Natural Elements, NRCan's Monthly Newsletter

Saving Energy Now Easier for Industry

The Energy Savings Toolbox - an energy audit manual and tool

It can be hard to know where to find energy savings in an industrial business. That’s why Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has developed the Energy Savings Toolbox – a free, step-by-step reference guide to help industry identify and capitalize on energy savings.

Developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders, provinces, territories and the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) of NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency, this unique resource offers information for every step of the energy auditing process — from audit methodology, to preparing an audit, to describing the latest specialized technical resources and tools for conducting different types of energy-use analysis.

The potential value of this resource is clear. “This is a comprehensive energy audit manual and tool that can assist any industry, big or small, to find many opportunities to reduce its energy bills and improve its competitive advantage,” says Michael Burke, Director of NRCan’s Industrial Programs Division.

Energy auditing is a key facet of any energy management program. And the unique value of the Energy Savings Toolbox is that it enables energy audits for many areas to be conducted in-house — eliminating the need for external auditors except in the case of energy systems that are particularly intensive or complex.

The Toolbox also provides businesses with an increased awareness of energy costs, together with valuable experience in managing them. And of course, on a much wider scale, lowering energy costs helps reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, thus minimizing the environmental footprint of individual businesses.

 

While audits vary according to the particular needs of different industries and businesses, they usually involve four main components:

• the collection of data
• system measurements and plant evaluations
• review of operating practices
• data analysis

The Energy Savings Toolbox offers a comprehensive guide to all these aspects of auditing in a 10-step process, together with multiple tools for energy analysis and cost-benefit evaluations.

The Toolbox also contains a number of specific technical supplements. These include methods for recording individual energy users in a plant — such as lights, motors, HVAC, air compressors and refrigeration — and spreadsheet tools to calculate consumption rates and patterns for all lighting, heating, motors, and processing within a plant; total energy use; and the potential cost-benefit relation of modifying consumption practices.

You can order your own free copy of the Energy Savings Toolbox on CD by sending an e-mail to cipec.peeic@nrcan.gc.ca, or you can consult the Toolbox online from the Office of Energy Efficiency, which also provides other technical guides.