Looking Forward
Energy costs are increasing almost daily and we are in a volatile energy market for the foreseeable future. Companies need to understand that in order to stay competitive and even survive, they need to manage energy and equipment maintenance costs and future-proof utility expenditures.
These days making an investment into your facility and production equipment may not be very high in your list of business priorities…but it really should be. Here’s why.
Making an investment into your facility and energy infrastructure should be compelling because this goes beyond the drive for green energy, but for containing and strategizing with regards to energy and maintenance costs now and in the future.
What Can We Expect?
The headlines are filled with talk of energy volatility, political unrest and instability, and possible service disruptions due to cybercrime and extreme weather events, as well as soaring energy costs. All of these issues are driving transformation within the industrial sector. New technologies and the IoT (Internet of Things) are propelling large and small facilities alike to invest in more energy efficient equipment that will help to get energy costs under control.
State and federal regulations are also playing a part in companies becoming more energy conscious. As these regulations tighten because of climate change legislation, new industry standards, and the impetus for more sustainable, green practices, factories and other large facilities will have to comply or face financial consequences. Therefore, we are finding that there is much more awareness and interest across many industries to contain rising energy costs.
Making an Investment In The Future
This presents a financial opportunity for companies to satisfy more environmentally-conscious customers who wish to buy from companies that are taking sustainability and energy efficiency seriously.
Recently, we worked with a designer and manufacturer of specialized components for communication systems for unique environments in the space, cryogenics, telecommunications, and other industries. We focused on two main areas within the facility’s infrastructure: converting virtually all of their lighting to LED and adding some smart controls, and improving the efficiency of the HVAC rooftop units. Within the first six months after the measures were installed, reductions of 9.23% on electricity expenditures were observed, and a mean monthly reduction in Electric Demand (kW) of 9.60% was realized. Not only were pure reductions in consumption important, but also improving the quality of illumination overall, together with some specific light frequency requirements critical to their process. Working together, all of the objectives were achieved, and further reductions are expected going forward.
Sometimes performing an energy assessment on older equipment, lighting and HVAC systems can uncover ways in which the equipment can run more efficiently, with less maintenance at lower cost. Perhaps an energy infrastructure transition makes more sense for some companies so that the financial investment in energy efficiency is accomplished over a set period of time. By doing these types of evaluations now to control costs, a company can benefit in the long run by lowering utility expenditures and investing the savings, and possible tax incentives, into newer technologies or the bottom line.
In Summary
Investing in energy efficiency improvements should be viewed as an opportunity. Companies that invest in improving their energy infrastructure are working towards making a positive change for the future. We provide the data, the expertise and the opportunity to make better decisions. Now is the time for you to future-proof your company’s energy expenditures.