Industrial Utility Efficiency
Compressed air is used in all the company’s plants and is often the single largest energy end use within them. As a result, compressed air energy-saving measures are often replicable across the company and offer significant positive impacts. One area of focus is with compressed air leaks since they are “the best low hanging fruit to focus on and they always keep popping up and waste energy”.
Reducing energy costs and pollution emissions involves many areas within an industrial facility. My studies have found 7 key (or common) areas where low cost practical projects can be implemented. Combined, these projects provide savings exceeding 10% of the annual energy spend of a typical industrial facility - with an average payback of less than one year.
The CFO asks the Corporate Energy Manager, “The numbers for this energy efficiency project look too good to be true - \$334,000 in annual energy savings requiring a \$89,000 investment (after the energy rebate) with a simple ROI of just 3 months?” “How do we know the reduction in kWh useage, which the energy auditor has promised, will actually happen?” “Why don’t we just deploy this same capital into a production project where we have more experience and confidence in the expected ROI?”
The recently hired Corporate Energy Engineer answers, “Those are the right questions to ask - we strongly believe in this opportunity for the following reasons.”
Finding the most effective, reliable and economical method for separating and concentrating die lubricant is no easy task for die casting plants – and the situation at the Metaldyne aluminum die casting plant in Twinsburg, Ohio was no different.
