Westminster Crackers, a well-known producer of specialty crackers since 1828, operates its main production facility in the historic Howe Center in Rutland, Vermont. Our team was tasked with designing and installing a new HVAC system to provide heating, cooling, and ventilation for the packaging area while recovering waste heat from the tunnel oven zone. The innovative system transformed what was once a “sweat shop” environment into a comfortable workspace, transferring waste heat from the ovens to other areas of the facility during the winter months to improve energy efficiency.
This project presented several challenges, including maintaining uninterrupted cracker production during installation, working in extremely hot conditions over the ovens, and installing air distribution ductwork in a high bay area. Success required a highly skilled and organized sheet metal team, custom fabrication from our in-house shop, expert controls installation from our service department, and coordination with a responsive equipment vendor. We also worked closely with a structural engineer to safely mount new HVAC units on the existing roof. Our design efficiently cools and ventilates only the lower 14 feet of the 34-foot-high bay—optimizing comfort while minimizing energy use.
