You might not realize it, but you could be spending more money than you should. Your manufacturing facility could be wasting energy, which can quickly add up when you are paying the bills. You must make your manufacturing company energy-efficient so that you can save money and also conserve the environment.
Here are some ways you can reduce the industrial energy costs in your company.
Get an Energy Management Team
If no one is overseeing the energy consumption and costs, then you will be wasting precious money and resources. It would help if you got an energy management team to help you save more. When it is clear who is in charge of conserving energy, it will be easier to start the energy management process. You can ask each department to have a representative to offer knowledge to your energy management team to make their jobs easier.
Conduct Regular Audits
You can ask facility experts and an energy audit guidebook to help you perform an in-house energy audit. However, most companies should opt to hire an energy specialist to perform the audit for them. That way, they will see when peak consumption times are throughout the year and how much energy every department is using. If you hire an energy specialist, they will also let you know what energy efficiency upgrades you should get.
Optimize the Air Compressors
You use energy daily. That means you should take a look at your air compressors. Typically, energy is used to make compressed air, and it could be a huge reason why you are wasting energy. The least that you can do is to make sure that your compressors are turned off when you are not using them — they can still use 40–70% of the full load even when you are not using them. Do not forget to check for air leakages and repair them quickly. You should also make sure that you replace the compressed air filter regularly.
Schedule Start-Ups and Shut-Downs
It would be best if you thought about the optimal time that you use your machinery. You can schedule a production floor shut down, which is when all of the machinery is turned off for a certain period of time, like off-shift periods and during the weekend. That way, you can significantly cut down your energy costs. You should also avoid turning on all the machinery at once — this can create a spike in your facility’s energy demand, which is why you should stagger the equipment start-up.
Basic Housekeeping
While the tips above are great ways to reduce energy costs, you should also do small things to keep your bills low. You should make sure that the lighting in the factory is shut off when no one is inside. To easily know what switch controls which light, you can label the switches. It would help if you also switched your old light bulbs for LED light bulbs. You should also make sure that the door seals work correctly if you have fridges in the facility.
Finding ways to reduce the energy you use will go a long way in helping your business as well as the environment. Be sure to follow the tips above to make your manufacturing company be more energy-efficient.
