Energy as a lever of industrial competitiveness
Electricity costs represent between 5% and 30% of an industrial plant's operating costs, depending on the sector and process. In the metallurgical, chemical, cement or paper industries, it can exceed 40%. With current energy prices and the regulatory push toward decarbonisation, energy efficiency has gone from a sustainable option to a competitive necessity.
Industrial automation offers some of the best levers for cutting energy consumption structurally — not just by switching equipment off, but by making systems consume exactly the energy they need at every moment. The payback periods are frequently better than any other energy efficiency measure.
The main sources of energy waste in industry
- Fixed-speed motors: a pump or fan motor running at 100% speed when the process only needs 70% flow is wasting energy massively (a pump's power varies with the cube of speed).
- Equipment running without producing: machines, compressors, ovens and HVAC systems left on outside production hours, during pauses or during tooling changeovers.
- Compressed-air leaks: leaks account for 20% to 40% of compressed-air system consumption in plants without proper maintenance.
- Unregulated HVAC: systems heating or cooling empty spaces, or that don't adapt to the building's real load based on occupancy.
- Uncontrolled lighting: luminaires switched on in unoccupied areas or where there is enough natural light.
- Poorly tuned processes: ovens at excessive temperature, reactors with longer cycle times than necessary, hydraulic systems running at unnecessary pressure.
How automation cuts energy consumption
Variable frequency drives on pumps and fans
The single highest-impact and fastest-payback measure in most industrial plants. Installing a variable frequency drive on a pump or fan motor previously running at fixed speed can cut its electricity consumption by 30% to 60%, depending on the load profile. Payback is typically 6 to 24 months. See full guide on variable frequency drives.
Automated start-up and shutdown management
A control system that automatically switches off equipment that isn't producing — based on process signals, production schedules or presence sensors — can cut the base load (what the plant consumes when not producing) by 15% to 30%.
Real-time monitoring and energy management
You can't manage what you don't measure. Installing power-quality analysers and smart meters connected to a monitoring platform (SCADA, IIoT) gives real-time visibility of consumption per machine, per line and per building. This makes it possible to identify the heaviest consumers, detect anomalies (a motor consuming more than expected may have a mechanical issue) and verify the impact of savings measures.
BMS systems for industrial buildings
A well-configured Building Management System can cut HVAC and lighting consumption in an industrial building by 20% to 35%, through occupancy-schedule management, zone regulation, use of thermal inertia and free cooling. See more on BMS systems.
Process optimisation through advanced control
In continuous processes (ovens, dryers, reactors), advanced control of temperature and other process parameters can cut energy consumption by 5% to 20% by keeping the process at the optimum efficiency point instead of operating with excessive safety margins.
ISO 50001: the energy management standard
The ISO 50001 standard sets out the requirements for an Energy Management System (EnMS) in organisations of any size and sector. Implementing ISO 50001 means establishing an energy policy, measuring and recording consumption, identifying the variables that most affect it, setting improvement targets and verifying their achievement.
Industrial automation provides the technical infrastructure needed to implement ISO 50001 effectively: consumption monitoring systems, drives with energy logging and SCADAs with energy management modules automatically generate the data the EnMS needs and make certification audits easier.
Calculating the ROI of an energy efficiency project
A real example: an industrial plant with 5 circulation pumps of 22 kW each, running 6,000 hours a year at fixed speed. Energy price is €0.12/kWh.
- Current consumption: 5 × 22 kW × 6,000 h × €0.12/kWh = €79,200 per year
- Estimated savings with drives (40% reduction): €31,680 per year
- Cost of 5 drives + installation: ~€25,000
- Payback: under 10 months
Want to estimate the savings potential at your installation? Contact our team for a free initial assessment.