Manufacturers can maximise energy and operational efficiency by leveraging the Panoramic Power end-to-end energy intelligence platform. This platform combines wireless sensor technology with advanced analytics software to provide real-time energy insights, enabling optimisation of energy and operational performance across an entire site, down to the device and equipment level.
Real-time energy data at your fingertips
By simply clipping wireless IoT sensors to energy-intensive assets at a circuit level, the captured data is analysed and visualised using an advanced energy management platform. This provides a 360-degree view of site-wide power usage at the required level of detail. Additionally, it is possible to monitor gas, heat, air flow, and water consumption, as well as on-site generators like solar systems.
Six Ways Smart Sensors Can Drive Manufacturing Efficiency Savings
1. Detect Energy Waste to Drive Efficiency and Cost Savings
By understanding what’s happening beyond metered data at a device and process level, hidden energy waste can be identified, driving efficiency improvements that can reduce skyrocketing bills. For example, unnecessary out-of-hours consumption, idling equipment, incorrect operation timetables, or opportunities to improve compressor cycling or production/process line sequencing can be detected. Benchmarking against other comparable sites or areas can also help detect anomalies and drive best practices. IoT energy insights can further inform and influence employee behaviour change to improve energy performance.
2. Improve Operational Efficiency
With on-demand access to real-time equipment and process performance data, new insights into operational improvement opportunities can be gained. Often, the resulting operational cost savings are higher than the energy savings. For instance, energy insights can detect air leaks from compressors and diagnose performance issues with cooling equipment or production lines. The technology can support the verification of manufacturer default settings and equipment controls, while also tracking operational trends from adjusting equipment controls in real-time.
3. Predict Equipment Failure and Trigger Maintenance Protocols
Energy analytics software can detect anomalies and faulty equipment or process vulnerabilities that could affect output or product quality. Smart technology facilitates the transition from scheduled maintenance to predictive maintenance by providing 24/7 alerts about potential issues, preventing them before they become points of failure. This reduces downtime, increases productivity, and extends asset life.
4. Decarbonise Your Business
Improving energy and operational efficiency also delivers carbon savings, helping achieve net zero ambitions cost-effectively. This allows manufacturers to stay ahead of increasing environmental regulation and carbon taxation while meeting the sustainability expectations of customers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders.
5. Make Compliance & Reporting Easy
A data-driven energy monitoring strategy provides a clear view of energy and carbon performance. Accurate data is available at the required level of detail to support increasing regulatory and legislative oversight of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Device-level data also allows quantification of the energy or carbon intensity of production, such as how many kWh or t/CO2-e it takes to produce one widget. Similarly, if upgrading process heat requirements to heat pumps, device-level data can verify the carbon reduction impact of these upgrades.
6. Optimise and Monetise Energy Flexibility
Data gathered from wireless sensors can inform opportunities to use energy flexibly for cost reduction and revenue generation. By shifting loads to avoid peak time power costs, significant savings can be achieved by moving non-essential loads out of peak hours.
By implementing these strategies, manufacturers can significantly enhance their energy and operational efficiency, leading to substantial cost savings and improved sustainability.
How Total Utilities Can Help
Our expert team can help you unlock significant energy savings with a short-term return on investment (ROI). Typically, we can identify up to 25% savings with an ROI of less than 2 years.
We achieve this by conducting a comprehensive site-wide energy audit (Type 1), examining everything from lighting and HVAC systems to chillers, boilers, refrigeration and other energy-intensive systems. Additionally, we install Panoramic Power our non-intrusive energy intelligence system, providing real-time device-level energy data visibility. For more information check out a brief overview of our service here.
Ready to start saving? Contact us today to schedule your energy audit and begin your journey towards greater efficiency and cost savings!