Energy Efficiency, Industrial  -  June 4, 2018

Martin Guitars shreds energy efficiency goal

Martin Guitars set a goal to improve its energy performance across its U.S. operations by 25% within 10 years—and achieved this goal after only two years.

As a partner in DOE’s Better Plants Challenge, the Nazareth, Pa.-based guitar manufacturer invested $8 million in an upgrade of its aging distributed HVAC systems with a state of the art central hot/chilled water plant, which features three water-cooled centrifugal chillers (each with a capacity of 500 tons) and three high-efficiency condensing boilers (each with a capacity of 1 million btus), according to a statement from the DOE.

Martin Guitar was recently recognized by DOE as a Better Plants Goal Achiever in the 2018 Better Buildings Challenge Progress Report. "Manufacturing competitiveness is a key goal of this Administration," said Daniel Simmons, principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at DOE. "Through the DOE’s Better Plants program, manufacturers like C.F. Martin are using energy more productivity, creating jobs, and driving economic growth."

The new system’s performance was measured beginning in November 2016 by monitoring electrical and gas consumption. By 2018, the project exceeded Martin Guitar’s expectations, cutting electricity use by 46% and natural gas consumption by 20%, leading to a 27% improvement in energy intensity at the Nazareth plant and more than $500,000 in reduced annual energy costs.

The statement noted additional benefits from the project, including reduced annual maintenance costs, greater system reliability and, most importantly for a guitar manufacturer, accurate temperature and humidity control.