NECESSARY MEASURES FOR BETTER ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Whitepaper
Necessary measures for better energy efficiency OVERVIEW The main focus of this white paper is to highlight the main measures that can be immediately implemented by companies for better energy efficiency. Also, we took into consideration the impact of everyday people actions on the environment and most importantly on our health.
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE The world is facing unprecedented energy challenges. When it comes to energy, for too long now, we are doing the same old mistakes. Led by the illusion that the energy is an inexhaustible and cheap resource, we were wrong. We have to rethink the way we act. For Europe, this is a duty, a priority and an opportunity. Looking ahead to 2020, the plan is to step up renewable use by 20%, making a 20% cut in our greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. It is a specific objective to make savings. We need to consume less and to consume more efficiently, and, more importantly, we need to incorporate energy efficiency in our daily lives. Looking at the business world, a company that is concerned to be better, usually has outstanding results and can improve actually productivity. The added gain in output comes on top of energy saving of 30%, a good model for other small and medium size businesses to follow. Just think energy means more than savings. It also means competiveness and jobs, saving the environment and your kid’s health. Besides, energy consumption has become another factor in deciding what to buy, alongside quality and price. Energy efficiency is a course we must carry forward. We need to become aware of the world we are now living in and act according to it.
THE CURRENT SITUATION The pressure and challenge to further develop and transform energy system is immense. The year 2013 saw acceleration in the growth of global energy consumption, despite a stagnant global
economy. Besides, the energy security from some red geopolitical areas becomes a priority for world leaders to reduce EU’s energy dependence and increase its energy security for both electricity and gas. During the last few years, fundamental changes have occurred that convey to energy efficiency improvements and energy conservation. The energy prices1 have never been so high and there is little evidence that these prices will come down soon. The cost of energy is a significant concern mostly for small and medium companies. Legislation is now in favor of companies that want to implement efficient methods for reducing energy. After 2020, it will become mandatory to keep some energy consumption limits. Also, there is a comprehensive EU legislation in place to improve energy efficiency. One of the eight directives2 is for energy end-use efficiency and energy services. And these measures are adopted worldwide now by companies.
NEW TIMES REQUIRE NEW TEHNOLOGIES Taking the step from efficiency to sustainability is not seen any more as an impossible mission. A perfect sustainable business would have zero waste and this translates to profits, sustainable growth and zero emissions. The sustainability movement showed companies how they could save money. The world is heading this way and companies started to implement technologies that adjust and even eliminate the energy usage. This became a back-up solution for companies that want to be ecofriendly and to gain advantages in the competitive market.
TAKING ACTION ON ENERGY Actions need to be taken into consideration to increase efficiency, whether through changes in equipment, control changes or behavior. Programs and mechanisms should be adopted for encouraging energy efficiency. Also, an action plan for energy efficiency is required. This will identify the energy demand and other savings for each measure and cost associated with each measure. Also, a program like that should include an energy management team. For that, three specific steps need to be followed in this fight for costs and energy reduction:
1 2
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/studies/doc/2009_03_15_esd_efficiency_potentials_final_report.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/energy/action_plan_energy_efficiency/doc/2007_eeap_en.pdf
1. Monitoring consumption The action plan for energy efficiency will be monitored and revised as circumstances require. If monitoring programs are installed, everyone from the company can review the status of consumption and understand its progress based on graphics and statistics. 2. Control the consumption There are programs that provide real-time displays of energy consumption. Also, it tracks the energy consumption and presents the trends for the last 24 hours. Even more, historical data is correlated to create real-time predictions of energy consumption for easy troubleshooting and analysis. 3. Energy consumption behavior Encouraging good habits among the employees is crucial for energy efficiency.
A greener
organizational culture has to be adopted in every company and that needs to be supported by an energy management team. Special attention must be paid to energy production, consumption and trade. The process of producing the energy should be reviewed right now and companies should use appropriate equipment and technology according to it. Energy-efficient consumption is the key to a sustained increase of revenues. Because of that every company has to recognize energy efficiency as a high-priority energy resource.
AN ENERGY EFFICIENT FUTURE: THE WAY AHEAD Both industrial companies and individuals have to take a step back from a full use of energy resources. The environment already shows signs of deterioration and the only solution is to stop this irreversible process. Therefore, global strategies need to be adjusted to local communities, while companies are in charge of responsibly using the resources and offering eco-friendly products and services. This way both producers and consumers will benefit.
CONCLUSION The potential to save energy is there, and with the necessary tools, support programs, policies and institutional capacity we can achieve it. This is the perfect solution for not wasting money, damaging the environment and contributing to climate changes. If everyone is doing his part, Europe can save a fifth of its annual energy consumption by 2020 compared with conducting business as usual.
ABOUT IT GREEN LIGHT IT Green Light is an IT consultancy company, focusing mainly on special IT projects and technologies. Headquartered in Romania, the company develops IT projects worldwide through its offices in Munchen and Dubai. For over 10 years, IT Green Light designs and implements collaboration solutions, business intelligence, corporate intelligence and knowledge management solutions. Due to the new system implementation we have the possibility to real time monitoring of fuel consumption on E&P Level, in any aria of E&P, and to be proactive, in order to control the YTD data versus approved budget and, in case of an increase of the actual costs, to take proper measures. Based on the reports from the system we know which equipment is out of range from consumption point of view and we can initiate projects for replacement or other corrective measures. The system offers to all cost centers responsible the possibility to monitor the consumption versus the approved budget, to keep an accurate situation of all fuel consumption equipments and to know for sure the usage of the fuel during the day by day work.
Contact details: Address: 28, Cameliei Street, Bucharest, district 1 E-Mail: office@glit.ro office@itgreenlight.ro Web: www.fanica.ro www.itgreenlight.com