Sweet energy savings for Hawaii Candy
by Robert Yang | Sept. 22, 2021
It still takes me back to my childhood every time I bite into a red coconut ball or fortune cookie from Hawaii Candy. These snacks I’ve been eating since I was five years old still taste exactly the same after all these years. Hawaii Candy’s snacks require the use of machinery; however, many of them are completed and packaged by hand. It takes a lot of energy to keep the business running.
During the pandemic, Hawaii Candy had to figure out ways to save money without jeopardizing the quality of their products. They turned to Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Business Management Services (CBMS) team, which recommended a cost-saving light retrofitting program.
Alton Ramos, a CBMS consultant, paid a visit to Hawaii Candy when the company requested an energy analysis to help lower their electrical usage. They found a solution to their problem by changing the oldest fixtures in the factory — the lights.
We contacted Hawaii Energy Systems, an energy efficiency solutions provider to retrofit the lights. The older fixtures were fluorescent and used a lot of energy. “Hawaiian Electric made it really easy for us to connect with the customer and build those trust levels early on. Having input from both parties helped us quickly figure out what Hawaii Candy needed to start saving energy,” says Travis Nakamura, an energy project manager at Hawaii Energy Systems.
Hawaii Energy Systems helps create automated ‘turnkey’ systems to allow customers to take control of their energy consumption. The company designs a cost-effective solution, procures supplies, installs and offers 24/7 customer support and troubleshooting. On installation day, crew members led by electrical engineers arrived to remove the older fluorescent lights and replaced them with new, energy-efficient LED lighting. Crews were careful to work around Hawaii Candy’s operations.
“I think it was wonderful that we can be sustainable, while being able to save money on our electricity bill. It means we don’t have to change our traditional recipes, cut corners on our manufacturing process or make changes to our loyal workforce to survive the pandemic,” said Cheryl Ohta, owner of Hawaii Candy. Brighter LED lights also helps Cheryl improve work efficiency and safety because everyone will be able to see better in the factory. LEDs also last longer and require less maintenance. Maintenance fees can be reallocated to improve other areas in Hawaii Candy’s operation.
It’s important for us to continue to support local businesses throughout the pandemic. Hawaii Candy began as a small senbei (Japanese tea cookie) shop in 1933 and it’s evolved into a local snack manufacturing factory. Hawaii Candy is on its third generation of family ownership and we hope that with the changes our team recommended, it will help keep the business going for many generations to come.
Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.
