Into a plan that aim to increase the energy performance of an activity, it is not only necessary to know which is the absolute value of consumption. These data must be framed into an analysis that allows to understand if the numbers are satisfactory or if the company is inefficient. In order to take this important step, it is necessart to identify some particular indicators called Energy Performance Indicator, o EnPI. In summary, it is an instrument able to monitor the energy perfomance. With respect to efficiency, that mesaures the production per energy unit, here we speack about energy intensity, the quantity of energy utilized per unit of product. The goal is to increase efficiency or decrease intensity.

In a Energy Management System (SGE) which provides for the continuous improvement of energy performance on a constant basis, Energy Performance Indicators are the basis to proceed to the “check” phase of the virtuous circle structured in the four steps of the Deming cycle:

  • plan;
  • do;
  • check;
  • act;

After planning the initial activities to improve performance and after implementing them, it is the moment when the effort made occurs and further improvement actions are subsequently implemented. The international standard ISO 50001 issued in 2011, which certifies energy management systems, introduces the concept of EnPI as an important novelty, with the aim of adopting a tool for comparing energy performance over time.

An EnPI system basically allows to obtain:

  • a quantitative performance measurement system;
  • a tool for knowing progress;
  • an anomaly identification system.

The preparation of EnPI will make it possible to relate the various activities to understand which are the most energy-intensive, to make monthly or annual comparisons to see the effects of the interventions carried out and to make a comparison with the benchmarks relating to their sector of activity. Furthermore, it allows you to predict, based on historical data, the expected consumption as the production changes.

Knowing how to analyze the production process

Once the company’s initial energy situation has been clarified (the so-called “baseline” of consumption detected at a given time), to proceed with efficiency measures it is necessary to prepare the Energy Performance Indicators. This is a task that varies greatly depending on the situation, and is often complicated, especially in the case of companies distributed across the territory with multiple locations and production plants and with the use of multiple energy sources.

Moreover, the definition of the energy performance indices implies that you know your company’s activity very well, the most energy-consuming production processes and all the other activities that need energy (thermal or electric) to be carried out. The most relevant users must be highlighted because it will probably be from these that the most significant performance improvements can be obtained. For instance, for each energy significant consumption an indicator that relates consumption to the variable that most influences it will be prepared.

For example, depending on the sector of activity, it may be the consumption of gas per unit of product, or the consumption of kWh per square meter of illuminated surface or, again, the consumption of light or gas per bed. The definition of EnPI involves a real consumption monitoring architecture. It often involves ad hoc measurements and the installation of new measuring instruments.

The necessary steps to develop the EnPI

The development of the EnPI involves these steps:

  • determine the elements / assets to be assessed (plants, processes, systems, etc.);
  • determine the relevant energy consumption for each element;
  • identify the different drivers that influence consumption (the production volume, but also factors such as the weather or the number of people in a building);
  • collect historical and driver consumption data;
  • establish a “baseline”, ie a zero year on which to make subsequent comparisons;
  • analyze the links between consumption and drivers;
  • analyze the change over time of the indicator compared to year zero.

Once the photograph of energy performance over time has been obtained, and the comparison with the reference benchmarks has been carried out, the energy manager remains responsible for inserting these results in a report and communicating them effectively within the organization, before proposing improvements.

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