Date: 2008-10-03
By Gene Wengert
Q: We are a medium sized plant and our energy costs are
rising too fast. Can you direct us to someone that can help us
with an unbiased energy audit?
A: If you run a small to medium sized manufacturing company
with gross annual sales below $75 million with fewer than 500
employees, you may be especially interested in the Department
of Energy's Industrial Assessment Center's "Energy and waste
assessment program." These IAC assessments are a no cost,
onsite visit to your plant to identify potential savings
opportunities. A team of engineering faculty and students in
your area (26 universities participate) assesses your plant and
recommend efficiency improvements.
In addition to the DOE, your local power company is very
interested in having you save energy, especially during peak
use periods. They often conduct free assessments of electrical
power use.
The peak load for the electric company determines when they
have to build new plants, install larger power lines and
transformers. If you look at your electric bill, you will find
that your power consumption is usually only half of your bill.
The other half is the peak power demand. Your peak demand is
measured by a separate electric meter that measures how much
power you use over a 30-minute time period. The peak is often
reached on a cold winter day when the heat is on, all the
equipment is running and most of the lights are on. Once your
peak is determined, it will stay with you for the rest of the
year. (Actual details vary from one electric company to
another.) You might want to consider getting a demand meter
that when a certain peak level is reached, it will not let you
exceed that demand. It automatically reduces demand by turning
off one or two heavy-electrical pieces of equipment. (
Note:
You cannot reduce your peak demand by so-called
"stagger-starting" of motors.) One company I visited, turned
off the kiln fans when demand was too high; this resulted in
extended drying time, which probably cost more than the energy
saved. Be careful when considering what equipment you will shut
off when you reach your peak demand level.
Another note:
Some electric bills have a special charge called the reactive
factor. This factor can be reduced with prudent use of
capacitors. Check with your utility company for advice. Some
capacitor sales people have not been "accurate" in their claims
in this area.
Gene Wengert, "The Wood Doctor," has been training people
in efficient use of wood for the past 35 years. He conducts
many short courses and has written hundreds of practical
articles and books covering all aspects of converting logs into
lumber and lumber into finished products. He is presently an
extension specialist emeritus at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Fax your questions to him at 847.390.7100 or
e-mail to wooddoc@uwalumni.com.
Updated: Oct 03, 2008
This article appeared in FDM, October 2008. ©Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved.