How to be energy efficient in factories

How to reduce energy and use it sparingly in Factories 

Reducing energy usage in factories lowers your electricity bill. It also reduces the risk of load shedding. In this article, we list what could cause hefty power bills. We then give ways on how to use energy more efficiently in factories.

The biggest energy consumers in Africa are businesses in the industrial sector. There are many ways they can save on energy usage.

Before we have a look at how to save energy, we need to realise what parts of factories are consuming the most:

• Compressed Air Systems may have leaks – Leaks can be a rather large source of wasted energy in an industrial compressed air system,
• The equipment could be old – old material is prone to use power inefficiently
• The electronic equipment could be running 24/7 – Many factories have no choice but to run machines constantly
• Constant lighting may also be a culprit – Many factories keep their lights on at all times.

Now that you know what the typical culprits are, let’s carry on with some methods on increasing energy efficiency.

Hire a Facility Manager: 

Sometimes, workers are too busy with work-related activities to think of other things like energy conservation. You can hire a manager who would ensure that energy wastage is minimised. This manager can monitor how energy is being consumed to avoid further wastage.

Lighting

Turning lights off remain an easy way to save on energy. It’s surprising to see how often lights are left on. Even when nobody is in the lit area, this problem is made worse when employees go in and out of industrial buildings.

It’s a good idea to include lighting systems that make adjustments based on the room’s natural light. You can install day/night switches to control your lighting automatically. Day/ night switches are efficient energy savers. They are inexpensive too.

Turn off and run devices only when required

Switch off machines and equipment when not in use. Walking through your factory after-hours and ensuring equipment is switched off. This can result in significant savings and load reduction over time. It can increase energy efficiency too.

It is advised to reduce the operating pressure of your air compressor. Turn it off entirely when not using it. Compressed air accounts for 10 per cent of industrial power usage.

Reduce closing door delay

Automatic doors are great for manufacturing businesses, which require a cold space for storage. Having these types of doors saves on energy. They use a time delay to close the doors.

Companies can use their energy more efficiently by reducing the close delay on the doors. This limits the frequency of cool room access as far as its practical.

Air conditioning and heating

According to Siemens, temperature control devices use around 20 to 40 per cent of a building’s energy.

Newer temperature control systems are more efficient than old ones. It may be worthwhile having systems more than ten years old replaced. Both blow heaters and portable radiators use large amounts of electricity and cause high power bills. Discourage their use.

You should set air conditioners and heaters to optimum points during the relevant seasons. Not too low in the warmer months. Not too high in the colder months.

Setting the temperature to around 25 degrees could cut your office’s daily air-conditioning energy consumption by 18 per cent,’ ABC reports. 

Insulation

Insulation acts as a barrier against temperature changes. This makes it much easier to keep the factories warmer in winter and cooler in summer. By installing insulation in the roof, you can reduce your electricity bill further. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to make your workplace more energy-efficient.

Hire Alpha Power to do an energy audit for you

We are trained to look through your factory and offices. We come up with ideas for helping you cut your energy consumption rates. Energy auditors offer effective solutions.

Alpha Power Solutions provides simple recommendations and expert estimations by using state of the art test equipment for your energy audit. This is aimed at yielding an attractive  ROI by improving the power factor of your installations.

We use a combination of findings from both the visual inspection and data gathered to create detailed audit reports.

You can also use our simplified calculator to calculate the required investment in PFC equipment, your potential savings as well as the payback period, and net profit.

As a corporate member of the Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC), as well as associate member of the Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa (ECASA), we trust that we are in the best position to give you and your business the energy efficiency knowledge and savings you need. Contact us for any other questions we haven’t covered.