Assessing Plant Performance for Energy Savings

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Assessing Plant Performance for Energy Savings

• Elizabeth Dutrow
• ENERGY STAR
• dutrow.elizabeth_at_epa.gov

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Todays discussion

• Critical foundation for plant assessments
• a strategic energy management program
• Background on assessments
• Resources for assessments

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Energy management

• Can be
• Informal
• Decentralized, not centrally coordinated or
  managed
• Project-oriented, not program-oriented
• Cyclical (i.e. in the support a company gives)
• Thus, many companies
• Miss important savings opportunities because they
  lack a means for addressing energy use across the
  corporation

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Effective energy management

• Organizations achieving the greatest results
  have
• A top-down commitment to energy management
• A commitment to continuous improvement
• Embraced an approach that integrates energy
  management across all aspects of the business
• Management systems in place
• A system to regularly assess and track energy
  performance
• Set measurable performance goals
• An effective reward system for energy performance
• An empowered energy staff

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Guidelines For Energy Management
Practical approach based on the success of major
U.S. corporations www.energystar.gov
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Guidelines For Energy Management
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Plant assessment

• An evaluation of the actual performance of a
  plants systems and equipment against the
  designed performance level or best available
  technology/practice. The difference is the
  potential for energy savings.
• A critical part of an energy management program
• Looks for opportunities to improve the bottom
  line of a company
• Without assessments, an energy management program
  would have difficulty identifying energy savings
  and would fail to show improvement.

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Examples of assessments

• 1. Low-hanging fruit walkthrough
• Limited in duration, cost to company, focus
• Often a corporate team
• Can be done anytime
• Findings
• basic (eg. idle equipment)
• impact may be immediate since often adjustments
  can be made on-site
• May be limited by expertise of team
• Toyotas treasure hunts

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Examples of assessments

• 2. Support system review
• Systems that support process are evaluated
• eg. compressed air, motors, steam, etc.
• May be a corporate team supplemented by expertise
  for major support systems
• Slightly higher cost for expertise
• Limited time, although longer duration than a
  walkthrough
• Good specific findings for utility systems
• Good design to extend to multiple plants in a
  company
• lessons learned best practices shared
• Value of potential savings greater than a
  walkthrough, no capital required at times for
  certain findings
• May be limited by those systems not covered
• California Portlands compressed air study

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Examples of assessments

• 3. Process/yield studies
• Detailed, full site review often precipitated by
  company desire to increase plant yield
• energy a part of the review
• modeling critical to study
• often a rare chance to impact energy in this way
• Can extend to months in duration
• Usually external expertise on team
• More costly but likely greater savings potential
  here
• Can address all major and supporting systems and
  touch on process
• ExxonMobil

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Observations of outcomes

• Each approach can identify energy savings.
• Nature of the outcome will differ depending upon
• time invested
• expertise of team
• extent of areas examined
• resources available to conduct the assessment and
  to make changes

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Challenge implementing the findings of an
assessment

• For assessment results that require investment in
  capital
• secure support from senior management
• incorporate within the business plan or as part
  of the operating budget
• For low cost/no capital-required projects
• ensure steps identified in assessment are
  incorporated into the energy management action
  plan (with goals, timeline, and accountabilities)
• For projects that require labor to manage the
  improvement project
• short-term contractor, ESCO
• students

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Your internal resources

• Internal
• employees
• in-house expertise with process and plant
  operation
• presents buy-in opportunity for plant engineers
  and plant managers

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External supports

• Private consultants
• Utilities
• Department of Energy
• Best Practices resources
• ENERGY STAR
• Focuses for select industrial sectors

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ENERGY STAR Focuses

• By specific industrial sector
• auto assembly, cement, corn refining, brewing,
  pharmaceuticals
• Focuses produce
• Energy performance indicators (EPIs) for plants
  in the sector EPIs help a company identify
  plants that need work
• Energy guides - report opportunities for
  improving energy efficiency in the industrys
  plants now - good for use in assessments
• For more information on an ENERGY STAR Focus
  www.energystar.gov/industry

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Current Energy Guides
Motor Vehicle Assembly
Breweries
Corn Wet Milling
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www.energystar.gov

• ENERGY STAR emphasizes the development of strong
  energy management programs supported by plant
  assessments.