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Energy efficiency: lessons learned (consultant prospective)
This item is part of the Energy Efficiency - Fall 2019 SPECIAL ISSUE, click here for more
Energy efficiency: lessons learned (from a consultant prospective)
The market is blessed with a robust list of energy related solutions:
- Monitoring consumption online
- Retrofitting (lighting, motors & drives, thermal insulation, etc., etc.)
- Cost arbitrage (electric power, gas, biomass, etc.)
- On-site generation and cogeneration
- Off-site power projects
- Behavioral options
- Power contracting (time of use rates, deregulated options, etc.)
- Higher voltage access to the public grid
- Power factor improvement
- Etc., etc.,etc.
But then, what to do?
There are basically two types of approaches. The most common is a for a technical guy to come up with suggestions before a manager. Then a decision is made to go for it or not. The really cost effective and more powerful one is a CEO, a COO or a VP set up a "business case" for the energy account. Come up with a strategic plan and an associated operational plan to "make it happen" and then allocate managers and technical guys to "go for it".
In my experience the latter is the one that really has the potential to achieve and sustain excellence. Simply put because it is associated with a structured decision making process.
The moral of the story, after 30 years as an energy consultant, technically speaking cost reductions are easy to identify. From a business prospective it is about the upper management "commitment" (and not only "involvement") because at stake are technical, financial, risk and management issues to be considered. This is the real challenge - always!
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