The Town of Gilbert, Ariz., has transformed from a sparsely-populated agricultural region in the early 1970s to one of the most populous and fastest growing incorporated municipalities in the nation. |
Cost Efficiencies Equal Savings
By performing many operations tasks internally, Severn Trent Services reduced the town's reliance on outside contractors for maintenance and upgrades, decreasing outsourced vendor fees and project timelines. For example, by rehabilitating the plant's large rotors and clarifiers and programming SCADA controllers and software as part of a new computerized maintenance management system, the company saved Gilbert more than $55,000. Severn Trent Services also periodically conducts energy management audits - at no additional service costs - to make ongoing plant efficiency recommendations.
Through competitive bidding and leveraging its supply chain, Severn Trent Services also reduced prices for chemicals used at the town's lift stations and the Neely facility. By negotiating a price break for the 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of bleach used weekly at the Neely facility for odor control and disinfection, the company potentially achieved an annual savings of $12,800 for the town based on average chemical usages. Severn Trent Services also negotiated with the chemical supplier to provide tanks to the town at no cost for an additional savings of $20,000.
Previous enrollment in a power-shedding program saved $13,000 during the first two years of implementation. When the power-shedding program was replaced by a new 2 MW solar power system that is expected to provide approximately $2 million in energy cost savings over 20 years, Severn Trent Services was a key player in both referring and evaluating the Gilbert solar project and programming the SCADA system to reduce power demand during low or no solar production during on-peak hours, saving an estimated $2,000 to $5,000 per month.
With all these cost reductions, Severn Trent Services reduced its own annual service fees by approximately 7 percent in 2010 and continually gave back to the Gilbert community through donations and by supporting various community initiatives and programs.