Learn more about Energetic Efficiency and energy consumpotion

Factories and industries need to know how to calculate energy efficiency and consumption in order to maintain efficient production and to be able to rethink and analyze energy consumption in their plants. Without being able to measure it accurately — in each sector — actions aimed at improving results are restricted and affect the budget.

An energy management service can assist in measuring expenses. In this way, it will be possible to have an accurate value of how much energy is consumed in each of the company’s sectors. Based on this knowledge, it is possible to develop strategies to make each environment more efficient while maintaining production levels.

If you want to discover the importance of analyzing energy consumption in your company, continue reading to check out all the details! You will understand the information your account provides to optimize your industry.

What is energy efficiency?

Energy efficiency is directly related to the use of resources that enable the improvement of energy utilization, as well as the adoption of measures aimed at reducing its consumption.

It is common to find companies that have started or intend to expand their energy use reduction programs, either due to significant cost increases or in order to reduce environmental impacts.

Improving a company’s energy efficiency usually represents important benefits. Nowadays, there are even energy management standards for companies to define and establish a planning for consumption and utilization, but this practice often does not form part of the organization’s strategic vision.

Why should I analyze the energy bill in my factory?

If the company does not understand how energy flow is segregated in each sector, it is not possible to see the true consumption. Therefore, it cannot identify how to reduce costs while maintaining production levels and making its product more efficient in the market.

Measurement is very important because it becomes valuable information for decision making about the factory’s structure and machinery. To obtain this data, a tip is to install telemetry services — an energy manager that is located in the company’s air-conditioned cabin to measure all consumption, in parallel with the concessionaire’s meter.

It is worth remembering that it is not interesting for the company to be satisfied with the information provided by the local service provider. A meter and a parallel energy management system help monitor demand in kWh and power factor in real time.

This information helps in different analyses, involving energy consumption, cost and purchase forecast in the free market, etc. In this way, the company does not run the risk of running out of energy or having to urgently acquire it.

Therefore, understanding consumption is essential to establish a strategic management plan for the plant. In many cases, electricity is the second or third largest expense of a company. It is natural to make changes to equipment or physical improvements to reduce costs.

What are the benefits of energy efficiency?

Energy management and energy efficiency bring benefits in the short, medium and long term for institutions. Immediately, the company becomes more competitive, offering a more efficient product at a more advantageous price. In this way, it is possible to gain market share.

In the medium and long term, the company also gains sustainability. After all, a company that does not worry about electricity tends to condition a good part of its cost sheet and, without proper management, can generate more costs than profit.

A sustainable company needs to be balanced in all aspects. By neglecting this issue, the business tends to become unsustainable in the medium and long term. Market share participation may decrease dramatically and closing doors will be a natural consequence.

It is important to be aware that it is not enough to be concerned with what the company currently consumes. Studies and controls must be made to define how much electricity the company wants to consume in the next few years.

Therefore, it is essential to continue monitoring monthly bills and daily energy consumption. Likewise, solutions offered in the market must be followed to ensure energy consumption metrication within the company, without being totally dependent on information provided by concessionaires.

How to calculate kWh?

The most transparent and accurate method for determining how much a company pays for kWh is to refer to the homologatory resolutions of the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). In these resolutions, there are values for each year, along with more than 70 energy distributors throughout the country. That is, it is possible to know the amount that each distributor charges industries, businesses, residences, etc.

However, the most precise way is to calculate the TE (energy tariff that reverses generation costs) – values ​​of all generation projects that supply energy to consumer units – and add it to the TUSD (costs related to the transmission and distribution of energy). Adding these costs to all taxes gives the total amount paid per kWh.

Aneel’s resolutions show all taxes embedded in electricity: ICMS (varies from state to state), PIS, and Cofins. They are directly involved with the final value. Therefore, to arrive at the exact value, it is necessary to:

• Take the value that is in the resolution (TE + TUSD) and divide by 1000;
• Add the value of taxes (ICMS, PIS, and Cofins).

For example, a company located in São Paulo should take the TE + TUSD tariff in Aneel’s resolution (0.50 per kWh for the state of São Paulo) and divide by 1000. Then add the state’s ICMS (which is 18%), PIS, and Cofins (approximately 6% each). This calculation shows the exact value paid per kWh.

In the free market, however, instead of adding TE to TUSD, the energy price in the free market is added to TUSD. The rest of the calculation is exactly the same.

The kWh calculation is what will impact the electricity bill depending on the hours used by the equipment. If there is an error in the value of kWh, there will be a failure in the return time of the investment made and in the forecast of the total monthly consumption.

For example, if you estimate R$0.38 per kWh for a company that pays R$0.30 for kWh, it will be necessary to change the entire project, using other types of materials.

What measures can be taken to minimize costs?

Actions to reduce energy consumption cannot compromise the company’s production and delivery. The quality of products cannot be affected by this reduction, and therefore energy management is essential.

When we talk about reducing costs in the industry through this management, we mean reducing the value of kWh. Some mechanisms can be adopted to achieve the fall of what is consumed by the company. Among them are:

• Reduce plant demand: check if the company is paying a monthly amount to the energy distributor more than what is actually consumed;
• Increase power factor: efficiently distribute the electrical network to reduce penalties for low power factor;
• Increase load factor: by doing this, it is possible to reduce the electric demand contracted by the company and reduce the consumption cost;
• Migrate to the free market: when the company stops buying energy directly from the distributor, it starts buying in the free market, where it is possible to negotiate the value with several generators.

These measures are plausible only with data analysis, without the need for installation costs or product acquisition. When it comes to energy efficiency, SX Lighting will be of great help to companies.

It is about the physical world: replacing equipment that has higher efficiency and produces the same work with lower energy consumption. These actions involve the purchase of assets and, combined with management and more energy-efficient measures, provide a more sustainable plant, with the implementation of motor retrofit, lighting retrofit, etc.

The following text is about energy efficiency consultancy:

“Measuring and monitoring energy consumption can be a real strategic differential for the company. Therefore, it is essential not to depend on energy companies. Count on partners who improve electrical efficiency, such as replacing lighting with LED luminaires and optimizing the project.

What is energy efficiency consultancy?

Managing energy is the best and most efficient way to control companies’ energy consumption. It is an important measure because it makes it possible to reduce expenses with this input, which is increasingly expensive. Efficient energy management can generate a significant reduction in the energy bill.

Energy efficiency consultancy analyzes all energy expenses of the company and adopts measures to reduce energy consumption. To do so, it applies procedures and control systems with the possibility of quantifying the energy cost in production.

When implementing energy management in companies, processes are optimized. This is because, for the organization to become more competitive, it needs to produce better, in greater quantity, and at the lowest possible cost. In this sense, energy is often an obstacle for this process to occur as planned.

In addition, this type of consultancy assists in reducing greenhouse gas emissions since by reducing consumption, the production of electricity by highly polluting thermoelectric plants is avoided.

How does energy efficiency consultancy work?

There are companies that provide energy efficiency consultancy services. In this case, professionals help evaluate your energy consumption to identify points that can be improved, both immediately and in the medium and long term.

This practice is widely used abroad and, nowadays, it is already possible to find it in Brazil as well. In addition to analyzing how to calculate the company’s energy efficiency, specialists also study and suggest interferences in all processes and systems, with the main objective of reducing and controlling energy costs.

In this sense, the strategies design and implement an energy management system that, in turn, enables continuous improvement in a company’s consumption.

Thus, energy efficiency consultancy can observe the points that need to be improved, as well as execute improvement projects that boost energy performance. At the end of the process, the company gains quickly, in addition to reducing carbon emissions.

What are its main advantages?

Now that you know what energy efficiency consultancy is and how it works, we will present below the main benefits. See!

Cost reduction

Undoubtedly, one of the main benefits for companies that implement energy management and do it efficiently is usually cost reduction. It usually comes from both regulatory and tariff actions as well as the adoption of actions in the use of energy.

In this sense, it is possible that the consultant identifies data in energy bills that can be optimized – such as fines for power factor, contracted demand, or peak consumption – and thus significantly reduce their value.

Regarding the use of energy, it is possible to adopt control measures in the energy consumption of equipment. Among them, the use of equipment more consciously and frequent maintenance operations to avoid wasting electric energy.

Sustainability

Another advantage of good energy management is the reduction in emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. This is possible due to optimized production processes, where companies can produce more without increasing electricity consumption.

In addition, with the efficient use of energy, the country’s power system no longer needs to resort to the use of thermoelectric plants, reducing the discharge of pollutants and gas emissions.

A more sustainable company also has a positive impact on its image in society, increasing its market value and, consequently, its earnings.

Improvement in production processes

Effective energy management also helps optimize a company’s production processes. This is because to make the best use of energy, certain habits and processes need to be changed.

For example, there may be production flows that have become obsolete without the managers and operators realizing it, or machines that deteriorate over time. In this sense, there are often ways to optimize these activities and save energy.

Thus, energy management is a practice that helps companies quickly identify and fix these problems, so that they do not cause even greater losses.

What is the role of the consultant?

Consultants are experts in this field. Therefore, they are able to ensure the success of energy efficiency consulting investments.

The consultant is responsible for coordinating the actions that need to be implemented and pointing out the appropriate solutions for each type of business, since each company has specific needs.

Thus, since the consultant has all the necessary know-how, they can more easily identify the areas that can be improved in order to find energy solutions and achieve the expected results.

Now that you know how to calculate energy efficiency and why this is important, remember that energy management should be a continuous effort. In order to enjoy its benefits, energy consulting and consumption management should be seen as investments so that the company can achieve the expected results.

Now that you are convinced that SX Lighting will provide you with the best energy-efficient lighting, click here to request assistance from our specialists.