Specialty Screw Corporation
2801 Huffman Blvd
Rockford, IL 61103

The Specialty Screw Sustainability Journey

• Typically, the majority of projects have been the reduction in energy usage. While others have been in resource reduction. The following endeavors are of greater impact:

• In the late 1980’s we re-lamped the total indoor facility converting the T12 fluorescent to T8. This resulted in approximately 35% reduction in electrical energy usage for lighting and with a grant from the State of Illinois through Commonwealth Edison, the payback was less than two years.

• Recently, we are in the process of re-lamping our facility with LED. Not only using less electricity to the tune of 30%, but less lamps. Once again grants from the state made the payback period of two and a half years.

• When we removed the built-up and single membrane roof on a older section of our building in 2012, it had a total of R9 insulation value. We elected to go beyond the minimum building code requirement and increased the value to R22. The significance of payback was not as great as the comfort that resulted in eliminating the necessity for air conditioning the shop.

• Installed HVAC automatic controls by Alpha Controls for complete climate control of our shop and offices. Once again, the payback was significantly affected by state grants, while the complaints of poor ventilation and office spaces too cold or hot diminished greatly.

• We retrieve 500K BTU’s of heat energy from our air compressors to heat our plant space during the winter months. Haven’t figured out how we can use that energy during the summer months.

• Our original plant and office space of 45K sq. ft. was built in 1965. So we have replaced all the single pane glass windows with energy efficient glass back in the early 1990’s.

• One decision I have made to reduce resource usage was not very popular. That was the elimination of the paper towel dispensers in our bathrooms and replacing with hand blowers. Our expense for paper towel rolls per year was over $4K, plus the disposal cost. The use of high velocity hand dryers resulted in about one year payback.

• We have motion sensors in low traffic areas to control lights and exhaust fans in our warehousing areas and lavatories.

• Installed 16.7 kW in 2012 and 67 kW in 2019 of solar photovoltaic that supplies about 5-7% of our electricity requirements. Between the renewable energy credits and the federal tax credits, our payback was less than eight years.

• To me, one of the greatest accomplishments was the establishment of our 4 acre prairie and bioswale. The payback from eliminating the mowing of the vacant property was not significant, but the elimination of flooding in our parking lot without connecting to a storm sewer and the habitat for pollinators, birds and other wildlife was most gratifying.

I could add a number of other projects that are not as significant in part, but in whole meet the never ending goal of resource reduction while improving the quality of life.

Russ Johansson, Chairman 7/14/2023