Industrial Energy Savings: 6 Steps

Industrial Energy Savings: Why You Can't Save Without Measuring

"You can't manage what you can't measure." This principle from Peter Drucker applies directly to energy management. The typical picture encountered during on-site audits is this: the facility manager knows the monthly electricity bill but doesn't know which system consumes how much at what time. This gap renders savings opportunities invisible.

1. Map Your Consumption Profile

The first step is to record at least 4 weeks of consumption with an energy analyzer at 15-minute granularity. This record reveals:

• Peak hours: The hours when demand power is highest — critical with respect to the TEDAŞ peak tariff
• Overnight consumption: What is running outside working hours? How large are the standby loads?
• Circuit-level consumption: Which motor, HVAC system or production line is the main consumer?

2. Reactive Power Optimization

As the power factor moves away from 1.0, apparent power (kVA) increases while active work (kW) does not — your bill rises and you additionally face the risk of an EPDK reactive penalty. Typical improvement steps:

• Installing a power factor correction panel or recalibrating the existing panel
• Step control of capacitor banks (prevents over-compensation under low load)
• Power factor correction on motor drives (VFD)

Raising the power factor from 0.75 to 0.95 typically reduces apparent power demand by 20-25% — the contracted power charge (kVA-based) decreases at the same rate.

3. Demand Management (Peak Shaving)

TEDAŞ contracted power is calculated based on the highest 15-minute average demand determined within a month. This peak is short-lived, but its cost is reflected across the entire month. Argus EMS issues a peak alert, giving the operator the opportunity to temporarily switch off non-critical loads.

4. Use TEDAŞ Tariff Time Zones

The TEDAŞ multi-time tariff in Turkey:

• Daytime (07:00-17:00): Medium price
• Peak (17:00-22:00): Highest price (daytime × ~1.5)
• Night (22:00-07:00): Lowest price (daytime × ~0.5)

Shifting deferrable loads (pumps, cold storage charging, production preparation) to night-time hours significantly reduces annual energy costs.

5. Motor and HVAC Optimization

• Installing a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) on fixed-speed motors: when the flow requirement drops to 80%, power consumption decreases by roughly 50% (cubic law)
• HVAC setpoint optimization: a 1°C temperature difference creates a ~5% energy difference in cooling
• Reduce compressor idling times: pressure band tuning

6. Savings Reporting with Data

Argus EMS produces monthly and annual energy reports. Comparison with the same period last year (YoY) shows the numerical impact of the improvements made. These reports form the basis both for ISO 50001 energy management system requirements and for senior management presentations.