Energy Management
Here’s a short quiz:
- T or F: Energy costs will rise next year.
- T or F: I know how much energy is costing my facility.
- T or F: My business uses energy about as efficiently as it can.
If you answered False to any of these questions, read on….
Energy costs are definitely going to increase next year, and the year after that. If you think about it, why wouldn’t they? Aside from escalating prices due to normal inflation, energy costs are bound to rise due to three main reasons:
- Most commercially-produced energy is from non-renewable resources. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
- Energy production is a dangerous business.
- Energy production has high environmental costs.
Consider electricity. Electricity is produced in commercial quantities either through burning coal or splitting atoms. Coal, while still abundant, is a non-renewable resource that is dangerous to extract (remember Quecreek?). It’s also perhaps the dirtiest source of energy, requiring massive air pollution controls. Nuclear energy has other problems (remember Three-Mile Island?).
What about Natural Gas? This is another non-renewable resource that, like coal, is relatively abundant. But it still has its supply-side swings, and a shortage this winter has experts thinking that the average household can expect to pay an additional $220 this heating season.
Well, there’s always Oil. Too bad most of it is in areas that are either environmentally sensitive, like ANWR, or in areas of the world that are not always politically stable, and require shipping across oceans.
The point is, with all of the trouble involved in harvesting energy, is it any wonder that it costs so much? And isn’t it a shame to waste such a precious resource?
But how do you determine if your facility is consuming energy efficiently? You require a certain amount of energy to make a product or deliver a service. Your energy costs are going to be what they are, right?
Well, yes and no. You want to get your biggest “bang for the buck”. You’re still going to keep the lights on, but why wouldn’t you want to keep them on for as little cost as possible?
The way to determine if your facility is consuming energy efficiently is to conduct an Energy Audit of your facility. An energy audit will identify those areas of your energy consumption where savings can be achieved. A good energy audit will highlight those Energy Conservation Opportunities that are available for little or no initial cost.
Remember…
You can’t manage what you can’t measure.
Contact IDEA for your energy management needs