Conservation and energy efficiency are still with us. However, even if the total energy bill is large, it's important to keep the related issues in perspective, since energy costs are often only a relatively small portion of the bottom line. Labor productivity, quality control, waste reduction, and environmental impacts are all interrelated. Reducing energy cost may be the mandate issued from plant management, but making money is what keeps the business going. Efficiently producing a faulty product can quickly put a company out of business.
Unfortunately, even where energy is a major cost element, reductions are seldom easy. The easy measures were implemented years ago, and the law of diminishing returns makes each successive change less cost-effective. In addition, there is a seeming indifference of production personnel to the face the consequence of their actions on energy use and cost. Therefore, we suggest the following:
If you measure it, you'll manage it: The key to modifying behavior is to show its impact. Steam to process, refrigeration, compressed air, vacuum, etc. are otherwise viewed with little to no regard for cost.
Truly competitive companies are benchmarking themselves against the best, not just against their past. Optimizing production in a world-class environment requires complete understanding about the best practices in efficient production, not just how to set the controls for "an easy eight."
Develop goals, scoreboards, and rewards: Identify where you are, where you need to be, and then monitor your progress.
The first priority in most situations is the proper, professional operation and maintenance of the equipment you already have.
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Energy Performance Measures Conservation Priorities Steam Production Efficiency |
Compressed Air Efficiency Process Vacuum Process Refrigeration |
