Ever since the recent price increases and the shortage of energy supplies, it has been clear that this supposedly infinite resource is not infinitely available. It must be used sparingly and efficiently, especially in industry. A sustainable energy supply has also become a real competitive factor. However, in order to save energy properly and use it efficiently afterwards, a solid knowledge of all energy parameters is required. This article shows what companies can do now to achieve more sustainable energy management.
Now is the time to act!
For months, increased energy costs and the scarcity of resources have posed major hurdles for the economy. All sectors will have to face up to these problems in the long term. A rapid downward trend is not to be expected in the near future. However, the shortage is not limited to gas as a resource. Electricity costs are also skyrocketing, causing even more climate-damaging scenarios in every respect. Compared to 2021, electricity costs have risen by as much as 47% – despite the abolition of the EEG levy. So now is the time to review and reduce your own energy consumption. The sooner action is taken, the more costs can be avoided.
What are the first concrete steps towards saving energy?
Saving energy quickly and effectively – how can a company do this as quickly and, above all, correctly as possible without reducing its economic performance? Increasing energy efficiency is the solution here. Without optimized use, companies can expect to lose their competitiveness. There are many ways to reduce energy consumption: from renovating buildings and investing in more economical machines and systems to the details – process optimization such as heat recovery or efficient production control. However, before practical measures can be initiated, the necessary transparency of data is required to precisely quantify energy consumption. Only when it is known where and with which measures energy must and can be saved will the concept work.
Saving energy with a system – why you can’t do it without digital tools
As already mentioned, all of a company’s energy cycles must be broken down in detail in order to make the right decisions with regard to energy savings. This requires a very high level of data depth, which can only be created and evaluated using digital software solutions. The latter in particular is immensely important for further decision-making. Energy management tools have the ability to meticulously record all energy flows and interpret them into figures, making it possible to calculate exactly where too much energy is being consumed and in which areas too little energy is being distributed.
The best thing is that digital tools can even be used to identify optimization opportunities that often do not even require an investment. In some cases, for example, simply adjusting operating times or fine-tuning certain systems or machines is enough. On the other hand, a precise data analysis also shows when a larger investment is definitely worthwhile. Figures don’t lie, which is why it is all the more desirable to fall back on digital solutions before your gut feeling pushes you to make the wrong decisions.
Win-win: save energy, reduce costs, protect the climate!
The better a company’s energy efficiency is, the fewer CO2 emissions are produced. Everyone wins here: while companies benefit from lower costs in several areas, fewer resources are consumed and CO2 emissions are reduced at the same time. This means that there are many areas within the company’s own sphere of influence that can be worked on specifically and relatively quickly. So there is not a single valid reason not to operate an energy management system.
Detailed and digital energy management is also a helpful solution when it comes to the use of renewable energies. Apart from the energy savings in your own company, consistent and long-term compliance will also help with the holistic energy transition. In future, energy generation plants could be designed in such a way that they are tailored to adapted, optimized consumption. And there is another factor in favour of digital energy management: once optimized systems have been commissioned, the corresponding monitoring of energy data helps to distribute energy in the right quantities over the long term through intelligent load distribution or the optimized use of storage systems.
Digitization supports, but does not assume full responsibility
The faster your own energy consumption is reduced, the more costs can be avoided. Digitalization provides the ideal basis for implementing savings measures and uses machine data for detailed monitoring. At the end of the day, however, it is still all about figures and evaluations. However, software solutions do not take away the decisions regarding sustainable production and processes. The full responsibility still lies with the people who operate the software. This makes it all the more important to take action now and align your own corporate culture with a more climate-friendly and energy-saving future. The opportunities are there and it has never been easier to integrate digital tools into the company. So why hesitate?
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.