Energy Audit: A Case Study

This paper provides an overview of a general energy conservation measures (ECMs) that can be commonly recommended for an industrial facility. It should be noted that the ECMs presented in this paper does not pretend to be exhaustive nor comprehensive. It provides merely to indicate some of the options that energy auditor can consider when performing an analysis of an industry. There is a continued increase in demand for energy to cater the rapid industrial needs. Energy conservation and exploration of new energy avenues are the well accepted solution to fulfil the growing industrial demand in future. The total cost of energy plays a vital role in determining the product cost of a commodity. Therefore the identification of potential energy savings and implementation for a given industrial facility is unimportant to ensure its competitive advantage over other industries. This paper presents such energy saving methods in a methodological approach, experienced during a detailed energy audit of a medium scale apparel industry in Sri Lanka. The energy consumption and savings assessed in term of equipments used and functional areas occupied. Investing to improve the energy efficiency of a textile industry provides an immediate and relatively predictable cash flow resulting from lower energy bills.

I. Introduction

The energy process is an organized approach to identify energy waste in a facility, determining how this waste can be eliminated at a reasonable cost with a suitable time frame. Energy audit is widely used and many have different meaning depending on energy service companies. Energy auditing of a building can range from a short a walk through of the facility to a detailed analysis. It is not only serves to identify energy use among the various services and to identify opportunities for energy conservation but it is also a crucial first step in establishing an energy management program. The audit will produce the data on which such a program is based. The study should reveal to the owner, manager, or management team of the building the options available for reducing energy waste, the costs involved, and the benefits achievable from implementing those energy-conserving opportunities (ECOs).