Leah Friberg from Fluke in her article, "How to find industrial energy waste," explores how to draw up an ROI estimate when there is no industry standard for reasonable energy usage. As part of the story, we go a step further in one area and examine understanding energy waste points.
Every system and operation has the potential to be a point of waste that can be mitigated or remedied. Electrical subsystems, compressed air, steam, and specific electromechanical systems are a good place to start, but each operation has its own potential waste points that should be measured.
The goal is to map the energy use of specific equipment and processes to look at where energy is being wasted to quantify the waste and prioritize improvements or replacements based on life of the equipment and which modifications can deliver the best return on investment.
Energy mapping also provides a baseline from which to measure the effectiveness of energy saving projects to justify the cost.