To be effective energy management project must start with goals to be achieved, not tools and technologies available.

Managing energy has no meaning if it does not contribute to what your plant is doing. However profitable a project is, if it does not contribute to production, quality or safety, it will always be assessed on the basis of a simple payback, like as if company plans to close doors in a year or two.

To get attention in boardroom start with “Why?”– to increase production, improve quality, cut waste, etc., not with “What?” – to install VFD, LED, PLC, ABC, XYZ.

Asking for $10K to install meters has lower chance to secure funding, than offering to reduce waste by monitoring consumption at a $15K investment.

“Why?” must come before “What?”