Six
telltale signs your plant profits are disappearing
Did you know your plant profits
are disappearing right under your nose? They’re not all that hard to
find if you know where to look. Take a tour through your plant and see
if you can spot six telltale signs that point to plant energy costs that
are killing your profits.
- Steam plumes, whatever
their size, are sure signs you are losing money. The height of
your steam plume signals the amount of money you are losing every
year. For instance, a 6 ft. steam plume usually means you could be
losing about $13,000 a year. Dozens of small plumes may not look like
much but together they too could add up to thousands of dollars a
year. To learn how much a steam leak could be costing you, check our
Steam Performance section.
- Employees
wearing shirts in one part of the building and coats in another.
Uneven heating and cooling
could be a sign of poor air balancing in your plant that’s making
your staff uncomfortable and costing you money. Look for staff
wearing coats near the exterior of the building while they are
shedding layers in the interior. A slightly positive air balance and
optimized ventilation could be just the thing to improve your
comfort and your bottom line.
- Electric
heaters under desks or near work stations.
Walk around your plant and check for electric heaters hidden under
desks or near work stations. They are usually a pretty good sign
that your HVAC needs attention. Electric heaters are a classic
symptom – and an expensive solution – to a bigger root problem that
could be costing you a lot.
- High Exhaust Rates - all over your plant. Your plant and
process exhaust systems need to work together. If they don’t, they
can increase the energy demands and costs of other systems. Check
for excessive exhaust rates throughout the plant. If you have
excessive general building exhaust it can work against your process
exhaust systems. Improper exhausting can remove clean conditioned
air – for which you’ve already paid. Every additional Cubic Foot per
Minute (CFM) of exhaust air, beyond what’s required, costs you
roughly an extra dollar per year. So running 15,000 CFM more than
you need will cost you an extra $15,000 a year.
- Damaged or wet insulation
could be costing you dollars so repair or replace it. If you
have uninsulated surfaces, check them for heat. As a general rule of
thumb, if it feels too hot or cold to the touch, then insulate it.
- Yellow thermal imaging
camera can show you where you are losing heat in your plant.
A thermal imaging camera can show you where you are losing
heat in your plant. Brilliant colour disparities on your
infrared camera are a tell-tale sign of heat and money
losses. An infrared survey of your plant will show you how
to pinpoint your heat losses. Union Gas financial incentives
can help pay for an infrared survey. For more information
about how a thermal imaging survey paid big dividends for a
Union Gas customer, check the
AbitibiBowater Enercase.
This case study shows how a paper manufacturer used thermal
imaging to save hundreds of thousands of dollars with very
short paybacks.
Union Gas will
pay you to save natural gas
If you are seeing some of these
telltale signs in your plant or facility, contact your
Union Gas Account Manager.
Union Gas financial incentives are available to help Union Gas business
customers reduce the amount of natural gas they use. In fact, Union Gas
will help pay for some equipment and studies if it will lower your gas
consumption. If you are looking for savings in your plant or facility,
contact a
Union Gas Account Manager for more information.
More ideas for
saving natural gas
Looking for more ways to save? The
system brochures below identify potential energy efficiency improvements
for your plants and facilities – along with eligible incentives from
Union Gas.
* NOTE: Total Union Gas incentives cannot exceed
$250,000 a year per site. Certain criteria apply for some technologies,
contact your Union Gas Account Manager for more information. Subject to
change.
