Manufacturing energy use is generally described in three ways: onsite energy, process energy, and non-process energy. Onsite energy is generated by the company and is used by the company. Process energy (fans, motors, pumps, and air compressors) is used to convert raw material (inputs) into a product (outputs). Non-process energy is typically used for the facility independent of manufacturing operations such as lighting, HVAC, cooking, and hot water heating. The U.S. Manufacturing Sector Static Sankey diagram shows how total primary energy is used by U.S. manufacturing plants Sankey Manufacturing Diagram. The diagram helps you compare energy consumption across manufacturing subsectors.
As a manufacturer, you have two choices: perform your own assessment and establish an energy management system for your facility OR hire outside assistance. If you’re the facilities manager AND the owner, or you have a very complex mix of energy inputs (electricity, natural gas, liquid fuels, steam), outputs, and process energy and non-process energy, you may need to look outside for assistance. On the other hand, if you have staff who know your process well and can be trained in energy management, you may be able to manage your energy in-house.
Energy Assessments and Energy Management Systems The first step for in-house staff or hired consultants will be an industrial energy assessment. Once your process and facility have been examined, the next step is the development of an energy management system. An energy management system can help you monitor your energy usage on a real time basis so you can make quick decisions such as pulling a production line or making shift changes. For example, on a high grid demand day, you can shut down one production line to immediately see energy cost savings or you can compare production lines’ energy use to enable better assignment of costs to products.
We’ve provided tabs on the right for energy topics that may be helpful to you; but we’d like to suggest after reviewing those that you head to one of these much more in-depth sites described below that highlight manufacturing energy efficiency and offer more tools and resources to help you save energy, the environment and money.
Learn From Others There is a wide range of options available to you and you can decide the level of effort and resources you want to dedicate to an energy management system. Typically, with a top-down commitment energy management system, manufacturers experience energy and cost long-term savings and environmental improvements as a reward for their efforts. If you are interested in seeing what other companies have done, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency (U.S. DOE) and Renewable Energy has an interactive map you can click on to look up case studies at: Industry Success Stories .
Free Analysis - For a no-cost energy efficiency assessment (and/or pollution prevention assessment), the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) provides unbiased energy consumption analyses for small and medium-sized manufacturers. Inspecting motors, compressed air systems, lighting, building envelope, and boilers are all ways that PennTAP can help manufacturers identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce energy-related costs. The U.S. DOE Industrial Assessment Centers also provide no-cost energy assessments. Click here to find out more information: Industrial Assessment Centers.
Act, With Help - When you are ready to act, check with your electric utility. They may have a program to provide you with an energy efficiency assessment as well as incentives to implement the recommended energy conservation measures. Click here to find information about your utility and other financial incentive information: Financial Incentives
Act, On Your Own - If you want to implement an energy management system on your own, the Energy Star website provides tools and resources that make it easy for you to get started: EnergyStar
Go Deep on Energy Management - Lastly, for manufacturing businesses that want to explore a more robust energy management system, there are two options, ISO 50001, a standardized energy management certification program (for more information go to PennTAP, and U.S. DOE's Superior Energy Performance Program (SEP), that includes ISO 50001 certification as well as measurement and verification and recognition: Superior Energy Performance.