It is no secret that energy consumption in food and beverage plants is extremely high. Therefore, industries pour a lot of money into paying electricity and other bills. However, this drainage of money does not need to continue with the advent of better and less power-consuming energy resources. Small changes can result in significant savings.
Regardless of where your food plant is located, there are certain power-saving techniques everyone can adopt and benefit from. One way to save energy is by designing an eco-friendly food plant layout with the help of Stendel + Reich food plant architects. Working hand-in-hand with design professionals can help develop innovative solutions.
Tips to reduce energy usage in your food plant
- Conduct an energy audit.
An energy audit allows business owners to understand the energy usage in their facilities, identify areas for improvement, and suggest energy-saving measures. Experts can estimate the utilities used for each step of every process in the food plant and identify steps where even the smallest amount of energy can be saved.
For example, large amounts of energy are consumed by food plants for heating and cooling processes. Using heat pumps instead of electric boilers can save energy and costs.
- Install efficient lighting.
Installing energy-efficient lighting is one of the most common ways business owners are taking one step towards a greener approach. After all, it is an easy one. Replacing all your incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs is a small but significantly energy-saving step.
While you may think lights do not consume much energy and changing them won’t make a difference, you may be surprised at how much you can save. A food plant may consist of hundreds of lights.
- Efficient refrigeration and temperature-controlled systems.
Refrigerators and temperature-controlling systems are used in massive amounts in food plants. This can be done in a few ways:
- By using more energy-efficient heat exchangers to facilitate the transfer of heat.
- By opting for high-efficiency refrigerating systems.
- By implementing a robust maintenance policy, including leak detection, regular inspections, and cleaning of the refrigerating system.
- By setting the temperature points of refrigerators and heaters to an optimal level. Advanced technologies usually have this option.
- Start the conversation early.
Using energy-efficient designs during the plan and layout process maximizes efficiency and sustainability. Choosing energy-efficient equipment during the designing stage, such as processing equipment, refrigerators, heaters, etc., allows you to reduce energy wastage down the lane.
Waste heat recovery can prevent the waste of heart energy and utilize it for other purposes, such as heating water. An expert can suggest various such ideas and help save money.
