Energy efficiency upgrades improve reliability and support long-term goals for farmer-owned cooperative
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 28, 2026) – Eversource and Agri-Mark, the farmer-owned dairy cooperative behind the Cabot Creamery®, McCadam®, and Agri-Mark Whey and Dairy Proteins® brands, have completed a major energy efficiency upgrade at Agri-Mark’s West Springfield plant. They partnered on the installation of a high-efficiency mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) unit, which is used in the production of condensed and powdered milk products. This equipment has resulted in significant reductions that help lower energy usage, reduce costs, and support operational consistency and product quality.
Eversource provided incentives through the Mass Save® programs for this project along with technical expertise and strategic planning to help Agri-Mark identify and implement energy-saving solutions that deliver meaningful savings.
Agri-Mark retired its former MVR system in 2022 and began to rely more heavily on a steam-based thermal vapor recompression (TVR) system. This process was supplied by a natural gas-fired boiler, which raised fuel use and introduced temperature swings that contributed to additional maintenance and cleaning. The newly installed MVR system restores stable evaporation temperatures and enables the plant to perform energy-intensive processes more efficiently by recovering and reusing heat instead of relying on high-pressure steam. MVR technology captures heat from milk vapor, compresses it and reuses it as the next heat source, eliminating the need for fresh steam compared with conventional designs.
In addition to the Eversource incentives, this project received grant support from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, making a complex industrial retrofit financially practical for a cooperative owned by hundreds of dairy farm families across New England and New York.
The MVR upgrade is expected to reduce natural gas consumption by an estimated 967,000 therms per year, resulting in a lower overall energy usage and improved long-term affordability for the operation, not accounting for modest increases in electricity use.
To complete this system rebuild project, Eversource also partnered with Agri-Mark to install a new, energy-efficient Finisher TVR and next generation TVR technology, which will reduce natural gas consumption by an additional 110,000 therms annually. The equivalent gas savings from these combined projects replaces the greenhouse gas emissions that would arise from driving over 14 million miles in a gas-powered car.
"This is an example of practical innovation that keeps essential manufacturing efficient and affordable, making day-to-day operations more predictable for a plant that runs every hour of the day," said Penni McLean-Conner, Eversource Executive Vice President of Customer Experience and Energy Strategy. "By pairing incentives with technical guidance, we helped Agri-Mark bring back a high-efficiency MVR system that cuts fuel use, stabilizes operations, and supports the cooperative's long-term sustainability goals, benefiting the farmers who own it and the communities they serve."
Operational benefits are already evident through more consistent product temperatures, less maintenance, quieter operations, and longer batch times - improvements that translate into operational reliability, labor efficiencies, and better use of equipment. For a high-volume plant that operates continuously to support the region's dairy farmers, these gains translate to more stable and efficient production at the scale the operation demands.
"For our farmer owned cooperative, sustainable operations matter," said Jed Davis, Vice President of Strategic Engagement & Sustainability at Agri Mark. "This upgrade lowers our environmental footprint while continuing to make award winning dairy products. Our ongoing partnership with Eversource strengthens our ability to operate responsibly and supports the long-term viability of our cooperative."
To learn more about the energy efficiency programs available to businesses of all sizes, visit
Eversource.com.
TOP PHOTO: Tilak Subrahmanian, John Costa
BOTTOM PHOTO: Tilak Subrahmanian, Penni McLean-Conner, Tim Simmonds, Jim Tringe, Nate Finch, Jason Martin, Jed Davis
Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship, is named among America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek for 2026 and recognized as the #1 utility on USA Today’s list of America’s Climate Leaders for 2025. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 2.3 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.62 million electric customers in 159 communities, 641,000 gas customers in 125 communities, and 12,000 water customers in five communities. Eversource harnesses the commitment of more than 10,500 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The #1 Energy Efficiency Provider in the Nation, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.
CONTACT:
Olessa Stepanova
781-441-8952
Olessa.stepanova@eversource.com
Agri-Mark is a dairy cooperative and certified B Corp that's owned by hundreds of farm families throughout New England and Upstate New York. Their farmers produce high quality milk, which is crafted into award-winning products like Cabot Creamery's cheddar, butter, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream and New York's finest cheese brand, McCadam. Agri-Mark also produces whey and milk protein products that are distributed globally. For more information about Agri-Mark, visit www.agrimark.coop.
CONTACT:
Amber Sheridan
978-552-5541Asheridan@agrimark.net
energy efficiency
