Washington, DC, Nov. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five new case studies from the Global Superior Energy Performance (GSEP) Energy Management Working Group (EMWG) underscore the business value of implementing energy management systems (EnMS) and strategies. The case studies provide an in-depth look at energy management investments and outcomes for several companies in Australia and the United States. The case studies are the first in a series being published by GSEP, an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial, to promote energy management as an opportunity for organizations to significantly reduce energy use while maintaining or boosting productivity.
Energy management systems and strategies allow companies to understand their energy use and make rapid adjustments to increase efficiency. "You don't want to know next month, when your bill comes in, that you're not using energy efficiently," says Graham Bryant, National Environment Manager with Simplot Australia. "You want to know right now--so that you can do something about it."
In addition, the case studies highlight the role of energy management in verifying energy savings. The Nissan North America energy team notes, "More companies should be interested in third-party verification. We can now prove our savings."
The industrial and commercial sectors jointly account for approximately 60% of global energy use.1 Wide adoption of EnMS can deliver energy, economic, and sustainability benefits to companies, communities, and countries around the world.
The four Australian case studies detail a range of methods to increase energy productivity through energy optimization projects.
AngloGold Ashanti Australia has been working to improve the productivity of its extremely energy-intensive gold mining operations. The company optimized control of the crushing and milling circuit to save the company an estimated 50 gigajoules of energy annually. Learn more in AngloGold Ashanti Australia's case study.
BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina, a joint-venture bauxite mining and alumina refining project, is also targeting efficiency in mining operations. The company's use of an advanced process management system with multi-variable controls (MVCs) is expected to pay for itself (in terms of energy savings achieved) in seven months. Learn more in BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina's case study.
Simplot Australia introduced a program that aims to reduce plant energy intensity by 25% over a 10-year period. This case study focuses on Simplot's plant in Devonport, Tasmania, which uses more than 18,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year to produce frozen vegetables. The company upgraded the plant's refrigeration control system to include a variable-speed drive and variable-head-pressure control. As a result, refrigeration energy use has been reduced by up to 10% (depending on ambient conditions). Learn more in Simplot Australia's case study.
The University of Queensland expanded its energy metering system to support data analysis, leading the university to plan to improve the performance efficiency of its chillers by installing an optimization package. The university expects this change to reduce energy usage by 20% and save approximately $100,000 per year in energy costs. Learn more in the university's case study.
The case study from the United States examines the costs and benefits of implementing ISO 50001 as part of the U.S. Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program. This market-based plant certification program requires an industrial plant to implement an EnMS in conformance with ISO 50001 and make verified, sustained improvements in energy performance.
The Nissan vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, implemented an EnMS that conforms to ISO 50001 and improved the plant's energy performance by approximately 7.2% to obtain SEP certification. The EnMS will save the facility $938,000 annually, enabling Nissan to recoup its $331,000 investment in just four months. Learn more in Nissan's case study, which includes a detailed cost-benefit analysis.
The full case studies provide in-depth descriptions of energy management investments made by these companies. They examine associated costs, demonstrated payback periods, implementation steps, common barriers, lessons learned, and keys to success. GSEP will help produce and disseminate these and other case studies to assist industry in better understanding the business value of EnMS investments.
GSEP is one of 13 ongoing initiatives of the Clean Energy Ministerial, a high-level global forum to share best practices and promote policies and programs that encourage and facilitate the transition to a global clean energy economy. www.cleanenergyministerial.org
The aim of GSEP is to significantly cut global energy use by encouraging the industrial and commercial buildings sectors to continually improve their energy efficiency. GSEP's EMWG seeks to accelerate the broad use of EnMS in industry and commercial buildings worldwide. The EMWG's 11 member countries share their knowledge and expertise. Together, they identify and evaluate EnMS activities, opportunities, strategies, and best practices--working with industry and others as appropriate. The governments participating in the EMWG are Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Commission, India, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. For more information about the EMWG, visit www.cleanenergyministerial.org/EnergyManagement.
1 Energy Information Administration, International Energy Outlook 2013 (Washington, DC: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2013).