best practices in energy management

26 01, 2023

How do you know if your energy retrofit has delivered results promised by the vendor?

By |2023-10-26T11:12:49-04:00January 26th, 2023|Categories: Energy management|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Let me tell a story without naming names. I believe it to be very typical for the Ontario market. Some business was convinced they had the most energy efficient operations in the world. Why wouldn't they be if they had installed energy-efficient equipment provided by the reputable vendor? However, an old owner had a [...]

5 10, 2020

Use of average energy intensity can hide savings or show fake savings

By |2020-10-01T18:19:05-04:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , |0 Comments

A common way to determine energy intensity in manufacturing is to divide energy cost by production volume, resulting in kWh per car or m3 per pound of bread. This simplistic approach may hit energy manager where it hurts the most - at evaluation of completed projects. A good well-implemented project may show dismal savings [...]

24 09, 2020

5 simple steps to decide if it’s time to recommission

By |2020-09-24T16:23:55-04:00September 24th, 2020|Categories: Energy management|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Performance of every piece of machinery degraded with time. This may cost your plant thousands of dollars in lost production, rejects, and energy. Recommissioning can solve this problem, but it costs time and money. When is recommissioning worth the effort? Energy costs of performance degradation Degradation may be caused by a wide range of [...]

22 04, 2020

3 lessons and 5 mistakes of IIoT projects

By |2021-02-10T15:58:57-04:00April 22nd, 2020|Categories: Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Sam Hoff, president of Patti Engineering. suggests to start collecting data only after one has identified the problem. See IIoT project success: First identify the problem, then begin collecting data. I think he meant to say "problem area", because if you know what the problem is - you do not need more data, you need [...]

23 03, 2020

#10. Energy audit saved $125,000 CAPEX

By |2020-06-03T10:33:15-04:00March 23rd, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Reduction of air exhaust from refrigerated room reduced cooling load and eliminated need for refrigeration plant upgrade

11 03, 2020

How much money is at your ‘energy waste’ account?

By |2020-06-03T10:33:15-04:00March 11th, 2020|Categories: Energy Efficiency Tips, Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Situation Doing nothing is an investment decision too. Investment with a guaranteed return of nothing. Here is a common conversation at a manufacturing plant: Me: … Implementation will cost you $5K and save $15K within 12 months. Maintenance manager: So we save $10K?  Not much for our plant. Besides, I do not make investment [...]

9 03, 2020

#8. Energy audit busts ‘Nothing to save, Everything is automated’ belief

By |2020-06-03T10:33:15-04:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

A common objection to doing an energy audit is that 'Everything is fine'. This is rarely the case. Here are two examples when audit uncovered saving opportunities that clients did not know existed because they believed everything was in perfect state already. Efficient equipment does not equate to efficient operation. Sanitation staff turned [...]

2 03, 2020

#7. 4 sources of energy waste at plants with efficient machines

By |2020-06-11T11:53:09-04:00March 2nd, 2020|Categories: Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

A common belief is that if plant is equipped with efficient machines it runs efficiently. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Efficiency of components does not equate to efficiency of the whole plant. Common reason for utility waste by efficient machines: Misuse: compressed air used instead of blowers or for cooling, oversized motors, excessive [...]

24 02, 2020

#6. 6 beliefs about energy efficiency busted by energy audits

By |2020-06-03T10:33:15-04:00February 24th, 2020|Categories: Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

We often hear: "Our plant runs at top energy efficiency because we use these procedures and settings and our efficient equipment is fully operational." Just how often is this true? With all due respect to maintenance and operational staff, recommendations of a proper energy audit are based on direct observation of operations and lots [...]

18 02, 2020

#5. How to reduce energy cost when CAPEX is limited

By |2020-06-03T10:33:15-04:00February 18th, 2020|Categories: Energy Efficiency Tips, Energy management, Energy management education|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

A lot of energy costs can be saved at manufacturing plant without CAPEX.

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