Gautier Steel Ltd in Johnstown, Cambria County, is one of the nation’s leading steel producers of hot rolled carbon, alloy flats, sharp cornered squares and special sections. Thanks to a loan from the Small Business Pollution Prevention Assistance Account Program, they not only cut energy use, the improved their bottom line.

Gautier used a loan to improve the efficiency of their operation by converting the company’s electrical supply from 25 cycle to 60 cycle, which eliminated their frequency converter. This conversion greatly reduced the amount of electricity that the company used.

The company also realized a reduction in their water consumption used in their mill cooling and a reduction of the amount of natural gas used for their reheat furnace.

In the past year, Gautier has reported saving 3,705 megawatt hours of electricity, 3,939 thousand cubic feet of natural gas and 3,219 mega-gallons of water. Combined, these savings have given the company an annual savings of $291,373.00 in the first year since implementing their project. The company has met their projected simple payback within one year.

For more information, visit the Small Business Pollution Prevention Assistance Account Program webpage or contact Gene DelVecchio at 717- 772-8951 or send email to gdelvecchi@state.pa.us .

NewsClip: Loan Program Helps a Small Business Lower Utility Costs

7/8/2005