Until recently, little attention has been directed toward the energy usage or efficiency of industrial equipment or process systems. The electrical energy required by a particular system or process was usually considered “the necessary cost of producing that product”.
With today’s ever increasing energy costs and the necessity of reducing production costs wherever possible, attention is finally being focused on electrical equipment and processes in a search for potential savings.
There are virtually limitless ways to reduce energy costs, by selecting those with the most bang for the buck is the aim. The cost of implementing the scheme vs. the energy cost savings should be the deciding factor in choosing which methods to use. The key is to arrive at an overall solution that makes financial sense.
An energy audit is a systematic evaluation of a system’s operation and electrical characteristics to determine what, if any, electrical saving modifications might be made. The purpose of the audit is to locate areas of electrical inefficiency that might lead to a significant savings in energy costs. Such an evaluation should always be centered around maintaining the integrity of the product produced. In other words, any proposed changes must never adversely affect the product of the equipment.
Finding just the right combination of savings can require some ingenuity on the part of the field engineer doing the audit. He must become well accustomed with the operation of the equipment and think outside the box regarding possible improvements.
In short, these energy audits can yield rather large returns especially where rebates are available.
As a note, there are usually other benefits to implementing energy savings measures, such as reduced wear-and-tear on equipment and lower heating and therefore cooling bills.
Contact Southwest Industrial Electric today to schedule your audit!