MILWAUKEE, USA – In an industry often associated with high energy consumption and heavy machinery, Emerson’s Appleton Group iron casting facility in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is forging a new path. The century-old foundry has been awarded a prestigious 2025 Energy Excellence Award by Focus on Energy®, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency program, for its remarkable commitment to reducing energy consumption and emissions. This recognition highlights not only Emerson’s dedication to sustainability but also the critical role that optimized HVAC and utility systems play in transforming energy-intensive industrial operations.
The award celebrates companies that go “above and beyond basic energy efficiency solutions,” demonstrating how even the most demanding manufacturing environments can significantly cut costs, reduce their environmental footprint, and contribute to a healthier planet. As one of only eleven recipients, Emerson’s foundry serves as a powerful testament to what can be achieved through strategic investment and a persistent focus on energy optimization.
“Emerson’s foundry shows that even energy-intensive operations can be leaders in energy efficiency,” remarked Erin Soman, managing director of Focus on Energy. “This award isn’t just about saving energy – it’s about people coming together to think differently about how we use energy and what that means for Wisconsin’s future.”
Since 2017, the Appleton Group foundry, which manufactures electrical fittings and cast products, has partnered with Focus on Energy to identify, evaluate, design, and implement a multitude of successful energy efficiency and utility cost-saving projects. These initiatives have collectively led to astounding results: annual savings of over 10,000 megawatt-hours (MWh), 65,000 million British thermal units (MMBtu), and a staggering $1 million in energy costs. The team also shrewdly identified nearly $350,000 in energy-related incentives throughout this period.
HVAC and Utility Optimization at the Core of Success:
While foundries are inherently energy-intensive – with melting operations often accounting for up to 70% of total energy consumption – Emerson’s success story underscores the profound impact of optimizing auxiliary systems, particularly HVAC and related utilities. Key improvements that contributed to these significant savings include:
- Advanced Controls on Makeup Air Units: Foundries require substantial ventilation due to heat, fumes, and particulates. Implementing new, intelligent controls on makeup air units ensures that only the necessary amount of outside air is brought in and conditioned, reducing wasted heating or cooling energy. This is a crucial HVAC strategy, as uncontrolled makeup air can lead to massive energy drains.
- Building Management System (BMS) for Comfort Heating: A new BMS was installed to precisely control and monitor comfort heating and cooling systems. This optimization eliminated prolonged periods of overheating, often exacerbated by radiant heat from foundry operations, and allowed for reduced temperature setpoints during non-operational hours. This alone led to a 20% reduction in natural gas consumption, saving nearly 13,000 MMBtu and mitigating 9% of the foundry’s entire emissions footprint, demonstrating the power of smart HVAC controls.
- Replacement of Channel Furnaces with Cordless Induction Melting Furnaces: While not strictly HVAC, this crucial upgrade in core process technology significantly reduces overall energy demand, which in turn lessons the load on cooling systems. More efficient melting means less waste heat to manage.
- LED Lighting Upgrades: Replacing over 800 fluorescent lights with Appleton industrial LED fixtures provided substantial electrical savings. Crucially for HVAC, LEDs emit less heat than traditional lighting, further reducing the cooling load on the facility’s air conditioning systems.
- Compressed Air System Optimization: Though specific details for this plant weren’t provided, industrial facilities often achieve significant energy savings by optimizing compressed air systems through leak detection and repair, improved system design, and upgrading to energy-efficient compressors with variable speed drives (VFDs). These systems are major energy users and contribute to ambient heat.
John Schuster, plant manager at Emerson’s discrete automation business, emphasized the team’s commitment: “What we’ve achieved in South Milwaukee is a success story for the Emerson portfolio, as well as for the castings industry overall. It’s an honor to be acknowledged in this way.”
This recognition serves as a powerful example for the global manufacturing sector, demonstrating that substantial energy and cost reductions are achievable even in the most demanding environments, particularly through a holistic approach that includes optimizing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Emerson’s commitment in South Milwaukee has cut the facility’s total energy consumption and emissions by about a third since 2017, proving that sustainability and profitability can indeed go hand-in-hand.