3M is recognised as a world leader in energy efficiency, hands down. Since 2008, the company has reduced energy use by 32%. This result by far exceeds the 20% reduction goal, aspired by many companies. How does 3M work with energy? What can other companies learn from their experience? I brought these questions to [...]
As an energy manager you work hard to keep energy cost in check. But do you get due recognition of results? A typical energy manger has to master lots of skills: come up with energy efficiency ideas, evaluate dozens of offers on energy saving tools, products and services, manage contractors, oversee implementation of energy conservation [...]
During a recent meeting with prospect's CFO this exact question has come up: How much energy will energy audit save our bakery? A fair question coming from CFO: his job is to ensure that all investments generate value for the company. A direct question deserves a direct answer: Energy Audit will save you nothing. [...]
My friend Andrew once learned that he was paying twice as much for electricity than his neighbour across the street. Similar house, similar family, similar lifestyle, same utility ... but neighbour paid $200 a month, while Andrew paid $400. So Andrew decided to tackle the issue. He invited a utility rep to do a walk [...]
This post continues the Learning from the Big series about the ways big industrial companies of Ontario deal with energy management. I spoke with Michael Cortese, Energy Manager of ArcelorMittal Dofasco, located in Hamilton. Role of utilities in your business? Utilities are the major cost; they comprise 20%–25% of the direct costs of production. The [...]
Starbucks is looking for a savior. Starbucks is having trouble meeting its goal to reduce energy use by 25 percent by 2015, according to its recently issued annual sustainability report. Last year, the company improved its energy performance only 4.6 percent over its 2008 baseline, using 6.49 kWh/square foot per store in the U.S. and [...]
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 [...]
GreenQ Partners analyzed natural gas consumption at Weston Bakery Sudbury. This article presents partial simplified results of this analysis. Gas was metered at oven level at uneven monthly billing intervals; production was reported every 28 days; weather data was provided by NASA on a daily basis. We visited bakery to link numbers to actual [...]
A lot is being said about the need to manage energy. Many of our contacts seem confused about this idea and often do not know where to start. Here is a relief: energy management is first of all management, all rules apply. To demonstrate we will project management ideas to energy context. Energy prices are [...]
