Overview | Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. is a meat processing plant located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

New lighting helps an Antigonish company’s meat products stay competitive

ANTIGONISH ABATTOIR LTD.

SituAtiON | As a large-scale plant, Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. is a big user of electricity. Management needed to reduce costs to keep its niche brands - like tony’s Meats - competitive with industry giants.

SOLutiON | Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. completed a plant wide lighting retrofit. efficiency Nova Scotia’s incentives helped cover 20 percent of the capital cost.

BeNefit | the lighting retrofit is projected to reduce electricity consumption by 51,309 kwh and save $7,100 annually. this includes $6,300 in electricity costs and $800 in yearly maintenance.

fOOD PrOCeSSiNG SuCCeSS StOry

L-r Diana Berfelo-Crowe, eddy Group Ltd.Brian MacDonald and Dan MacGillivray,

Antigonish Abattoir Ltd., tony’s Meats

Photos: John S

herlock

A $30,000 investment in energy-efficient lighting is giving Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. a bright future.

Owned by a collective of 15 farmers and shareholders, the facility produces a range of specialty sausage, pickled, deli and smoked meats. their popular brands include tony’s Meats, Mr. Donair and many private label products.

while the majority of sales are based in Atlantic Canada, the company offers products nationwide – which means vying with industry heavyweights for market share. “it’s hard to be competitive unless you can find ways to reduce your overhead costs,” said Dan MacGillivray, General Manager. So the company took a hard look at their electricity usage.

“Our lights are on from five in the morning to six o’clock at night. refrigeration runs 24/7 nonstop. Smokehouses could be running three days non-stop. you’re talking electric heat, steam and electric motors,” said Brian MacDonald, Maintenance Manager.

to keep lighting costs in check, the company teamed up with efficiency Nova Scotia.

their trusted efficiency Partner, eddy Group Limited managed the installation of new energy-efficient lighting, delivering on their promise of “Building on Service”.

Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. qualified for a $7,700 incentive from efficiency Nova Scotia, allowing the company to proceed

with a complete lighting retrofit. the 20,000 square foot plant upgraded to t8 fluorescent lamps, the majority of which are vapor tight. Outdoor LeD lights were also installed in the parking area.

the new lighting has provided a noticeable increase in brightness for the 40 workers employed in the plant. “inside the plant, it’s like noon on a sunny day,” said MacGillivray, “and it definitely contributes to worker safety.”

it also made a big difference for the plant’s energy bills, resulting in projected annual electricity savings of $6,300 plus another $800 in yearly maintenance costs.

And thanks to help from efficiency Nova Scotia, Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. is on track to recoup its investment in three years. the company is so pleased that they’re now planning on improving compressor efficiency in the plant’s refrigeration units.

“i like dealing with efficiency Nova Scotia,” said MacGillivary. “they are on the ball and respond right away.”

After seeing how easy it was for efficiency to make a big difference for their business, Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. wouldn’t hesitate to recommend similar upgrades to other organizations.

“there’s capital investment involved in efficiency, but in the long run it will pay off,” said MacGillivray.

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There’s capital investment involved in trying to be more efficient, but in the long run it will pay off.

Dan MacGillivray, General Manager

FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR ENERGY SAVING TIPS 1-877-999-6035 efficiencyns.cav01 - 2013

Dan MacGillivray, Antigonish Abattoir Ltd., Mr. Donair Brand