Exploring the untapped potential of gas efficiency

Gas efficiency is becoming a strong focus in the energy intensive manufacturing sector to help offset growing cost pressures and rising production expenses.

Equipment upgrades, heat recovery opportunities, process system adjustments, maintenance improvements, reviewing processes and switching to lower-intensity energy can result in substantial savings.

These savings are typically accompanied by a reduction in ongoing maintenance costs and water consumption, and can assist with the longevity of other plant and equipment.

How can my business improve its gas efficiency?

Some of the solutions businesses have been exploring include:

• Improved equipment maintenance and appliance tuning
• Optimised workflow
• Equipment upgrades
• Better industrial processes
• Process heat and waste heat recovery
• Alternative energy sources such as solar thermal, solar PV, bioenergy or low-emissions electricity.

Working with an energy solutions expert can help identify the most suitable gas efficiencies for your key objectives, whether it’s addressing CO₂ emissions, lowering costs or a faster return on investment. Our team can review the metering layout on site and assist with enabling technologies such as sub-metering and analytics platforms.

Effectively monitoring and analysing your energy performance can help find further efficiency improvements and make your energy more productive, driving down costs.

Shell Energy’s Energy Management Centre (EMC) software reports real-time energy usage as well as emissions and cost benefits that can be tracked for streamlined reporting against environmental targets.

There are also many avenues for reducing reliance on gas including the deployment of renewable energy options. A detailed site assessment will allow our energy solutions team to understand your operations and recommend potential energy transitions such as renewable energy.

How can my business benefit from gas efficiency?

• Reduced maintenance costs by assessing and adjusting equipment use.
• Clarity over your energy usage through sub-metering to ensure the longevity of savings.
• Longer equipment lifespan by assessing operation time and thermal stresses.
• Reduced water consumption and associated water treatment costs through steam and heat efficiencies.
• Automated controls that improve energy reduction initiatives.
• Establishing better working conditions and site safety by eliminating heat waste.

Understanding the energy intensity of your business

Fully understanding the potential of gas efficiency for your business requires an assessment of its energy intensity. We use a five-step approach to develop a plan that ensures continuous improvement of energy use.

How can my business finance gas efficiency activities?

A range of financing options are available to help your business implement gas efficiency activities, including government grants and energy savings schemes. Shell Energy has a proven track record of working with large manufacturers on energy efficiency projects that have resulted in significant savings. As well as driving down your business’s gas consumption, costs and emissions, Shell Energy’s experts can enable access to government grants and environmental certificates to reduce project costs, payback periods and save on operating costs.

Read the Australian Manufacturing Gas Efficiency Guide or contact Shell Energy’s energy solutions experts to learn more.