Golden Practices in Industrial Energy Management – Executive Summary of Energy Pathfinder Research Initiative report by CME
If you seek a list of low cost energy efficiency improvements in process energy management in manufacturing, then this post is for you. This post summarizes best practices for process energy management in selected industries as identified by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) through an Energy Pathfinder Research Initiative. The goal of this project was to identify and quantify low cost opportunities [...]
How to spot a lie in energy saving report
Managers and executives can benefit immensely from clarity about energy consumption and savings, as well as risk costly mistakes from its absence. Despite loud claims, most M&V systems create more confusion and delusion, than clarity. Here are recommendations on what to watch for in an M&V reports and software to avoid making costly investment mistakes. Vilnis Vesma, an energy efficiency [...]
How to help CFO approve your energy project and keep healthy margins?
Corporations routinely require energy projects to meet a 2 year simple payback threshold, which is another way of requesting a 50% return. Same corporations rarely enjoy returns in excess of 10% in their core business. Are CFOs mean to energy projects, plain stupid, or what? - Unlikely. Slow thinkers do not make it to corner offices. What's the reason then? The [...]
Which has to come first: Energy metering or Energy Audit?
Energy audit requires metered data. At least if client expects results that can be presented in the boardroom, not just general considerations. On the other hand, installation of meters takes time and money. On the third hand, if I had one, incentives on installation of meters are only available within M&T framework, which can logically come into play only after [...]
What is the value of saved kWh at your plant?
What is the value of saved kWh at our plant? This post continues the discussion about the $value of kWh, started in What is kWh worth at your plant. In that post we talked about effect of operational changes on cost of energy. Today we will talk about how value of energy efficiency projects shows at the bill. For those [...]
What is kWh worth at your plant?
A trivial question, which does not have a simple answer without the context. Consider a plant that in the last month used 1,000,000 kWh to produce 10,000 units and paid $15,000 for electricity. Does kWh cost $0.15? Is energy cost per unit $1.5? Yes, No and Maybe. Cost or value of a kWh depends on how this number will be [...]
Energy use monitoring is key to buying, selling and implementing energy efficiency projects profitably
Energy accounting is key to success of energy projects Selling, buying and implementing energy projects costs too much effort at both sides of the client-vendor divide, despite the best effort of professionals involved in the process. It does not have to. Why so many projects are either not sold, or not approved, or not recognised after implementation? Why [...]