Every time an energy productivity project comes up for approval, the requestor is confronted with the task of preparing the story that supports the resource requests. This near final step is arguably among the most important, and one that is all too frequently neglected. Approval will only be given when the basic understanding of the energy proposition is high, the benefits are clear, the risks are seen as acceptable, and the business’ other priorities are not jeopardized. How well do we prepare the stories for this critical step?
By its very nature, energy, like safety, touches all parts of the business and its operations. The more integrated the energy productivity request, the wider and deeper will be the impact. It will also be more likely to set the company on the path to breakthrough energy performance and significant competitive advantage. As a result, approval to proceed will be decided by multiple leaders, irrespective of the formal management chain.
Some of these managers will have a technical background, some not. Some will believe that energy is a relatively unimportant, purely operational aspect of business. Some will have deeply held views about the importance of energy opportunities and risks to the business. Others will see powerful environmental imperatives, and others will be climate skeptics. One interesting dynamic is that almost everyone seems to have strongly held options about energy, irrespective of their knowledge levels.
Most corporate energy managers arrive at their positions via a technical route of some kind. This background obviously serves well as long as the energy projects being considered are essentially upgrades of the existing structures, require relatively modest resources, have low technical risks, and have high returns at today’s energy costs. Motor retrofits, boiler and compressor upgrades, and similar projects are typical in this category. The final decision makers for projects like these are also likely to be technically oriented, and, as long as the story is well prepared in its technical and cost details, approvals will be forthcoming.
In a similar way, focused retrofit projects that anyone can appreciate with a minimal understanding of energy can speed through even a non-technical approval process. Retrofitting efficient lighting is the classic in this category. The benefits are easy to understand. In many ways, it is what people are doing in their own homes, just written a little larger.
While important, implementing a stream of projects like these will rarely create energy performance clearly superior to the company’s competitors, unless it’s part of a much bigger story.
