Signature Breads, a Certified B-Corp, is an employee-owned bakery located in Chelsea, Massachusetts. They sell a wide variety of baguettes, ciabatta, focaccia, and specialty sandwich and dinner rolls to restaurants and chefs around the country. Energy is the company’s single largest operating expense, with industrial ovens pumping out thousands of par-baked loaves and rolls daily and industrial freezers holding up to two weeks of finished inventory. As a result, managing the cost of electricity and ensuring 24/7/365 energy availability are vital to the company.
Industry: Food Manufacturing
Location: Chelsea, MA
Solution: 1600 KW Backup Generator
DR Earnings: $100,000+ annually
Backup Generation Unlocks More Revenue Streams
To help manage energy costs, Enel X first enrolled the bakery in the ISO-New England demand response program. During demand response events, Signature Breads would decrease its load by 25% to support the grid, and in return receive lucrative payments from ISO-New England.
Enel X delivered even bigger savings with a 1600 kW generator at no out-of-pocket cost to the baker. With the generator, Signature Breads sheds 100% of load during demand response events and avoids costly peak demand charges by using the backup generator during periods of peak energy demand on the grid. Additionally, backup generation allows Signature Breads to take their entire facility offline for up to 2 hours at a time, ensuring energy resiliency in case of grid interruptions.
By using a generator, Signature Breads nearly tripled their energy payments and savings. Through their partnership with Enel X, Signature Breads has streamlined demand response participation and peak demand management while contributing to a more reliable, sustainable, and affordable electric grid in their community.
