Putting it all Together: Closing the Gaps

3.5 Implementing, monitoring performance and continually improving

You, as the energy champion, want to be in control. To implement the energy management plan and the various EMOs, it is necessary to work out specific action plans.

Action plans
These will give you the management and control tool you need to achieve your targets effectively and efficiently. In these, you will specify in the necessary detail who will do what, when and with what resources. It will be necessary to involve others in the decisions to get their agreement and support. Several project management software programs can be used to create the graphical representation of the action plans easily.

Start the work early
Do not procrastinate. Delays cause enthusiasm to wane. Hence, start with projects that are simple and will boost the confidence of the team. In the foundry, provide positive reinforcement that helps employees to willingly adopt the new energy-saving practices.

Encourage the team members to keep up with their assigned work and to stick to the implementation schedule. Meet with the energy management committee in regular, brief meetings, to review progress, plan new projects, evaluate established goals and set new goals as required.

Establish ongoing monitoring
It is important to track the energy streams entering the facility and their usage. It will generate data to provide answers for the following questions:

  • Is progress being made?
  • Are the energy data accurate?
  • Can we make prompt corrections of process conditions that have caused sudden excessive consumption?
  • What are the trends in energy usage? (Use that information in the budgeting process.)
  • What are the cost savings achieved from data gathered by the energy-monitoring system, and what is the return on investment?
  • Are the implemented energy-saving measures living up to the projections? Problems with the project’s performance can be identified and techniques for estimating costs and benefits of energy efficiency improvements for future projects can be improved.
  • Is the equipment performing as per the supplier guarantees?
  • Can we set future energy-use reduction targets and monitor progress toward new goals?
  • Are there areas in the facility that need a detailed energy audit?

The best way to monitor energy consumption is with metering equipment installed at strategic points to measure the flow of energy sources, such as electricity and compressed air, to each major user.

Use the measurements that make sense in your foundry’s specific conditions.

Express the energy performance meaningfully
Express measurements in SI units, such as MJ or GJ. They are preferred, since they enable global comparisons. For example, state the energy consumption or savings in this way:

  • Per tonne of good castings;
  • Per tonne of melted metal;
  • Per investment dollar;
  • Per dollar of sales;
  • As power (gas, steam, compressed air) saved; state also its equivalent in dollars;
  • As annual operating cost savings; and
  • As capital cost avoidance.

Monitoring energy performance helps managers identify wasteful areas of their department and lets them take responsibility for energy use. When monitoring shows that energy consumption is declining as improvements are being made, attention can be turned to the next area of concern.

Remember that energy management is an issue of technology as well as people.

Lock in the gains – set new targets
Energy management needs constant attention, otherwise the gains could fade away and the effort could disintegrate. To make the new energy-saving measures stick, pay sustained attention to the implemented project until such time as the measure has become a well-entrenched routine.

If practices and procedures have been changed because of the project, take the time and effort to document it in a procedure or work instruction. That will ensure the future consistency of the practice and serve as a training and audit tool.

Continually improve
Review the energy target once it has been met on a sustained basis over a period of several months. Then, it can become the new standard and a new, progressive target can be set. The step-wise target setting toward improving energy efficiency helps the managers to regard energy as a resource that must be managed with as much attention as other process inputs, such as labour and raw materials.

Effective communication
Communication between team members and foundry employees at large is essential to sustain interest in the energy conservation program. A well-executed communications plan is essential to ensure that everybody feels that they are part of the energy management effort. Regular reports taken from the monitored data encourage staff by showing them the progress toward their goals.

Show the information prominently on bulletin boards where people can see it. Someone should be in charge of posting and updating regularly. Old news is not interesting. The format, colours, etc., may be changed from time to time in order to maintain visual interest in the information.

Use simplified, graphic, visual representations of the results – use charts, diagrams, “thermometers” of fulfilment, etc. Relate results to costs.

Stay away from a dry format of reporting – use a representation that people can understand. For example, express savings in dollars, dollars per employee or dollars per unit of production. Show savings on a cumulative basis; show how they contribute to the company’s profit picture.

The energy management champion should share with the EMC members all of the available information about energy use and challenge them to explore ways to conserve energy in their respective areas. Think about using team contests as a tool.

Just as important is to keep the foundry management informed about the activities and progress made. The objective is to obtain agreement and re-establish support from the management group for the energy management system with each report.

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