Sponsored: 5 ways to become more energy efficient in food & drink manufacturing
Over the last decade, technology has seen exponential growth allowing businesses to better understand their energy consumption, with many leaders using this data to explore ways they can become more efficient in the manufacturing process.
Whilst simply switching business energy suppliers may not be necessarily at the top of the list for organisations looking to become more cost-efficient, it’s certainly worth paying attention to.
How to reduce energy costs in the manufacturing process
With large buildings and heavy machinery to power, food & drink manufacturers are faced with exceptionally high energy bills. Whilst this is unavoidable, there is a way to become more efficient, and with a larger usage, the savings will be noticeable.
Here are the top 5 ways to become cut down those energy bills in the manufacturing process:
1. Identify peak energy usage times
Firstly, you will need to assess the peak usage times for energy consumption. It might help to conduct a walk around to make note of every single piece of equipment and when they are typically in operation.
Once you have done this, you can determine whether you are on the correct energy tariff. For example, if you’re operating a lot of machinery during night hours, it may be worth exploring an Economy 7 tariff (this will charge you a cheaper energy rate during the evening 7-hour off-peak period).
According to Ofgem figures, businesses would need to use more than 40% of their energy during their off-peak period to see significant savings.
2. Schedule machinery use
Considering the best times to operate machinery can have a significant impact on the cost, by scheduling production shut down during lunch breaks and weekend periods could help bring down energy bills significantly.
If scheduling is an option, it may be worth exploring staggered working times so that production operates during off-peak energy hours.
3. Factory lighting
The most simple and obvious way to save energy is switching off the lights. This may seem trivial, but it does make a difference. However, you may not be able to switch the lights off when there are no employees around for health and safety reasons, so switching to LED lighting will help bring down those high energy bills.
According to research conducted by Love Energy Savings, LED lights are up to 68% more energy-efficient than traditional fluorescent lamps. So, whilst it may be a little more costly to switch all lighting to LED, the savings potential is huge.
4. Compare business energy suppliers
Making changes to behaviour and operating more efficiently will help bring your energy bills down but switching your supplier will help you maximise your savings. If your business has not switched for a few years, you may have been moved to the supplier’s expensive rollover contract.
Many companies are unaware of their energy contract end date, resulting in highly variable supplier rates so it is worth using the Love Energy Savings comparison tool to see how much your business could save.
5. Inspire a culture change
Most changes come from organisational culture change, so getting employees on board is important. Becoming more energy-efficient and making a conscious effort to reduce the businesses carbon footprint will not only help save money, but it can fuel Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. CSR is rapidly growing in importance in the food and drink industry with consumers becoming ever more conscious of the brand they are buying from and their values.
This change can only happen if everyone is on board, so it might be a good idea to conduct training sessions and educate shareholders on the importance of being energy conscious and how they can make changes in their daily routines.
For more information, visit: www.loveenergysavings.com.
