Energy Management to reduce consumption and costs
Do you want to control your energy consumption and cut your costs? Energy management is an essential step in achieving your energy transition objectives.
What is Energy Management?
Energy Management is a strategic approach to optimizing the energy performance of an organization or industrial site.
Today’s companies and manufacturers face major challenges:
- Maintain competitiveness (particularly in a context of inflation and volatile energy prices) by controlling costs.
- Reduce their environmental footprint (whether by regulatory obligation or to meet consumer expectations) by decarbonizing not only their own activities, but also the upstream (raw materials, suppliers and logistics) and downstream (logistics, use and recycling) chains.
Implementing an Energy Management system on an industrial site fits perfectly into this dynamic: reducing energy consumption and limiting water consumption, which in turn reduces the site’s CO2 emissions and eases its bills.
For industries, there are two approaches to Energy Management: at production site level or at industrial group level.
On-site Energy Management
Implementing on-site Energy Management represents an opportunity to understand, analyze and optimize energy and water consumption on various industrial equipment. In concrete terms, here’s how the system is set up:
- Standard energy monitoring :
- Draw up a metering plan to determine the level of instrumentation and the energies that can be monitored
- Map water and energy consumption, define energy uses and associated performance indicators (KPIs)
(Note: KPIs must take into account influencing factors) - Create a routine for monitoring and analyzing CAIs to identify anomalies or deviations
- Carry out audits and other specific one-off assignments:
- Regulatory energy audit: this is a very simple audit that can be useful for mapping consumption (~€7 k for an average plant).
- Industrial energy audit: This type of audit is useful for analyzing energy utilities in detail, understanding the link between utilities and the process, and initiating reflection on a plant master plan (~€17 k for an average plant).
- Detailed audit: This type of audit is very detailed, and is generally carried out on a precise perimeter. It is very useful for structuring a future project.
- Measurement plan: This is an inventory of measuring instruments and other data sources that may be of interest for monitoring water and energy consumption. This type of mission also enables us to define the measurement points needed to take energy management further.
- Scope 1&2 carbon footprint: simplified analysis of CO2 emissions based on plant energy consumption.
- Global carbon footprint (scope 1, 2 and 3): In-depth analysis that takes into account the entire value chain (upstream and downstream). It is often combined with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
- Energy supply contracts :
- Energy supply contracts have a direct impact on costs and CO2 emissions. It is therefore important to define :
- the plant’s consumption profile and its evolution over the next 3 years.
- Site strategy: decarbonized energy, fixed or variable price, etc.
- Setting up contracts and recurring negotiations
- Market price monitoring to identify price trends
- Energy supply contracts have a direct impact on costs and CO2 emissions. It is therefore important to define :
- Manage projects to reduce water and energy consumption:
- Projects can be of several types:
- Projects requiring complex work involving external contractors
- Projects requiring simple work. Some plants can carry out these projects in-house (installation of variable speed drives, metering instruments, etc.).
- Projects to optimize control systems by modifying set points or installing more sophisticated automated systems
- Behavioral projects requiring operators to change the way they operate equipment or production lines.
- Tracking maintenance operations is also important to maintain equipment performance over time.
- Projects can be of several types:
The Energy Management System(EMS)
Having an Energy Management approach is an excellent start, but to truly maximize the benefits and achieve sustainable energy performance, it’s a good idea to implement an Energy Management System (EMS) that complies with ISO 50001.
This standard provides a structured framework to help organizations integrateenergy efficiency into their management practices, whether or not they opt for formal certification. The ISO 50001-type EMS is based on several key elements:
- Energy policy:
The first step in implementing an EMS is to define a clear energy policy. This policy must reflect management’s commitment to continuously improving the organization’s energy performance. It must include general objectives and be aligned with the company’s other policies, such as those relating to social and environmental responsibility.
- Energy team & resources:
To ensure the smooth running of the EMS, it is essential to set up a dedicated energy management team. This team must be made up of members with technical expertise, project management skills and knowledge of the organization’s processes.
Energy monitoring and energy audits should make it possible to define achievable performance targets for each IPE, together with a detailed action plan based on the resources available (budget, time, etc.).
- Monitoring and continuous improvement:
Once the EMS has been implemented, the energy team must put in place model documents and team routines to maintain constant monitoring of its energy performance. This includes regular monitoring of CAIs, proactive detection of anomalies in water and energy consumption, effective deployment of the action plan drawn up, and systematic verification that targets are being met. In the event of non-compliance or inadequate performance, corrective action must be taken quickly to rectify the anomalies identified. This monitoring and adjustment process ensures continuous improvement in the organization’s energy performance. - Annual review and adjustment of action plan:
Each year, a review meeting is organized to assess the deployment of the energy action plan and the performance achieved. This meeting enables us to check whether the objectives have been achieved, to analyze the management of any anomalies detected to ensure that they have all been properly dealt with or closed, and to define a new action plan with updated targets. This process also includes updating the plant’s overall master plan or sobriety plan, ensuring that the long-term energy strategy remains in line with the organization’s objectives.
