Smarter energy use

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) provides resources to help incorporate energy management into best practices. This approach focuses on machinery and its maintenance, establishes procedures that ensure greater efficiency, and encourages the responsible use of resources.

NRCan has several programs in place to help your plant use energy smarter, but there’s also funding available. Financial assistance flows through its ecoENERGY Efficiency for Industry program. It’s directed at projects that improve industrial energy performance with assistance of up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $40,000.

ISO 50001 studies aim to support organizations that take a systematic approach to achieving continuous energy performance improvement. Funded projects require a final report detailing energy performance improvements and the measures undertaken to meet the standard, including energy baseline and performance targets, timelines for achievement of targets, monitoring and reporting procedures, as well as projected implementation results.

Financial assistance is also available for process integration (PI) studies, which consist of a global energy analysis to determine the best use of heat in a facility. A site-wide approach employing an energy-mass balance and specialized tools (such as pinch analysis) helps improve energy efficiency and competitiveness.

Other eligible projects may include:
development and dissemination of tools and information related to energy efficiency;
development, organization and delivery of training;
assessments, evaluations and benchmarking studies; and
development of technical guides and reports, implementation roadmaps, and best practices studies.

Visit Natural Resources Canada’s website for more details.

This article appears in the September 2014 issue of PLANT.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca