MONITORING & METERING FEATURE
The right strategy to save energy
When it comes to saving energy a one size fits all approach just won’t do – plants need to take a
targeted approach which accurately monitors systems in order to achieve the most effective energy and cost saving potential, as John Mitchell, global sales & marketing director at CP Automation, explains
C
ash savings of up to 20% can be achieved through energy efficiency measures such as installing variable-speed drives (VSD) for fans, pumps and other motor
driven systems. But, a one size fits all take on energy savings is not the right approach. Under the ISO 50001 standard, organisations need to establish, implement, maintain and improve an energy management system. To make energy savings, a plant manager must first understand their facility’s energy
usage and, for this, a strategised approach is needed, with the first step being to measure the energy usage.
PORTABLE POWER AND ENERGY LOGGERS While many modern distribution and energy management systems incorporate energy monitoring and logging facilities, they may only have a limited amount of memory and are unable to store results over an extended period. In addition, many integrated monitors only store summarised data that does not provide the level of detail needed for effective energy optimisation. Portable power and energy loggers (PELs) are a cost-effective alternative. PELs, from
Chauvin Arnoux, for example, can be installed in several locations, with data from different processes or equipment available on a single screen. A real benefit of these modern devices is that equipment doesn’t need to be turned off and isolated during the installation process.
ENERGY AUDITS The next step is carrying out an energy audit. The data from the PEL will show where the most energy is being used in your plant and consequently where the most potential for energy savings can be found. The results from this will inform you of the type of improvements to implement and where. Energy saving opportunities can fall into two broad categories: those that relate to the
workplace environment, and technical aspects of the electricity supply. For example, a plant could improve the efficiency of the workplace environment by cutting down on unnecessary out-of-hours usage by switching to LED lighting with occupancy sensors. On the other hand, an energy audit may find that a motor is consuming a high amount of wattless or useless power. In this instance, power factor correction would need to be installed to reduce this wastage, without compromising the performance of the equipment. In addition to implementing energy savings, it’s also important to continually monitor
your system to ensure you’re getting ongoing energy improvements. Plants should also formulate a metering plan to measure and analyse energy usage over an extended period of time to assess whether the chosen energy efficiency measures have been effective or whether further improvements can be made. So, while there are several universal energy saving fixes, facilities need a targeted
approach which accurately monitors their systems to achieve the most effective energy and cost saving potential.
CP Automation
www.cpaltd.net
CONNECTINGINDUSTRY.COM/ENERGYMANAGEMENT
ENERGY MANAGEMENT | AUTUMN 2020
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