Energy Cost-Cutting Strategies

Replace Less Efficient with More Efficient Device

While this strategy makes up a minor amount of the opportunities in a facility, it is the most commonly thought of approach. LED lighting replacement and high efficiency motor upgrades are two common examples.

Add a Custom Feedback Sensor and Control to Adjust to What is Actually Needed

This strategy is a large opportunity area, but under-pursued because it takes project development time and expertise. Lighting sensor-control systems tend to be plug and play, so they a common example of this opportunity. Product quality improvement tends to be a side effect of this type of control.

Measure Realtime Energy per Unit Produced to:

Find the lesser efficient of two like processes and remedy lesser efficient
Find drops in efficiency and bring to peak efficiency at all times
Justify energy reduction per unit by increasing process throughput
Compare to theoretical to determine value of optimizing
Justify or avoid new equipment purchase

The barrier to this strategy has been the cost to meter the energy per unit produced. We have developed simple methods to both minimize metering cost and time. We can either perform this metering or provide the equipment for you to conduct this metering.

Recondition Equipment Not Working Efficiently

Equipment mismatch with the task being performed
Setup or adjustment done to function, not to perform well
Heat exchange surfaces fouled
Inputs to equipment too high or too low
Controls failed and now in manual mode

Energy cost often dominates the cost to own and operate a piece of equipment. Thrift often values doing what it takes to keep a piece of equipment performing and not making additional investment to maintain or repair. Usually the cost paid to get by is much higher than the cost to keep the equipment operating as designed.

Control Groupings of Equipment to Operate Most Efficiently

Use most efficient equipment first
Control loading to maximize efficiency
Improve heat rejection efficiency
Minimize idling equipment
Stabilize pressure to practical minimums

One barrier to this strategy is the common impression that devices have a fixed efficiency and run at the same efficiency regardless of their loading, inputs or outputs. A second barrier is that the existing system operation needs to be measured to justify addition of controls.

Better Manage Electrical Peak Demand Charge

Automatically perform a task during off-peak hours
Over cool during off-peak hours
Stabilize systems so short-term surge loads do not occur
Store ice during off-peak hours
Use demand limiting control for metal melting processes
Lengthen processing time when not on the critical production path
Use natural gas devices for peak setting loads
Automatically stagger simultaneous loads
Reschedule task to occur during third shift

Electrical peak demand gets set over 15-minute (most common) average electricity use periods. Demand management is simple but requires automated control together with basic routine oversight. With today’s facility staff fighting daily fires, the barrier is having someone whose pay is dependent on successful management of electrical peak demand.

Recover Available No-Cost Heating and Cooling

From existing processes
From exhaust gas
From easy to harvest outdoor air, water, or ground locations
For process preheating or precooling
For combustion air preheating
For space heating

Everyone is interested in the concept of free heating or free cooling. A common barrier is the expertise and metering to develop the heating/cooling math and equipment design to justify a heat recovery project.