TYLER, TX (INGERSOLL RAND NEWS SERVICE) – A cross-functional team recently conducted the first-ever energy "treasure hunt" in the production areas at the Residential Solutions facility in Tyler, TX. Used to identify non-value-added energy consumption, the treasure hunt is one of the key tools being deployed enterprisewide to help achieve our energy reduction goals.

The team targeted the Line 1 and 2 assembly area located in Building 9. This is one of the areas of the plant where the electrical utilities are sub-metered. "Choosing a sub-metered area allows us to see the impact of our improvements faster, rather than looking for the impact to the overall facility energy consumption," said David Tyler, Tyler facilities manager.

The team conducted an audit of the area on a Sunday afternoon when production was not taking place and the facility was empty. Key areas of focus were:

• Electrical equipment left on
• Compressed air leaks
• Water
• Natural gas
• Lighting
• Building HVAC

Once the waste was identified, the team spent Monday and Tuesday calculating the potential savings and developing action plans.

"This is a great process for our associates to begin to see the impact they can have on our energy consumption," said Greg Hodge, Tyler Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) leader. "By including representatives from maintenance and the production areas, you really get the buy-in that is needed to sustain the improvements."

Led by Chuck Locascio, Tyler facilities engineer, the team included:

• David Tyler, Tyler facilities manager
• Ken Harris, Tyler production supervisor
• David Isabel, Tyler maintenance
• Don Lanier, Trane Commercial Systems account facility manager
• Darryl Dees, Ft. Smith EHS leader
• Greg Hodge, Tyler EHS leader

The Tyler team plans to conduct several more treasure hunts throughout the facility during the upcoming months. All Ingersoll Rand sites have similar events planned for this year to help achieve overall enterprisewide energy reduction goals.