The manufacturing sector is a major user of gas and electricity. The current energy crisis has hit manufacturers especially hard. Many businesses have gone out of business owing to the rising energy costs.
Add to that the uncertain import supply and manufacturers are in a fix. Although the market is not in our control, there are some things we can do to keep energy costs down.
In this post, we share some of our top energy saving tips.
Shut down equipment when not in use
Do you have in place a defined process for powering down equipment and machinery that are not in use? What about turning off lights?
By turning off machinery when not in use, you can expect to reduce your energy bill considerably. Moreover, this will also help reduce wear and tear.
Turning off lights can be tricky if employees are moving about the site round the clock. The best way to tackle this is to install automated lighting. Motion-sensitive lighting is another solution.
Clean and maintain your equipment
Regular cleaning and preventive maintenance of your mechanical and electrical equipment will help optimise their lifespan and performance. This, in turn, can help lower your energy bills.
Schedule shut-downs
A scheduled shut-down of the production floor is a great way to substantially reduce your energy costs. Turning off all your machinery on these chosen days can go a long way in keeping energy bills down.
To know when to schedule these shut-downs, you will need to identify your peak operational hours.
Reduce closing door delays
For manufacturing businesses that require refrigerated storge or cold room, installing automatic doors can help reduce your energy consumption. By reducing the closing door delay on your automatic doors and limiting the frequency of access to the cool room can help reduce your energy bills.
Switch to LED lighting
As of September 2021, halogen light bulbs are banned in the UK, and fluorescent bulbs will be phased out by 2023. LED bulbs are not only the future but they only use 25% of the energy needed to produce the same amount of light that halogens use. Moreover, they last 5x longer.
Use waste heat recovery systems
If you cannot reduce waste heat, consider reusing it. With waste heat recovery systems, you can capture excess heat from your operations and reuse it for cogeneration.
This is also a great way to reduce pollution while making your contribution to environmental sustainability.
However, this process can be costly. You must consider the scale of your operations to identify the value of this option.
Optimise air compressors
Industrial air compressors account for a huge amount of energy use and waste. This mostly happens when your air compressors are poorly designed or not maintained well.
Even a single leak can cost your business hundreds of pounds a year. And in the case of multiple leaks, your air compressors are simply putting a dent on your operations budget.
Tripak, your packaging partner
If you are looking for packaging solutions, look no further than Tripak. We have a complete range of equipment and packaging materials to suit your requirements. Contact our friendly team today for help choosing the right product.