For an EMS to run smoothly in a plant or organization, it is necessary to set up plans for training and raising team awareness of the Energy Management strategy. Internal and external reporting is also a good way of highlighting progress and getting everyone involved in a virtuous corporate project!
Case in point: Dametis supports the Agromousquetaires group at various sites, including Laiterie Saint-Père (LSP). In terms of results, the on-site support enabled savings of :
- 120,000 in energy costs
- The equivalent of 120 tonnes of CO2
Energy Management at Group level
It is essential that each industrial site implements an energy management system (EMS) to improve its energy performance. However, for an industrial group with several sites, it is crucial to adopt a centralized approach to avoid fragmentation of efforts and maximize synergies between sites. Unlike the local approach to energy management, group-wide energy management focuses on consistency of action and strategic alignment. Key actions include
Coordinating workgroups and sharing best practices: Bringing together energy teams from different plants is fundamental to creating a knowledge-sharing dynamic. The organization of working groups not only enables the dissemination of best practices, but also the creation of appropriate technical supports, thus facilitating the development of the skills of the teams at each site. This approach fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement within the Group, which is essential if we are to achieve our ambitious energy targets.
Framing of Energy Performance Indicators (EPI) for reporting and benchmarks: Utilities such as water and energy, as well as industrial processes, are often similar within a group. However, CAIs frequently differ between sites. By standardizing CAIs at group level, it becomes possible to structure reporting in a coherent way, thus facilitating comparisons and benchmarks. This standardization makes it easier to identify performance discrepancies and deploy effective corrective actions.
Methodological framework for site energy management: To facilitate energy management at group level, it makes sense to adopt a single methodology for all sites. This includes the use of standard routines, tools and documents. A unified approach not only simplifies management, it also creates a common energy culture, accelerates the adoption of best practices and ensures continuous improvement in energy performance across all sites.
Implementation of technological guidelines: Plants are often confronted with technical recommendations from local players, which can lead to heterogeneous and sometimes biased technological choices. By establishing technological guidelines at group level, we limit these risks by guaranteeing the homogeneity of equipment and solutions implemented. This technical consistency promotes better control of installations and facilitates the technical management of plants, while enhancing the Group’s overall energy performance.
Technology watch to keep abreast of best practices: Technology evolves rapidly, and it’s crucial for an industrial group to keep abreast of innovations and best practices in energy management. Ongoing technological monitoring enables us to detect new opportunities for energy optimization, and to rapidly integrate emerging technologies into our sites.
Challenge site action plans and consolidate a global action plan: To ensure that local initiatives are in line with the Group’s global strategy, it is necessary to regularly challenge site action plans. This ensures that the actions taken are in line with the Group’s decarbonization roadmap. Consolidating local action plans into a global plan guarantees a harmonized approach, with clear, measurable objectives at Group level.
Case in point: Dametis also supports Fleury Michon in its group-wide Energy Management. The following actions have been implemented:
- Modeling (digital twins) of equipment (utilities and processes)
- Monitoring energy performance KPIs
- Site categorization
- Comparison of different sites with similar production
- Follow-up of action plans to advise on prioritization
- Monitoring site developments
Setting up an EMOS
In industry, setting up an efficient energy management system is a complex and time-consuming task. To simplify and optimize this process, many manufacturers are turning to specialized software solutions. While EMS (Energy Management Software) can track energy consumption, report on KPIs and perform basic analyses, it is often limited to these functions. EMOS (Energy Management and Optimization Software), on the other hand, goes far beyond simple reporting.
An EMOS is a powerful, comprehensive tool that federates the operational needs of all the company’s businesses, in terms of water and energy management. It offers a wide range of specific functionalities, such as advanced modeling of equipment present on an industrial site, energy purchasing, load shedding, cost accounting, and collaborative applications enabling teamwork. Unlike an EMS, which focuses primarily on data visualization, EMOS integrates advanced analysis tools that not only detect anomalies but also propose optimized solutions to achieve the best possible energy and environmental performance. What’s more, EMOS standardizes indicators and working methodologies from one site to another, facilitating collaborative management aligned with a global decarbonization strategy.
Ultimately, good energy management at site level requires the implementation of EMOS software. This tool not only collects and presents data, it also provides integrated expertise and practical solutions to simplify energy management, enable informed decision-making, and facilitate the implementation of corrective actions in compliance with ISO 50001.
