First Milk Processing Plant Earns ENERGY STAR!

Congratulations to H.P. Hood’s Agawam Massachusetts Plant for being the first fluid milk and yogurt processing plant to earn ENERGY STAR certification!  The Agawam plant now joins an elite group of US manufacturing plants that have earned ENERGY STAR certification for best-in-class energy performance. 

The Agawam plant, located in central Massachusetts, provides milk products that are sold from New England to Pennsylvania.  The plant has over 300 employees and began operations in the 1960’s. H.P. Hood LLC, headquartered in Lynnfield Massachusetts, was founded in 1846 and operates 13 plants across the United States.  Learn more about Agawam plant and H.P. Hood.

ENERGY STAR certification is awarded to manufacturing plants that are the most energy-efficient within their sector. To access energy efficiency, EPA worked with the dairy industry to develop an Energy Performance Indicator (EPI) for fluid milk and yogurt processing plants.

To qualify for ENERGY STAR certification, the Agawam plant used the EPI to benchmark their performance and received an ENERGY STAR energy performance score in the top quartile, indicating the plant uses energy more efficiently than most plants in the U.S.  This means the Agawam plant spends less on energy and has lower energy-related environmental impacts than similar plants.  All plants awarded the ENERGY STAR must have their energy performance verified and be in good standing with federal environmental laws. See the Overview of the Fluid Milk and Yogurt Processing Plant EPI .

Any fluid milk or yogurt processing plant can evaluate their energy performance using the EPI and U.S. plants can apply for ENERGY STAR certification if they score a 75 or higher. 

ENERGY STAR Tools for the Dairy Processing Industry

ENERGY STAR offers several resources to help companies save energy, including:

• Dairy Sector Energy Guide – Identifies energy saving opportunities for a variety of dairy sector facilities, including ice cream and cheese processing plants.
• Dairy Processing Focus – An EPA convened network for discussing best practices.  
• ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry – Recognition opportunities for plants that reduce energy intensity.

Energy is a significant cost for the dairy processing industry, with many plants spending over a $1 million annually on electricity alone. Through better energy management, companies can control and reduce these costs while making their operations more sustainable.

For more information on how ENERGY STAR works with the dairy industry, please contact: energystrategy@energystar.gov