The UK government did offer support to manufacturers to help ease the costs of power, but many businesses still had to find ways of reducing production in order to cut energy costs.
In this post, we discuss some things you as a manufacturing business can do to help mitigate rising power costs.
Take advantage of off-peak hours
As a manufacturer, it is likely that you are running energy-intensive processes throughout any part of the day, not just between normal working hours. Considering this, then, you should strongly consider having a utility company that offers lower rates during off-peak periods and flexible tariffs (if you do not have these, head over to our price comparison tool and shop for a new flexible tariff now.)
You should then schedule the use of energy consuming machinery for off-peak periods. This will help you reduce your energy bills without losing out on production needs. Part of this may require you to also produce your products on demand – or when you have strong sales demand for your products at particular times. This will help you reclaim energy expenditure and determine the cost effectiveness of your production process.
Yes, this all may require precise and careful planning and scheduling, but it will pay off in the end with lower energy bills.
If you need help in scheduling your production needs during off-peak hours, contact our sister company, ClearVUE Systems, which offers business energy and sustainability consultancy services.
Keep motors motoring efficiently
Motor systems are found in processing equipment, HVAC systems, air compressors, and much more. It is crucial to keep these different motor systems running efficiently, achieving this by either regular maintenance or complete upgrades.
Beforehand, you will want to locate, identify, and document all motor systems in your facilities. Note their conditions and specifications to help you with the upkeep or replacement needs as required. After the motors are either replaced or repaired, monitor their performances to see if any energy cost savings have been made.
Consider installing adjustable-speed drives (ASD) or variable-speed drives (VSD) to match speed to load requirements. This will ensure that motor energy for a particular process or machine is used optimally. From this, you may see energy savings anywhere between 5 and 60 percent.
Maintain compressed air
Compressed air is one of the least energy efficient systems as it requires tons of energy for compression and distribution. If you have compressed air systems in your facility, they should be used as minimally as possible. You should also monitor their performance very carefully over time.
As with any other machine or system, regular maintenance should be scheduled for compressed air units. Poorly maintained units have lower compression efficiency, and there will likely be an increase of air leakage or pressure variability.
Consider these suggestions to reduce the loss of energy from your air compressors:
Take care of those steam units, too
Steam – whether it is used for process heating, drying, concentrating, distillation, and driving machinery – requires regular efficiency improvements to ensure optimisation in production and energy savings. Consider the following steps to keep steam units running at their best:
More practical energy-saving tips
Here are other practical tips to follow that will help you save on energy costs and consumption: