Monitoring and targeting is one of the most effective ways
in which energy consumption and emissions can be
understood and controlled. Jamie Watkins, CEO of RUMM,
explains and highlights two companies reaping the benefits

While monitoring energy
consumption may not always be
top of the list for industrial plant
managers due to the over-riding pressures of
budget and profit margins, saving just over
£7.5million in energy costs would, of course,
appeal to anyone within the field.

Although an energy management
programme may seem a long-term solution
with slow payback time, this is rarely the
case. In fact, with such high energy
consumption and waste to target, payback
for industry can often be a fast process.

Furthermore, with the deadline for CRC
information to be submitted nearly at a
close, it is more important than ever for
companies to gain knowledge of their energy
consumption.Monitoring and targeting can
help with this and also help companies
ensure they stay in line with all carbon
reduction legislation including CCA, CRC
EES and EU ETS.

Consumption cut by 27%
Doncasters, a leading international
engineering group and Yuasa, one of the
world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers
of lead-acid batteries are prime examples of
companies that have reaped the benefits of
monitoring and targeting, having collectively
saved £7.5 million following the
implementation of such a scheme.

With an energy bill of £1.4 million at
Doncasters’ Blaenavon site, the vast majority
of which was spent on gas and electricity,
RUMM (Remote Utility Monitoring &
Targeting) was asked to look at ways of
reducing energy consumption in order to
improve profits.

To identify where energy was being used,
and also where it was being wasted, RUMM’s
first task was to design and install an
automatic monitoring and targeting system
(aM&T). The sub-meter readings provided
Doncasters with half-hourly data to identify
those areas where savings could be made.

In order to ensure everyone on site was
able to understand how the system worked
and where the plant was using excess energy,
the RUMM team also worked closely with
the incumbent energy team to identify how
electricity and gas were being distributed.

By analysing the meter reading data using
RUMM’s intelligent IBASS product (Internet
Based Analytical Software Suite), the team
was able to evaluate opportunities for savings
within the thermal efficiency field, and
optimise ‘waste heat’ to minimise
temperature dissipation.

Consequently, energy consumption was
reduced by 27%, giving the Blaenavon plant
a saving of £1million over the first 2 years,
against a 40% increase in sales.

This also resulted in Doncasters receiving
an Energy Management Award in 2007 and
since installation, a total of £3.6million has
been saved in energy consumption costs,
equating to 11,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“The service we have had from RUMM
has been first class. Such was the project’s
initial success, we installed at a further four
sites and continue to look at other sites
where intelligent monitoring can be used,”
commented the group energy manager at
Doncasters.

Six week ROI
In the case of Yuasa, RUMM was invited to
investigate energy consumption at its Ebbw
Vale plant.With 35 electricity, gas, water and
steam meters in operation, an extensive site
survey confirmed that the best approach for
Yuasa was to implement changes to the
compressor and extraction systems, along
with a site switch-off procedure.

These measures, in particular, helped to
reduce weekend energy consumption. Such
was the impact of the measures, tangible
results were seen in just 6 weeks, by which
point Yuasa had already seen a return on its
investment.

In the first year alone, a total of £364,000
cost savings was made. This was verified by
the Carbon Trust and Yuasa received a Wales
Business and Sustainability Award for the
results it had achieved.

Furthermore, the predicted £1m saving
over 3 years has risen to £4m since the energy
management solutions were implemented.

Future-proofing
Investment in monitoring and targeting also
offers companies an element of future
proofing, as once the monitoring systems are
in place, aM&T allows companies to test,
prior to install, new systems in order to
identify any future energy consumption
problems and fix them in advance.

However, an effective monitoring and
targeting system is not just an activity for the
shop floor, and involvement at all company
levels is key to its success. Everyone must
adopt any blueprint for energy and
environmental savings if it is to work
effectively and provide the required results.