.

Duramed Pharmaceuticals - Manufacturing Upgrade
Pleasant Ridge, Ohio

Upgrade required to increase the reliability of Duramed's climate-sensitive production of hormone-based pharmaceuticals.

Procter & Gamble - Mehoopany Facility Upgrade
Mehoopany, Pennsylvania

P&G sought reduction of energy demand and utility costs while minimizing capital investment. Optimira designed and implemented an energy efficient lighting upgrade, a new efficient inlet filtration system for the gas turbine, and a heat exchanger at the Meehoopany paper making plant.