Energy Manager: what are its challenges and why is it becoming essential?

What is an Energy Manager?

Facing energy-intensive processes and practices, factories have a strong interest in appointing an Energy Manager, an expert in the energy field. This individual plays a crucial role, especially when energy prices are fluctuating. On a daily basis, they must ensure the optimization of energy consumption by closely monitoring consumption and ensuring the optimized operation of equipment. The Energy Manager thus plays a major role in the continuous improvement process of the performance of the factory or site they are overseeing.

Before appointing an Energy Manager within a factory or group, the company must know that they have the option to either train or recruit the position internally or hire an external expert for tailored support. To better understand the differences between an internal and external Energy Manager, we interviewed Céline Pastol, Energy Efficiency Engineer at Dametis.

“Appointing an internal Energy Manager is a major asset for the company. Usually coming from maintenance or HSE services, this person should ideally possess several skills, both technical and regulatory. Beyond these, they must also demonstrate leadership and be able to drive momentum across all areas, including those they are less familiar with. The Energy Manager must quickly gain a broad understanding of the site and group’s energy challenges while ensuring the monitoring and progress of optimization actions.” Céline explains.

However, today, a significant portion of industrial companies do not go as far as appointing an Energy Manager, thinking it is not a priority. However, energy management is a challenge that is, and will increasingly become, more strategic. With new regulations coming into effect and the need to reduce costs as well as carbon footprint, appointing an Energy Manager becomes a true lever for performance and differentiation.

The most energy-intensive industries are generally aware of the central role of this energy management expert. To overcome a lack of time or expertise, some are not hesitant to hire an external Energy Manager, through a consultancy firm, for example.

“It is important that the external Energy Manager is close to their client, they must have a detailed understanding of their processes. This is why this person may be required to visit the site to observe the structure of the factory and interact directly with the on-site teams to better understand their issues, needs, and any obstacles. The Energy Manager should be seen as a coach, who makes themselves available to the on-site teams to provide in-depth technical expertise,” explains Céline.

Working towards achieving the optimal energy efficiency of the factory, the tasks of an Energy Manager are numerous and can be facilitated by the implementation of tools such as an EMS software.

Before implementing this powerful tool within the factory, it is possible to set up an energy management system (EnMS). (EnMS). The EnMS is a system defined by ISO 50001 in which a roadmap for energy performance is defined. It describes, among other things, the resources mobilized, the tools used, the list of energy usages, and the associated energy performance indicators (EPIs). In addition to these initial elements, this system must also highlight the goals to be achieved and the associated action plan.

To do this, the Energy Manager must analyze and monitor consumption to identify areas of anomalies (overconsumption, energy loss, etc.). Then, they must communicate the results to the energy team through meetings, typically monthly or weekly. Once this system is in place, the Energy Manager will be able to track the EPIs and the associated action plan, which they can modify if necessary to meet the company’s objectives.

To facilitate the management of the EnMS, which can be a time-consuming task, the EMS proves to be a powerful ally. Implemented within the factory, this tool automatically monitors consumption, analyzes and identifies optimizations and deviations. It thus helps validate the performance of completed projects and facilitates collaborative work for all on-site operatives: monitoring anomalies, task management, automating energy reviews, etc.

An external Energy Manager can notably assist their client in managing the EMS software. Céline, who works with industrial clients externally, tells us more: “At Dametis, once the software is implemented, we support the client based on their needs and help them detect areas for improvement based on the analysis of their data, our technical expertise, and our knowledge of the industrial environment. Thus, we can also assist them in defining EPIs through simple ratios, as well as through more complex models. These EPIs can then be transcribed into reports that we help them construct for analysis and communication purposes. We also maintain regular check-ins with our clients to adapt our support to the progress of their projects and their energy maturity, and therefore, we can also offer our expert perspective on the implementation and monitoring of energy performance actions.”

As mentioned earlier, the Energy Manager plays a central role focused on the energy strategy of the site or industrial group.

“The Energy Manager must set goals, which they need to report to management as well as the different teams (quality, production), especially since the improvement actions they undertake may have a direct impact on these teams, who therefore need to be informed and buy into the process.” explains Céline.

As part of the ISO 50001 certification, and during specific energy meetings held at regular intervals, for example, the Energy Manager must report on the energy KPIs and initiatives implemented to improve the energy performance of the site.

Beyond their internal role, this energy expert also plays a key role in selecting suppliers. They ensure that their offers align with the energy performance objectives, values, and the group’s roadmap.

They hold an important position with suppliers, choosing them in alignment with the actions taken, the values, and the roadmap of the group.

Among other things, as Céline says: “The Energy Manager must ensure regular communication with management and the production, quality, etc. teams in the form of working groups. Indeed, it is crucial that they are able to rely on their collaborators, and that these collaborators can get involved in the process and share their needs and knowledge of the processes.”

Decarbonization regulations in the industrial market are constantly evolving, and in the future, they will certainly strengthen, requiring industries to make even greater efforts to reduce their consumption and carbon impact. Ultimately, the presence of an Energy Manager will become essential, regardless of the industry’s activity or size.

Many industrial companies highlight the difficulty of obtaining and maintaining ISO 50001 certification without an Energy Manager, especially when data, no matter how abundant (time, temperature, production, gas, flow data, etc.), is still managed through non-collaborative and poorly suited tools like Excel

Although today, the regulations surrounding energy do not all impose financial penalties, complying with the rules now will help avoid future sanctions. That is why it is strategic for industrials to act now and appoint an Energy Manager, whether internal, external, or a mix of both.

While the role of the Energy Manager is crucial, it requires appropriate internal training and a structured framework to facilitate decision-making. Implementing an EMS software is an effective solution to ease the tasks of the energy expert and accelerate the achievement of energy optimization in the plant. Let’s remember, their role is not limited to compliance; they also help optimize energy consumption, improve competitiveness, and reduce company costs.