Achieving Superior Plant Energy Performance Utilizing Real-time Data

Abstract

After years of attempting to streamline operations in an effort to reduce operational costs, many industrial manufacturers are turning to strategic energy management as a potential money-saving strategy. In their efforts, managers face a number of significant barriers such as low awareness and expertise, elevated financial hurdle rate, lack of capital allocation and procurement constraints. In addition, energy efficiency efforts may be hampered by traditional single point energy reduction methods such as reviewing utility bills, getting equipment upgrade suggestions from vendors or one-time energy audits. Research demonstrates that these techniques have neither the visibility nor continuity to achieve energy reductions that are consistent and persistent. With the right Best Practices, however, using new methodologies and technologies unavailable only a few years ago, enterprises can achieve dramatic energy reductions and their resulting cost savings. These Best Practices are founded on 1) application of a systematic methodology for understanding where energy is used and how to reduce it; and 2) achieving visibility into sufficiently granular real-time information on key performance indicators; 3) integrating new technology into overall corporate strategy and processes to change behavior.