Published
December 13, 2024
In the manufacturing industry, energy consumption is extremely high due to its high volume production and equipment, as well as the size of the facility. If you’re looking for ways to reduce energy consumption in your manufacturing plant, we have a wide range of tips that can make a difference.
First Steps
Before looking towards the future, you should start by looking at your current energy consumption.
1. Conduct an Energy Audit
When you’re looking to reduce your energy consumption in your manufacturing business, it’s important to start with an energy audit. This is comprised of an evaluation, testing and recommendations to establish a baseline and identify areas for improvement.
2. Monitoring Energy Management
Once you’ve determined your energy usage with an audit, you should use this information to measure your energy performance moving forward. Set yourself benchmarks and targets to work towards and use the data you collect to eliminate energy waste in your facility.
Lighting
Lighting is used every day and for longer periods of time during the shorter days in autumn and winter. Here are some tips on how you can reduce your energy usage in this area.
3. Turn Off Lights
When lights are not in use, make sure they are switched off. Every time you leave an empty room, turn them off on your way out or if you see some unnecessarily lit, flick the switch. To remind fellow colleagues to follow suit, write reminders on the switch as it is something that can be easily overlooked but impactful.
4. Use Automation or Sensors
To make sure you definitely don’t forget to turn lights off when not in use, you can use automated lighting systems or sensors to keep on top of it. Motion detectors will switch the lights on when someone enters a room and some lighting systems can adjust the lighting to daylight availability or occupancy.
5. Switch to LED Lights
By replacing incandescent bulbs to LED lighting, you can significantly reduce your energy consumption. They use up to 75% less energy yet last a lot longer, so you will be changing them less, money in the long run too.
Temperature Control
Heating and cooling your manufacturing facility also plays a huge role in energy consumption, so here is some energy saving advice.
6. Upgrade Heaters & Air Conditioners
How long have you had the heating and air conditioning in your facility? Old and outdated systems can consume a significant amount of energy, especially portable radiators. Newer systems are usually much more energy efficient, so now is the time to replace and upgrade your heating and cooling systems.
7. Check Air Conditioning Pipe Insulation
If your air conditioning is already up to date, then it’s important to regularly check its pipe installation, especially if the unit is installed outside. The pipe lagging must always be intact otherwise it will not be operating efficiently.
8. Install Insulation in the Facility
Following on from air conditioning pipe lagging, insulation will also help reduce energy consumption in your manufacturing facility. Protecting you from the shift in temperatures, you will be able to stay cool in summer and warm in winter with less reliance on air conditioning and heating.
9. Schedule & Reduce the Thermostat
To stay in control of your heating and cooling energy usage, scheduling your thermostat is a great solution. When the facility isn’t being used, like in non-working hours, it can be scheduled to turn off so you’re not wasting energy resources. Also, reducing the temperature by a couple of degrees can make all the difference to your energy consumption.
10. Invest in a Smart Thermostat
Manage your temperature even more efficiently with a smart thermostat. Designed to let you have the control right at your fingertips, you can keep on top of your temperature control whether you’re on the move or in the room. They can also help you monitor your energy usage, so you can continually find opportunities to reduce it.
11. Reduce the Delay on Automatic Doors
In order to avoid losing heat or cold air, many manufacturing facilities use automatic doors and a time delay to close it. However, this could be even more efficient just by reducing the time delay, so it closes even quicker.
12. Utilise Mother Nature
Making use of the natural draught or sunlight is another way to save energy on both temperature control and lighting. During warm weather, open the door for natural ventilation instead of air conditioning, and keep your lights turned off so you can use the sunshine instead.
Equipment
Manufacturing facilities are renowned for the heavy machinery and equipment used to produce their goods which can be incredibly energy consuming. Let’s see how you can save some energy.
13. Schedule Regular Maintenance
By keeping on top of your equipment’s maintenance, you can ensure it is running as efficiently as possible. It will help you identify any leaks or buildup within the system, so you can rectify this immediately, optimising its performance and lifespan. This will also avoid wasting energy with equipment overworking and costly replacements.
14. Regular Cleaning
In addition to regular maintenance, regular cleaning is also an important factor when it comes to reducing energy consumption. While cleaning, you will be able to assess your equipment for any leaks or damage which can impact energy efficiency. As well as this, keeping it clean will make sure it continues to operate at optimum performance.
15. Upgrade Your Machinery
Similar to upgrading your radiators and air conditioning, it can be beneficial to upgrade your equipment and machinery too. As one of the biggest energy users, it’s a good idea to upgrade it if it’s not the most energy efficient and you’re repairing it more than not.
Business Decisions
Finally, there are some bigger picture business decisions you can make in order to reduce your manufacturing energy usage.
16. Get Your Team Involved
Introducing energy efficient initiatives into your workplace will encourage your team to collaborate and strive for the same goal as you. By raising awareness of what these changes can make for the business, your team will feel more involved, empowering them to contribute and take ownership of the initiative.
17. Switch to Renewable Energy
To make an even bigger impact not just to your energy usage and utility bills but to the planet itself, switching to renewable energy to power your manufacturing plant is an ideal choice. Using renewable energy sources, like solar PV, can generate your own energy without the carbon emissions and can save you money.
If you’re looking to reduce your manufacturing energy consumption, then Noble Green Energy are here to help. We have worked on a number of successful solar panel installations for commercial and industrial businesses, so get in touch with us today.
