How to Perform an Energy Audit with Power Loggers

Most organizations today are under intense pressure. They face demanding customers, tight schedules, and limited resources. Energy efficiency is more important than ever. There’s no room for wasted energy, power quality issues, or costly downtime. That’s where energy audits come in.

Energy audits reduce costs, help prevent downtime, and boost sustainability. State-of-the-art smart tools take the process even further, delivering targeted insights to increased energy efficiency throughout the operation. This article discusses the benefits of energy audits as well as explores how to tap into those benefits by using a power logger to optimize energy usage.

The value of energy audits

Energy audits deliver a clear, significant return on investment. In fact, organizations are usually able to slash their energy budget by 10% to 20% after they carry out their first audit. If you conduct annual energy audits, you’ll see savings that compound over the years.

Cutting waste

Energy audits reveal areas where energy is being wasted — like air conditioning running when it’s not needed or multiple compressors all performing the same function.

Once you’ve identified the waste, you can take steps to correct it. Installing timers on energy loads, for example, ensures energy is only used when it’s needed. Automated tools can ensure lighting and air conditioning switch off when the plant is empty. Installing power factor correction capacitors mitigates power loss, reducing the amount of energy wasted as heat. Replacing inefficient assets can also save energy and cut costs.

Mapping energy loads

Energy audits demonstrate exactly where an organization is using its energy. Which assets are using the most energy? What’s the busiest time of day? How much headroom is left for new equipment?

Mapping energy loads is especially important right now. Energy demands are increasing in every sector, especially with the adoption of new automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. But before you can add new equipment to your work site, it’s important to make sure you have enough energy available. That’s what an energy audit will tell you.

Excess energy use leads to overloaded equipment, circuit breakers tripping, and fuses blowing. Pushed to the limit, you’ll have critical assets breaking down, which leads to expensive downtime and costly repairs. Conducting regular energy audits to map your energy loads will prevent this downtime. You’ll never be caught off-guard by an unexpected energy shortage or power quality issues, and you’ll always be ready to make informed decisions about asset acquisition.

Safety and sustainability

Tracking energy usage is a sure way to reduce your carbon footprint and work towards a greener, more sustainable future. By eliminating fuel waste, you automatically cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a win for the environment and for your budget. Optimizing your energy loads also dramatically improves safety in your plant, preventing electrical fires that could harm your team or damage your equipment.

Conducting routine audits

It’s a good practice to regularly monitor energy use to make sure that your power-saving solutions are still working. Depending on how critical the area is, you should conduct audits every six to 12 months.

It’s a form of preventive maintenance. Like other preventive maintenance tasks, it should be standardized so that it’s always done as efficiently as possible and you get repeatable results. Today, smart tools are the most effective instruments for carrying out comprehensive energy audits.

Smart tools and energy audits

Smart, cloud-connected sensors and monitors have revolutionized the way teams conduct energy audits. The old, handheld meters provided snapshots of power usage at a specific moment in time. Smart tools, in contrast, monitor energy usage continuously and in real-time. Tools like power loggers deliver insights into the long-term ebbs and flows of energy usage in your customer’s facility so that they can plan ahead successfully.

Using a power logger to audit energy

Power loggers use a network of sensors to create detailed load studies and power quality reports. The most effective loggers come equipped with analytic and reporting features, so you can put the data to work right away.

Guide to using a power logger

An in-depth energy audit takes about 30 days to complete. During that time, your power logger will collect enough data to show you the major trends in the facility, so that you can make energy-saving changes as needed. Note that power loggers collect data continuously, but technicians normally read the data in a series of 10-minute intervals. For each 10-minute interval, the power logger records the minimum, maximum, and average level of energy consumed. You can break down the power logging process into a few key steps:

1. Measure your overall energy usage, beginning at the point of service, where the utility’s electricity comes into your facility. This is the big-picture, eagle’s eye view that determines how much headroom is available and whether you can add new equipment to your work site.
2. Move downstream of the point of service and begin collecting more granular data. The goal is to study energy usage patterns for your assets, identifying areas of waste.
3. Begin with the highest consumers of energy, which usually means your electric motors. Look for ways to reduce energy use — reducing energy use in motors can result in significant savings. Introducing inverters, for example, increases efficiency by ensuring that motors always operate at the ideal speed. Continue moving downstream, following each circuit, until you’ve analyzed the whole facility.
4. Analyze your results:. Use the data logger’s built-in visualization features to create graphs and tables that make sense of your data. At this stage, the raw data is transformed into insights.
5. Put your data-driven insights to work by using an external application software package. Use your power logger’s reporting functionality to share your data with key decision makers. At this point, you’ve identified the areas of waste, and your team can begin planning ways to optimize your energy consumption.
6. Conduct regular audits to ensure that energy usage remains optimized. It’s easy to drift back into bad habits and create more waste. Routine audits will keep your facility on track, and enable you to find more opportunities to reduce waste.

Continuous improvement

For electrical professionals and their customers, it’s important to remember that an energy audit is not a one-and-done procedure. It’s part of a larger preventive maintenance approach. Think of it as an investment that delivers greater value over time. Regular, annual audits will give you the insights you need to keep your facility running smoothly, efficiently, and with minimal waste. The result? A serious reduction in downtime, lower costs, and the headroom you need to introduce new assets.