Topic #4: Energy performance and business productivity   

Align your business reporting with energy performance measurement to identify how energy use impacts your business. Use this valuable information to achieve on-going energy efficiency, and make continual improvements to your business as a whole.

Start by watching this video about SNF Australia, an Australian chemicals manufacturer and SME that now uses significantly less energy per tonne of product, thanks to internal energy tracking systems that ensure energy is being used as effectively and efficiently as possible. The PACIA energy+ program can help you set up systems like this in your business!

Overview

All businesses track their productivity to determine how much product is made and how much revenue it generates. Aligning productivity with energy use and costs will highlight where you are using energy and how reducing energy consumption can improve productivity and profits. As Russell Schroeter, Managing Director of SNF, says in the video above, “Any business could benefit from tracking their energy consumption and making sure they’re using the minimum amount possible.”

Using your existing business reporting and metrics, you can track and trend energy use. This will reveal your total cost of energy on a regular basis, and provide valuable information that can be used to set up an overall strategy for continued energy improvement across your business.

In this section, you will find the tools you need to:

☑  Know how to calculate ‘energy productivity’
☑  Align energy tracking with your existing reporting systems and metrics
☑  Identify appropriate systems that give you access to detailed energy usage data
☑  Understand and leverage the benefits of tacking energy productivity for your business

Start by working through the Tutorial below, to identify priorities and opportunities specific to your business. Use the tools and resources provided on this page to take action, and remember to regularly refer back to your energy plan to ensure you stay on track.

Tutorial

Aligning energy use with business productivity provides opportunities to ensure energy efficiency and business improvement go hand in hand. Use the following tutorial questions to help you understand how to measure your energy performance as part of your overall productivity, and access resources to help you in this important area.

Question one:
Do you know how to align energy use as a measure of your businesses productivity? If yes, go to step 2. If not, view the video above and read the PACIA energy+ 5 Minute Guide #9 to understand the benefits of tracking energy productivity and how to get started.

Question two:
Does your business track and report energy use and know how it can drive decision making? If yes, go to step 3. If not see the additional resources outlined below including the Australian Government’s Energy Savings Measurement Guide for advice and ideas.

Question three:
Is your current energy tracking and reporting consistent with and aligned with your business systems and goals? If yes, go to step 3. If not, speak with colleagues across operations, finance, procurement and management to unlock the best way to track and report energy performance in a way that will be understood by the business, increase accountability and align energy and business improvements.

Question four:
Does your energy performance and business productivity reporting provide sufficient and timely information to provide insight into your different operations, systems or equipment? If not, read PACIA energy+ 5 Minute Guide #9 for ideas on systems that can enable this level of reporting and how the information can be used. 
 

Relevant PACIA energy+ 5 Minute Guide

Download the 5 Minute Guide under this topic, which will provide you with detailed information and suggested actions on aligning your energy measurement and productivity. Use this Guide to help you identify prioritised targets and actions to achieve ongoing energy efficiency and continual improvements in your business. This will assist you to develop and act on your energy plan.

PACIA energy+ 5 Minute Guide 4.1 
5 Minute Guide 4.1
Energy consumption
and productivity
[2.9MB]


Additional resources

The following external resources relate specifically to this topic, and supplement the information provided in the PACIA energy+ 5 Minute Guide above.

Did you know?

Tracking energy and productivity  

Businesses can track energy use and productivity in a number of ways, at increasingly detailed levels:

  • Cost – using existing accounting systems
  • Site use – using energy bills
  • Process use – using power and flow meters for each production process or zone
  • Equipment use – using power, flow and runtime meters for individual equipment items or systems

Advances in bitumen manufacture aid productivity

Significant improvements in productivity have been achieved in the Australian road construction industry, thanks to a new bitumen product developed by ISM (now operating as Brenntag) in partnership with a US manufacturer. ISM is a medium sized business that imports and distributes speciality chemical raw materials to ANZ, and is focussed on finding efficiencies right across the supply chain. The new product enables bitumen to be laid at much lower temperatures, which delivers energy savings and also means roadlaying can carry into cooler seasons which aids productivity.  Read more about this case study.