Meters in Industry: why installation alone does not guarantee energy efficiency

We at Mitsidi are categorical. Energy meters do not yield results if the information they generate is not used.

Much is said about the implementation of these items that measure the energy consumption of the equipment in which they are installed. The few industries that have sub-metering systems are proud to say that they know exactly how much they spend.

One of the main actions for those who want to save energy is to control consumption, after all, “you can’t control what you don’t measure”. Current meters are capable of reporting much more than just how many kW are consumed in each process. They often also present specific data such as power factors and third and fifth order harmonics. However, having consumption data in isolation does not bring energy efficiency or cost reduction. Knowing the consumption of your equipment and not transforming this information into actions that reduce the amount of energy consumed makes meters nothing more than expensive toys in the hands of maintenance professionals. Edward Borgstein explains: “Consumption information without planning actions for improvement is just curiosity. Energy management”. On the other hand, an effective strategy for achieving energy efficiency is knowing how to compare consumption in different production conditions and identify the relationships between consumption and production. “If production variations do not present a good demonstration with energy consumption, the industry manager probably has a problem,” says André De Dominicis. Energy benchmarking is an essential practice in management. By comparing your consumption with other industries in the same sector, it is possible to analyze what level you are at and where you can reach with certain measures.

Conclusion

Incorporating meters is an important step in a series that provides energy efficiency. More important than buying meters to know your own consumption and map it, is talking to energy efficiency experts and understanding what point your energy management is at.

It is necessary to reevaluate the measurement process and data and verify whether innovative measures are sufficient or can be improved, closing a cycle of continuous improvement.