Understanding how to increase energy efficiency in company facilities and industrial plants is becoming a critical priority. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity consumption is expected to grow by an average of 4% per year until 2027, primarily due to the expansion of energy-intensive industrial sectors. This increase is mainly driven by higher electricity usage for industrial production, rising demand for air conditioning, accelerated electrification in the transport sector, and the rapid growth of data centers.
Increasing energy efficiency means improving an organization’s operations while consuming less energy. For example, managing a building’s heating and cooling systems using less electricity is a practical approach. Initiatives aimed at increasing energy efficiency offer dual benefits: economic advantages through lower operational costs and environmental benefits by reducing the ecological footprint of industrial activities.
Key levers to increase energy efficiency
To effectively increase energy efficiency, a structured approach that combines technological interventions with process optimization is essential. Investing in advanced technology alone is not enough; fostering an energy efficiency culture is equally important. This involves modifying operational procedures and implementing systematic evaluation plans to monitor energy consumption across processes, promoting a continuous improvement path.
From a technological standpoint, a key step in increasing energy efficiency is implementing an Energy Management System (EMS). An EMS is a system that allows organizations to monitor, analyze, control, and optimize energy use. It is a software and hardware platform with data analytics and automation capabilities.
Data analysis is the foundation for continuous optimization of energy efficiency. It helps identify inefficient areas, abnormal consumption patterns, and energy-intensive utilities, while correlating the factors contributing to increased energy usage. Once improvement areas and opportunities are identified through data analysis, automation enables corrective measures to be applied continuously, reducing dependency on human intervention.
EMS in synergy with BMS to boost energy efficiency
In advanced industrial and corporate settings, the EMS often works in close integration with a Building Management System (BMS). In some cases, EMS and BMS functionalities may be part of the same management platform.
The primary function of an EMS is to monitor, analyze, and optimize energy usage by collecting data from various devices, identifying waste, and suggesting corrective measures. Typical EMS functions include detailed monitoring of energy consumption per utility or process, anomaly detection, cost optimization, reporting, KPI calculation, and forecasting future consumption based on historical data. EMS also supports predictive maintenance strategies and ensures regulatory compliance.
Conversely, a BMS is primarily responsible for physical automation, directly controlling building systems such as HVAC, lighting, and access controls. By interfacing with individual equipment controllers, a BMS can issue commands to turn systems on or off, adjust speed, or regulate temperature.
When EMS and BMS work together, they can significantly increase energy efficiency. For example, an EMS can analyze BMS data from an HVAC system, including electricity consumption, ambient temperatures, and operating schedules, and then instruct the BMS on how to optimize performance and reduce energy usage.
Increasing energy efficiency through process optimization
Simply replacing outdated equipment with more efficient devices or adopting EMS and BMS technology is not sufficient to increase energy efficiency. Organizations must also implement systematic methodologies to analyze energy flows and consumption.
Processes should be mapped, identifying phases that generate energy waste. Predictive maintenance, based on continuous monitoring of asset conditions, allows organizations to anticipate interventions, preventing sudden failures that can lead to costly downtime and energy waste, such as during process restarts. Standardizing operating procedures and training personnel on energy efficiency is essential to ensure every action contributes to reducing energy consumption.
Finally, setting energy reduction goals, defining KPIs, and regularly monitoring performance helps evaluate progress and identify new opportunities for improvement.
