Part of Energy Management Network »
Load Management Group
In partnership with PLMA, this group is for practitioners from energy utilities, solution providers, and trade allies to share load management expertise and explore innovative approaches to program delivery, pricing constructs, and technology adoption.
Post
Legacy Energy Management, Energy Management Legacy - Difference Between The Two
image credit: ID 99551622 © Stockbakery | Dreamstime.com
This item is part of the Special Issue - 2019-01 - Predictions & Trends, click here for more
Here's the difference between the two:
Legacy Energy Management
Think of the term, legacy software. This term describes software that is outdated and on its way out. Like legacy software, legacy energy management is energy management that sooner or later will be obsolete and out of date. Some energy managers think that if they can get that one big project approved by senior management and successfully installed, that big shiny piece of hardware will be their energy management legacy. Unfortunately, big shiny pieces of hardware, although they might be valuable for a number of years, eventually become legacy energy management.
Your access to Member Features is limited.
Already Member? Sign In.
New to Energy Central?
Applying for membership with Energy Central allows you to connect with a network of more than 200,000 global power industry professionals.
So how do you leave a legacy without becoming one?
Energy Management Legacy
An energy management legacy is one that changes the organizational culture at the highest levels. An energy management legacy makes efficiency and sustainability permanent priorities, so that when one project has been completed, the organization is still moving forward to continue to drive down energy consumption and continue to seek out the most energy-efficient means possible.
So how can you get from a project-centered energy management focus to an integrated, company-wide commitment?
What you have to do is to consistently demonstrate the value of energy efficiency, because at the end of the day, the priorities in organizations are based upon the value to the organization. Equate energy efficiency with net positive value. And it’s not just bottom-line dollars—it could be value expressed in other ways like:
- increased public recognition
- a greener public image for your organization
- increased building value
The bottom line is that you want to equate net positive value with energy efficiency. This is often achieved through a written commitment to continuous improvement. If you read the ISO 50001 Energy Management Guide, it’s all about the cycle: planning, implementing, following up, and then making adjustments that feed back into the plan.
Example: Kroger
Take the Kroger Company as an example. Kroger is the largest U.S. grocery retailer. They’re the 23rd largest company in the U.S. in revenue —about $100 billion a year in revenue, the second largest retailer behind Walmart, and the fifth largest retailer in the world. Kroger as been in business 131 years and has 375,000 employees. They are a very significant organization.
So what have they done in energy management? Kroger has left a legacy. When you compare Kroger’s current energy use to their energy use in base year 2000, they’ve driven down their rate of energy use per square foot by almost 35 percent. They’ve implemented many technologies to do that —cutting-edge technologies and building controls and refrigeration controls. And they have adopted EnergyCAP software for their utility bill management and cost avoidance calculations. Kroger already has 557 ENERGY STAR-rated stores.
How did Kroger do this, and how do they continue to do this?
Continuous Improvement
Kroger's success is due primarily to a strategy of continuous improvement. Since energy management has become part of the corporate culture they've adopted:Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA). In other places, this cycle of continuous improvement is called PIFA: Plan-Implement-Followup-Adjust. If you read the ISO 50001 Energy Management Guide, continuous improvement is the guiding principle. ISO 50001 is non-specific. It doesn’t say, “In order to be an effective energy manager, you have to do this project and that project and you have to install this technology.” It avoids naming measures or technologies. But it is specific about the cycle: Planning, implementing, following up, and then adjusting, using what you’ve learned and feeding that knowledge back into the plan. Then doing this over and over, so that the organizational philosophy becomes a process of continuous improvement.
If Kroger can do it, why not you?
Thank Rob for the Post!
Energy Central contributors share their experience and insights for the benefit of other Members (like you). Please show them your appreciation by leaving a comment, 'liking' this post, or following this Member.
Discussions
Spell checking: Press the CTRL or COMMAND key then click on the underlined misspelled word.
Related Special Issue Content
Predictions & Trends for 2019
Get Published - Build a Following
The Energy Central Power Industry Network is based on one core idea - power industry professionals helping each other and advancing the industry by sharing and learning from each other.
If you have an experience or insight to share or have learned something from a conference or seminar, your peers and colleagues on Energy Central want to hear about it. It's also easy to share a link to an article you've liked or an industry resource that you think would be helpful.
Your access to Member Features is limited.
Sign in to Participate