ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses many tools, techniques and approaches available in the market with different names and different variations on the approach to find energy reduction opportunities. The majority of the energy audit approaches can be classified into bottom-up approach, unit operation approach, top-down approach and hybrid approach. A bottom-up approach typically starts by assessing and identifying individual machinery and/or processing steps such as pumps, motors, steam traps and applying insulation. A unit operation approach assesses each individual component within the unit operation and its interaction between systems in the business as a whole. A manufacturing plant may have many unit operations connected to create the overall process to manufacture a desired product. A top-down approach applies statistical and benchmark figures to arrive at the achievable energy savings. A hybrid energy audit approach combines the best of bottom-up, unit operation and top-down approaches to identify energy reduction opportunities, technical feasibility and economic viability to implement specific energy reduction opportunities.