A Systematic Method for Increasing the Energy and Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing Companies

Abstract

Consciously considering the energy and resource consumption is of rising interest in manufacturing companies. However, especially in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) the target-oriented implementation of promising measures is impeded by different obstacles such as unattractive amortization times, lack of transparency or high efforts (personnel/time). Against this background, a guided method for the systematic identification of most promising improvement potentials is suggested in the paper. Based on a so called energy portfolio it allows the classification and prioritization of energy consumers in the company and the derivation of target-oriented action plans towards energy and resource efficiency improvement.