How can you identify areas of your facility that are not meeting energy efficiency goals?

It is very important to review the energy bills which is the first step in identifying energy efficiency gaps in plant. Energy allocation and analyzing the energy usage patterns against the costs, you can identify easily the areas where you may be consuming more energy than necessary. Look for any abnormal spikes in usage or high costs for specific months. Additionally, breakdown of energy consumption by different plant units or areas in your plant is mandatory. This data can give you insights into which areas might be less energy efficient and in need of improvement. Optimization of the process parameter have significant positive impact on the energy consumption. Despite that in some case it is required to invest to improve the system.

Apart from simply reviewing your energy bills, given that a vast majority of electrical distribution equipment lacks connection to energy management software, effectively monitoring and analyzing energy consumption at your facility is key. Measuring and tracking your energy usage is crucial for optimizing energy consumption, enhancing process efficiency, and detecting power quality problems. Real-time energy monitoring allows for immediate identification of inefficiencies, enabling quick decisions to conserve energy and reduce load.

Uma boa métrica pode ser as compara??es de médias históricas de KW/h por R$, que seria o CE, sigla de consumo especifico, onde consigamos enxergar de forma macro, se existe uma discrepancia muito destoante. N?o menos importante é contabilizar se a estrutura elétrica, está adequadamente projetada para assegurar uma boa qualidade operacional.

The benchmark has to be defined as what is best performing or the best energy-performing building. Only then is it possible to understand the scale and how good or bad the evaluated building performs

It is often quoted: "You can not manage what you can not measure". Reviewing your energy bills is a good first step. Some countries, however, do not readily provide a comprehensive energy bill data so it may also be necessary to have back up data from SCADA or from the utility to establish load profile and demand patterns during operation and non-operation.

-Review plant energy bills, understanding daily routines, and identifying energy-consuming areas. -Conduct a thorough walkthrough of your plant to identify any visible energy inefficiencies. Such as air/water leaks, insulation gaps, and inefficient lighting. -Inspect the rooms sealing Poor insulation can lead to significant energy loss in HVAC systems. -Evaluate your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. -Analyze the lighting in your plant. Consider replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient options like LED bulbs. -Record your observations and recommendations for energy efficiency improvements. Determine which areas will provide the most significant impact and prioritize them accordingly.

Benchmarking is very useful in identifying areas which are not energy efficient. To make benchmarking process better and effective, energy managers/auditors should acquire real-time data of that system and then perform calculations to measure key metrics. Metrics like kW/m3/min for a compressed air system or kWh/m2 for an HVAC system can be compared with available literature and industry benchmarks.

Before implementing benchmarking tools, it's crucial to select benchmarks that align with industry standards and best practices. For coal facilities, this means gaining a deep understanding of the entire process, from raw materials to final outputs. You need to consider the specific technologies in use and ensure that every component operates as designed, providing the most reliable reference points. If you discover design issues during this evaluation, it's essential to conduct tests to identify the optimal operating parameters for your facility. This will allow you to address inefficiencies and ensure peak performance. By fine-tuning the system based on these tests, you can improve energy efficiency.

Start with the improvements that are within your budget and timeframe. Consider consulting with professionals for complex tasks or projects. Remember, conducting an energy audit can be a complex process, and it may be helpful to consult with energy auditors or professionals specialized in energy efficiency if you require further assistance.

Energy Management and Asset Performance Management systems allow the user to benchmark, monitor, and alarm on odd behaviors to the infrastructure of a facility. A user can also measure KPIs to enable them to act on variables falling outside of set goals and can also help to establish areas of best performance. Analysis can be done to find the best practices to apply to other areas/processes in a facility. Being able to measure against existing goals, while identifying areas of improvement, and being able to receive suggestions on improving efficiency, from software, is priceless when a facility cannot employ personnel to individually monitor each process.

You can cover most of your bases by utilising your BMS system. By adding a AI energy device like EcoPilot to the BMS. You can cover most of the points above "bar reviewing your bills". It's adaptive data analytics and AI programing will monitor, review and make minor adjustments minute by minute to all the BMS controls. The AI programed smart device (SIG) uses the data from the BMS, local weather data, IOT metering. Then by analysing all the data and AI self learning, it will maintain comfort levels in the building and at the same time, Save energy and Pinpoint failures. It also provids energy reports outlying savings. Along with analytics for proving system failure and helps to pinpoint maintenance requirements, for further savings.

A good structure in energy management system is the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. Planning covers the establishment of a comprehensive energy management policy, energy review (this includes baselining exercise at the start), setting enery performance indicators, and setting targets and action plans. A well-constructed energy plan will guide the implementation process as well as the verification of effectivity and progress of these action plans. Along the way, revisitation of the energy plan may be done especially using organizational and operational changes. This then becomes a cycle that ensures that the energy management system is continually improving.