Large Business

Mining & Manufacturing

Efficiency advice

• Operate furnaces and boilers at, or as close as possible to, design capacity.
• Adequately insulate air or water-cooled surfaces, particularly those exposed to furnace equipment. Use proper furnace insulation to reduce wall-heat losses.
• Minimise air leakage into the furnace by sealing openings.
• Investigate whether furnace exhaust heat can be used in other parts of the manufacturing process.
• Request that an expert undertakes an energy audit to identify potential savings. As well as saving energy and money, an expert can help businesses reduce operating and maintenance costs, improve asset performance, raise awareness among staff and document greenhouse gas reductions - assisting relevant businesses to obtain rebates.
• Regularly service all heating and air-conditioning units to ensure they are operating efficiently.
• Ensure any hot water services are well-insulated in cooler climates.
• Turn off power to unused appliances. Don't leave things on stand-by.
• Improve your power factor - a measure of how effectively you are using power - by installing power factor correction equipment. This can reduce your energy bills through lower monthly peak demand and capacity charges. If your electrical system is near its capacity, the installation of this equipment can also help avoid costly infrastructure upgrades, by lowering peak electrical demand on your system.
• Use compact fluorescent lighting where possible and turn off all lights and other equipment when not in use.