Ideas For Improving the Energy Efficiency of Industrial Equipment

Industrial equipment usually forms part of a wider electric motor driven system used in agriculture, manufacturing, and mining. Main equipment includes air compressors, fans, process chillers, pumps and gas fired boilers. In this article, we provide ideas for improving the energy efficiency of this kind of equipment.

But first, let's talk about why you should be worried to make your industrial equipment more energy efficient?

The fact is, industrial equipment consumes a lot of energy; around half of the all industrial electricity used in Australia is consumed by motor driven systems. Improper equipment function can result in high energy waste on a national scale.

Unfortunately, for many companies, investing in a more energy efficient equipment is at the bottom of they priority list. The cost of electricity is generally only a small portion of their overall business costs, so their focus is on keeping the production line running.

Interventions like regulation could help minimize the problem, for example, establishing the minimum energy efficiency of a new equipment. A number of countries already regulate main industrial equipment through Minimum Energy Performance Standard, and a variety of initiatives could be easily adapted for Australia to lead better energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to saving significant amounts of energy, improving the energy efficiency of industrial equipment can also help reduce operating costs for business and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Research has reported that at least 20% of the energy used in motor systems today could be saved through energy efficiency improvements.

How can you improve the energy efficiency of industrial equipment?

Perform an energy performance test in all main equipment, if possible a test based on international standards. Main equipment includes fans, pumps, industrial chillers, air compressors and gas fired boilers;
Apply Minimum Performance Standards (MEPS) for main equipment;
Ensure you have the required disclosure of main energy performance data for use in equipment selection, system optimisation tools and for publication on publicity accessible websites;
To help your business identify the best performance equipment, define high energy efficiency levels within standards. This will also facilitate the introduction of government incentives to encourage the uptake of high-efficiency equipment for your company.

Depending on your equipment type, some of them might be subjected all the measures above while some of them might only be required to disclose energy performance data based on standard tests. For some equipment, it may be necessary to implement disclosure schemes and voluntary testing initially, and then later apply mandatory schemes.

Reference: https://www.revolutionindustrial.com.au/