Todd Sumamno
A company’s energy costs are a significant expense, regardless of its size or shape. Industries and manufacturers require large amounts of energy for the production process. They spend energy on heating, cooling, lighting, and many other functions. The different processes firms carry out result in great expenditure and significantly contribute to global warming.
Globally, wholesale gas and electricity prices have risen at an unprecedented rate since COVID, causing difficulties for many industries. Therefore, you need to reduce your energy costs to remain competitive in the market. If you don’t have an energy conservation strategy, now is the time to make one.
Even though we cannot control electricity prices, we can offer you some helpful tips on reducing energy costs across your business. Let’s get started:
7 Useful Tips to Scale Down Energy Costs
The following seven guidelines can help reduce industrial energy costs on your production floor. Please read till the end!
Establish a Team for Energy Management
A key reason energy and cost-saving initiatives fail is the lack of clarity regarding who should manage the project. Creating an energy management team with representatives from all departments and top management will help these projects succeed.
Consider bringing in the relevant individuals with incentives to keep energy costs low or establishing a bonus or reward system linked to energy savings.
Schedule Shutdowns and Startup Times
Shutting down all production equipment at a scheduled time can bring about substantial energy savings.
Having visibility into peak operational hours will allow you to determine when you should schedule these shutdowns. Install a disconnect switch to prevent common electrical incidents, such as short circuits and power surges.
Similarly, powering up all of your facility’s machinery at once can increase energy consumption; keep that in mind.
Check for Leaks in Compressed Air Systems.
Leaks are primary sources of wasted energy, and repairing them can result in significant savings within a short period. Several studies have shown that compressor leaks can lead to a 20 to 30 percent loss in the machine’s efficiency. Furthermore, these leaks can cause your equipment to become less effective.
You can use various methods to determine whether your system has leaks. You can also use ultrasonic detection equipment to detect more minor leaks. Most leaks are caused by damaged seals, loose tubes, and worn materials. If loose fittings or minor parts cause leaks, then simply tightening them up can solve the issue.
Enhance Energy Efficiency of Your Lighting System
The installation of energy-efficient lighting in a manufacturing facility is crucial to ensuring the smooth operation of the factory. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can reduce energy consumption in the facility.
Alternatively, we can use motion-detecting light as an efficient lighting system source. Lighting only turns on when people enter the room, and it turns off when they leave. Such a system not only improves energy efficiency but also reduces your billing costs.
Monitor Energy Consumption
You can eliminate unnecessary high energy bills by analyzing the energy consumption of machines in your plant and identifying low-cost or no-cost solutions.
Now, fully control your energy consumption by installing real-time energy monitoring equipment. In addition, as a bonus, you will receive alerts regarding breakdowns in the facility’s equipment, which you can take care of easily.
Regularly Check Your Steam Boilers
Poor boiler maintenance can result in a 10 percent increase in energy consumption. In contrast, efficient steam generation and distribution can cause a 10 to 30 percent reduction in energy consumption.
You must carry out regular maintenance and servicing of your boiler every year. It should include cleaning heat exchangers, testing combustion/flue gases, and adjusting fuel efficiency.
Energy loss in the boiler may be due to inadequate distribution system installation, bringing about up to 10 percent of heat loss. During the inspection, observe any wisps of steam erupting from pipes, flanges, or joints that indicate a leak. Even a 3 mm leak in the steam system could lead to a significant loss for your business.
Audit Your Energy Consumption
You can perform in-house energy audits with the assistance of facility experts and a guidebook. However, we recommend facilities seek professional help from an energy specialist.
An energy audit helps identify peak consumption times throughout the year and quantifies how much energy each department consumes. In addition, the audit should identify the most cost-effective upgrades to improve energy efficiency.
Final Thoughts
The high energy costs faced by industrial manufacturers significantly burden their operating budgets. We have provided various tips to help you save money on your energy bills.
Moreover, our guidelines will help reduce carbon emissions at the same time while keeping your business running smoothly. Implementing these steps at once might be challenging because they may affect your production. But we must all do our part to reduce global warming.
Sources
https://www.allumiax.com/blog/top-10-energy-conservation-techniques-electrical-perspective
https://www.yuenergy.co.uk/energy-saving-manufacturing-warehousing-logistics-guide/
https://blogs.constellation.com/energy-management/6-ways-to-reduce-industrial-energy-costs/
https://www.rowse.co.uk/blog/post/13-energy-saving-tips-for-manufacturers
Brittany
