Saving energy and using it efficiently – easier said than done. Everyday ways of saving energy, such as controlling lighting more precisely or replacing unnecessary power guzzlers, are far from covering the actual savings potential, especially in industry. But what is the right approach to energy management? That’s what this article is about.
Industry, commerce, trade and services together account for almost 70 percent of total electricity consumption in Germany. Almost half of this – 45 percent – comes from industry alone. Electric drives in particular consume the most electricity here. According to the study “Energy efficiency: potentials, economic effects and innovative fields of action and funding for the National Climate Initiative”, around 44 billion kilowatt hours of electricity could have been saved in the industrial and commercial, trade and services sectors by 2020! Saving electricity is therefore an optimization factor that should not be ignored – especially now, when resources and energy prices are so volatile.
The first step towards sustainable energy management
Sustainable energy management is not just about using renewable and climate-friendly energy procurement measures. It also means implementing the right savings measures in the long term in order to achieve long-term efficiency in terms of operating costs, production and logistics processes.
However, the first step is always the most difficult. From the smallest appliances to entire plants and employees – there are thousands of different approaches for industrial companies to save energy and thus reduce costs. However, every change in the direction of saving costs money and time. It is therefore extremely important to take the right steps and make the right decisions right from the start.
However, in order to take the right first step here, the potential savings must first be identified. Which appliances, machines and systems actually consume too much electricity? How inefficient is their consumption compared to modern appliances? What short-term and long-term measures are most important for my company right now to measurably and noticeably reduce energy costs? For this reason, the solution is: 1. to take a bird’s eye view and look at the company holistically and 2. to create a data-based analysis of all in-house consumption so that decisions in connection with energy-saving measures are made on the basis of relevant key figures instead of pure gut feeling.
Do energy consultants and energy management systems make sense for reducing energy costs?
As already mentioned, a detailed analysis of your own company-wide energy consumption is essential. There are two options for carrying out this analysis in a targeted manner:
Hire an energy consultant
Energy consultants are particularly useful when annual energy costs are in the region of less than 20,000 euros. Implementing energy management systems is often associated with significantly higher initial costs than obtaining external advice. Often, the possibilities and savings potential are actually manageable, so it may only take a clear structure and breakdown by an expert to achieve positive results in the long term.
Use an energy management system
If annual energy costs exceed 20,000 euros, the German Energy Agency recommends the use of an energy management system. With an EnMS, not only can AI-based optimization potential be identified, but the entire machine network can also be controlled centrally. This means that an EnMS covers both analysis and direct implementation – measurable and controllable at all nodes of the value chain.
Numerous empirical values show that local adjustments to energy consumption can achieve potential savings of up to 15 percent. Energy management systems not only offer data-based energy management analysis, but also serve to completely network company-wide devices, machines, systems and even employees. Energy management systems can use machine data for analyses that run through all remote parts of the value chain and are invisible to the naked eye. However, before resorting to consultants or systems, the first right step in energy management is needed: a concept from the company’s bird’s eye view, critical and essential questions about the entire energy consumption and the analysis of all existing systems. Only with a clear overview of the current situation can actual, sustainable savings potential be identified and pursued.
Would you also like to take your energy management to a new level? Please feel free to contact us! With its visualization options for energy monitoring, KENEXOS® makes it easy to get started and provides you with all the tools you need for process optimization in construction and building technology, industry and the public sector. Test the centralized, device-independent software solution for documentation, order entry and awarding, process planning and optimization as well as complete team communication now for 14 days free of charge. You can find all the information you need at www.kenexos.com.
About KENEXOS®
With Kreutzpointner Business Software GmbH (KBS for short), Kreutzpointner is setting a significant milestone in the technical development of the entire group of companies. Kreutzpointner Business Software GmbH focuses on the special requirements and digital needs of industrial customers with an independent business model. The operational launch took place in October 2020.
With KENEXOS®, KBS offers corporate customers an individually expandable application platform with its own software products and focuses on the implementation of industrial applications. KENEXOS® offers modern web technology for access via a wide range of end devices and enables integration with existing systems via an API interface. The standard modules include, for example, construction site documentation, task and ticket recording, plant management and maintenance and many more. The application platform is available for in-house installation (on-premise) or as a cloud solution (SaaS).
The ideas and the technical basis for Kreutzpointner Business Software GmbH have been successfully developed in recent years as part of the company-wide “Research & Development” process. In addition to the IT systems division, the new digital unit ideally rounds off Kreutzpointner’s large portfolio.
