An old adage goes that an engineer keeps working even standing in line to pay for beer. This certainly came true during my last vacation at a small resort by a warm sea. Several energy-related observations I made there illustrate what is commonly happening in industrial setting back home and provide actionable lessons. Following these [...]
When it comes to choosing bulb replacement technology in industrial environment even an extensive comparison of technical characteristics of LED and T8 hardly brings a clear winner. Choice depends on many considerations. We would like to resolve the competition comparing the total cost of ownership in Food & Beverage industry. Let me reiterate that commercially [...]
IESO has announced the transition of incentive programs to utilities. How will this transition affect industrial and commercial companies? Message from provincial electricity authorities is reassuring: at Toronto Hydro most programs will continue in the similar format, incentive application process is expected to become faster and easier. Conservation incentive programs past 2015 Programs to be [...]
This post continues our mini-series Learning from the Big - interviews with energy managers of big manufacturers with operations in Ontario, Canada. I spoke with Andrew Hejnar, Energy Manager at 3M Canada. What is the history of energy efficiency at 3M? First Energy Group at 3M (USA) was formed in 1974, by the mid-70s a position of [...]
If water is part of your recipes or your plant runs an absorption cooling tower you likely pay for sewage service you do not use. With some effort your plant may decrease water bill without changing production processes. Water service is not cheap any more Water used to be cheap in Canada. Not any more: [...]
Though this question has accounting flavour, implications of answer may have vital importance to an industrial bakery: several cents per kilogram or dozen may mean the difference between winning or losing a huge order from a brand name client. Let’s take a closer look on major cost components to find out what a plant manager [...]
Answers to many questions about energy management have been compiled by Leonardo Energy - a European portal devoted to energy management and titled "The Global Community for Sustainable Energy Professionals" . The list somewhat "gravitates" towards new certification program - Superior Energy Performance, but an interested reader will always find useful information anyway :) Here are [...]
Dear visitors, we welcome you to our blog. We write for owners, business and financial managers, energy engineers, who want to find ways to benefit their Business, Clients and Environment through energy management. From our experience we can assure you: energy management will help you can gain much more than just reduce energy costs. [...]
It’s long been known that reducing electricity use through efficiency is cheaper than having to generate more power to meet rising demand. A recent reportfrom the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy puts numbers behind that claim. “Why build more expensive power plants when efficiency gives you more bang for your buck?" said Maggie Molina, author [...]
Finding energy saving opportunities can be fun if done right. It can be enjoyable and productive. Direct and indirect business benefits typically result from noticing where energy can be used better or used less: at industrial setting energy is meant to be used to produce something by powering machinery, when machinery does not produce the [...]
