The business value of energy management systems and strategies is displayed in a series of case studies from the Global Superior Energy Performance (GSEP) Energy Management Working Group (EMWG).
The case studies consider the outcomes for several companies in Australia and the United States. In one case, the strategy revealed annual energy savings of about 10 percent. In another, the payback occurred in as little as four months.
The case study from the United States examines the costs and benefits of implementing ISO 50001 as part of the US Superior Energy Performance (SEP) program. The Nissan vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, implemented an energy management system that conforms to ISO 50001 and improved the plant’s energy performance by about 7.2 percent to obtain SEP certification. The system will save the facility $938,000 annually, enabling Nissan to recoup its $331,000 investment in just four months.
The case studies are the first in a series being published by GSEP, an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial, to promote energy management as an opportunity for organizations to significantly reduce energy use while maintaining or boosting productivity.
The industrial and commercial sectors jointly account for approximately 60 percent of global energy use. The Australian companies with their case studies include:
AngloGold Ashanti Australia’s crushing and milling operations save an estimated 50 gigajoules of energy annually;
Billiton Worsley Alumina’s advanced process management system is expected to pay for itself in seven months;
Simplot Australia introduced a program that aims to reduce plant energy intensity by 25 percent over a 10-year period; and
the University of Queensland expanded its energy metering system, which will lead to improved efficiency of its chillers to reduce energy usage by 20 percent.