J.R. Simplot Company: Energy performance

Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI), and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline.  J.R. Simplot's Food Group portfolio consists of 4 plants as of 2016. The Food Group's energy management program emphasizes staff training and use of an internally-developed Best Practices guide.  With an energy intensity improvement of 24% since its baseline year of 2008, J.R. Simplot's Food Group has made significant progress to meet its 25% reduction in energy intensity target by 2019.

To view J.R. Simplot's AgriBusiness Group savings, click here.

Looking at the percent improvement in energy performance across all facilities can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy. Two of J.R. Simplot's Food Group facilities have improved energy performance by 6-15% since the baseline year of 2008, and two facilities have improved energy intensity by over 30%. One of these leading plants took over production of three older plants that were shut down in 2014-2015. The outstanding performance of the new plant has largely created the significant annual jump in 2016 group-wide energy intensity improvement.

J.R. Simplot's Food Group produces frozen vegetables, primarily potatoes, and calculates energy intensity at the plant level, in terms of source energy consumed (in MMBtus) divided by physical output from the plant measured in thousands of pounds. Relative intensities among the plants vary significantly because of the age and size of the plants. Because of this, corporate level energy intensity improvement is calculated by taking a weighted average of the plant level improvement (in percentage terms).   Note: Simplot tracks energy intensity separately at its Food and Agriculture Groups. The table at the right, however, displays plant and energy consumption totals across both business groups.