Up Time Magazine - February/March 2009 - (Page 9) “Studies have shown that a typical industrial facility wastes between 10 and 20 percent of the energy it uses.” T he definition of ‘Maintenance’ is: the upkeep of property or equipment. The definition of ‘Conservation’ is: the act of conserving or preserving; or helping reduce decay, waste or loss, i.e. prevention. Amazingly similar, aren’t they? In fact, in many ways, they can be considered one and the same when we examine business and industry. Every action item of a preventative and prescriptive maintenance program conserves the machines and mechanisms acted upon by the program, with the ultimate goal being highly reliable equipment. In addition, energy is conserved by programs and processes that promote the peak operating efficiency of regularly and properly maintained and serviced equipment. In other words, due to their very natures, high performing reliability programs conserve both equipment and energy, which saves money and, therefore, increases profitability. I breakdown energy conservation for my customers into two main components: the efficiency of an energy consuming device and use of operation of that device. There are only two ways to improve the energy efficiency of a piece of energy consuming equipment or lighting system. The first is by making the piece of equipment as efficient as possible and the second is to limit its use to only that which is absolutely necessary. Beyond that, you cannot do much more to conserve energy unless you replace an existing piece of equipment or lighting system with a more efficient one. A motor must move a mass, a heater must heat, a cooler cool and a light bulb light. After all, to move, to heat/cool or to light are the basic functions of all machines in industry. The various PM and reliability programs currently in place in many industrial facilities do a good job of reducing energy costs and prolonging the operating lifespan of the equipment. A good PM program will eventually remedy many of the losses in efficiency within a given energy system, however, not all opportunities to improve efficiency can be identified by a good PM program alone. A proactive approach to identifying further energy conservation opportunities must be taken to insure that optimal operational efficiency is maintained within a given plant or facility. Studies have shown that a typical industrial facility wastes between 10 and 20 percent of the energy it uses (DOE/EPA’s energystar.gov). So, where can you reduce your energy costs? You need to develop and implement an Energy Conservation Plan and Strategy. Much like any other continuous improvement process, a good Energy Conservation Program must take the form of a sustainable action plan that includes: a corporate-wide commitment, vigorous analysis, setting goals, creating and implementing plans, measuring and verifying results, updating strategies and celebrating your improvement all along the way. www.uptimemagazine.com 9 http://www.energystar.gov http://www.uptimemagazine.com
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