What can be Measured then
can be Managed
!
Energy is a major cost component for organizations in all sectors of the economy. Organizations like manufacturing plants, commercial establishments, large building complexes, and public utilities can accrue substantial savings in energy bills by adopting energy efficiency techniques, systems, and technologies in their buildings, plants, processes, and facilities. Moreover, due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, the energy supply-and-demand gap is widening in developing countries, leading to increased costs of production and imports of energy.
The major sources of energy are still fossil
fuels, mainly coal and oil and gas, which cause
emissions of greenhouse gases and result in
long-term environmental problems like global
warming and climate change, which are against
the principles of sustainable development. In
view of this, adopting energy efficiency
practices and procedures is essential for
improving energy management in enterprises.
An important component in achieving energy
efficiency is its measurement. It has been said
that if you cannot measure it, you cannot
improve it. Energy audits solve the measurement
problem. Energy audits attempt to balance total
energy inputs with their use, identify all
energy streams in a facility, and quantify
energy usage according to discreet functions.
Thus it can serve as an effective tool to define
a comprehensive energy management program within
a business. For this purpose, energy audits must
be conducted at regular intervals in all
industries and buildings. However, one of the
main bottlenecks in conducting such studies is
the lack of technical information. Given the
fact that all industries including SMEs and
commercial buildings in the Asia-Pacific region
require audit studies at least once a year for
continuous improvement on the energy management
front, thousands of trained energy auditors are
required. Apparently there is a major gap
between the demand for and supply of
professionally trained auditors.
Recognizing the need for energy management and energy auditing, ...