Strategic energy management through measurement

Operational efficiency in process control and industrial applications has been and is an important goal for plant operators and engineers. In today's landscape, rising utility costs and widespread eco-conscious initiatives place a new spotlight on energy savings in plants. Plant personnel are tasked with uncovering the ways to save and be resourceful while maintaining safety, quality, reliability and uptime.

Measure it to monitor it

Utilities are a necessary expenditure, but there are many opportunities for savings which help with operational costs and meet environmental stewardship targets. However, proper energy management requires accurate data capture and analysis. None of this is possible without reliable instrumentation to monitor plant processes and utility consumption. This information empowers personnel to establish baselines, monitor process efficiency, identify opportunities for savings and optimize operations.

Plant personnel can reduce operating costs by saving energy wherever possible. However, do personnel know how much energy is actually being consumed in the plant? Implementing an energy management plan with the right instrumentation can resolve this issue along with other challenges.

There are many areas for potential savings in key utilities and their applications like:

• Steam consumption
• Compressed air
• Heating
• Cooling
• Boiler efficiency

These are common process inputs for plant operation in many industry sectors, and vast quantities of energy are expended in the production and distribution of these utilities. This is why identifying opportunities for consumption reduction in plant processes is so critical.