ABSTRACT
“If you can't measure, you can't control—if you can't control, you can't manage—if you can't manage, you can't contain costs.” As a process-oriented activity, energy management begins with a thorough assessment of use and culminates in the implementation of an effective energy management plan. Applying the five process improvement steps of a Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) activity provides a way to define, measure, analyze, improve, control, and verify energy use and savings. The straightforward approach of this process provides a cost-effective means of optimizing facility energy and cost efficiencies.These efficiencies are transformed into energy savings based on improvements to both facility process and utility-related activities, with process-related activities encompassing all product manufacturing events, and utility-related activities including automated building systems and all other activities not directly related to manufacturing events.The DMAIC process for each begins with a well-defined problem statement that is supported by examination of existing data to formulate the project premise. Combining “tribal knowledge” with sound data analysis highlights the pathway to process improvement and long-term savings.
