With so many companies developing and marketing new energy efficient technologies each year, it can be difficult to digest and determine the best fit for your business. As a rule of thumb, before buying any type of new equipment, deploy an energy analytics software solution to understand where your inefficiencies and energy cost drivers lie. Once you can ascribe energy costs to specific processes and pieces of equipment, you will be in a better position to evaluate and prioritize the various energy efficiency measures for your specific building(s).
While the energy analytics platform is key, here is a bit more information on a few energy efficiency measures that are helping businesses save money and energy today:
- LED Lighting Solutions: Modern LED lighting solutions are immensely energy efficient when compared to incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and HID technologies. In addition, many companies are experiencing productivity and safety gains due to increased visibility as well as reduced maintenance costs, as some LED solutions have lifespans as long as 125,000 hours.
- High Efficiency HVAC Solutions: There are a number of benefits that new HVAC equipment can bring a business. Along with energy savings, which can be as high as 35% against the existing piece of equipment, operations are generally quieter, and humidity control capabilities and airflow are improved. As HVAC systems are typically one of the largest consumers of power in a building, upgrading to modern equipment can have a very large impact on your bottom line and operational efficiency.
- Wireless Energy Management Systems: Wireless Energy Management Systems (WEMS) are becoming increasingly more popular for businesses that don’t need all of the firepower (and associated cost) that a Building Automation System brings. Wireless mesh networking technologies such as Zigbee, Enocean and Z-Wave have made WEMS systems much simpler and less expensive to install and manage than older, wired systems. A WEMS system can provide on- and off-site control and monitoring of lighting, HVAC, plug loads and refrigeration equipment, create advanced load shedding schedules, and create real-time visibility into zone temperature, humidity, air quality, occupancy, light, among other sensor enabled insights.
- Power Factor Correction: Power Factor is the difference between kW and kVA. kW represent demand or “real power” consumed by operations, and kVA is “apparent power” and is waste energy that is not consumed by operations due to inefficient equipment. More simply, a low power factor draws more current than a load with a high power factor for the same amount of useful power transferred. Power Factor Correction equipment aligns current and voltage to increase efficiency for low power factor facilities. This equipment can be installed simply, and for facilities with low power factors, energy savings can be substantial.
- Variable Frequency Drives: More than 65 percent of industrial electrical energy is consumed by motors. Variable Frequency Drives save energy by matching the speed of motor-driven equipment to the actual load requirements, instead of running at full speed whenever on. Energy savings can be as high as 50% when compared to conventional constant speed applications. In addition, companies can expect lower demand charges and reduced motor maintenance costs
Request a complimentary energy efficiency assessment to find out how Artis Energy’s RTIS® energy analytics platform can provide you with the visibility and insight to transform energy from a fixed cost into a distinct competitive advantage.