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Reducing energy consumption is a priority for many industrial companies, but every improvement must take one essential requirement into account: maintaining productivity, operational continuity and plant performance.
Reducing consumption therefore starts with understanding how energy is used across the facility. Analysing loads, electrical network conditions and existing inefficiencies makes it possible to identify measures that are compatible with plant operations and focus on areas with real potential for improvement.
For a broader overview of the available strategies, explore our guide to energy savings in companies.
Reduce energy consumption without reducing production
Reducing energy use in an industrial plant can be achieved without cutting machine operating hours or slowing down production processes.
Part of a facility’s energy consumption may be linked to the way electricity is distributed and used throughout the plant.
Electrical network losses, reactive power, harmonic distortion, phase imbalances and other anomalies can contribute to plant inefficiencies even while production continues normally.
Identifying these conditions makes it possible to evaluate measures designed to reduce energy consumption while maintaining the same production output.
The first step is understanding your electrical system
Before choosing a technology, it is essential to understand how the electrical network actually behaves.
Analysing energy consumption and the main electrical parameters helps identify critical issues and distinguish measures that can deliver tangible results from those that have limited relevance for a specific facility.
Diagnosis also makes it possible to assess load characteristics, operating conditions and any Power Quality issues affecting the electrical system.
This data-driven approach helps define solutions that are consistent with the actual characteristics of the plant.
Improving an existing industrial plant
Energy consumption can also be reduced in plants and production lines that are already fully operational.
In these cases, the objective is to identify inefficiencies in the electrical network supplying the machinery and integrate appropriate corrective solutions without replacing the entire production equipment.
This approach is particularly relevant for facilities where machinery and processes already meet production requirements but there is still room to improve the way electrical energy is used.
To explore this approach in more detail, visit our page on industrial energy efficiency.
EP-X: reducing consumption while maintaining the same output
EP-X is Energia Europa’s solution designed to generate energy efficiency by reducing disturbances and losses within the electrical network.
The device is integrated into the existing electrical system and acts on the energy supplied to the loads without changing the production process.
The principle is particularly relevant for industrial companies: maintaining the same production output while reducing the electricity required to achieve it.
Performance depends on the characteristics of the electrical network and must therefore be assessed for each individual installation.
A real-world application: the Stefanplast case study
A practical example of this approach can be found at Stefanplast’s Villaganzerla facility, where Energia Europa installed two EP-X devices on the plant’s two main production lines.
The lines mainly supply production machinery, including high-power injection moulding presses, both with and without inverters. After the two devices were commissioned, a measurement test was carried out according to the rigorous protocol certified by IMQ.
The data published in the Energia Europa case study report an average measured saving of 5.35%, corresponding to 665,000 kWh of energy saved.
The Stefanplast project shows how an intervention on the electrical system can be integrated into an operating production environment and how its results can be verified through measurements taken on the actual installation.
Discover the Stefanplast case study
Measuring the results of the intervention
Any reduction in energy consumption should be measurable.
Monitoring is therefore an important part of the project, allowing companies to assess plant conditions, track the performance of the installed solutions and verify results over time.
Energia Europa structures its Power Quality projects around three stages: diagnosis, implementation and monitoring.
Measurement makes it possible to move from an estimated saving to a result that can be verified using actual plant data.
Discover our monitoring solutions
Where to start when reducing energy consumption
Every industrial facility has different characteristics, so the first step is to understand where inefficiencies occur and how much they affect overall consumption.
An effective process starts with an analysis of the electrical network, identifies the actual critical issues, evaluates measures compatible with production requirements and then measures the results achieved.
This allows energy reduction to become part of a wider plant improvement process while keeping production continuity at the centre of the strategy.
Request an analysis of your electrical system
Frequently asked questions
Can energy consumption be reduced without stopping production?
Measures targeting inefficiencies in the electrical system can help reduce consumption while maintaining the same level of production output. The actual result depends on the characteristics of each individual plant.
Do machines need to be replaced?
Not necessarily. When inefficiencies are present in the electrical network, solutions that can be integrated into the existing system may be evaluated.
How much can energy consumption be reduced?
The result depends on the condition of the electrical network, the loads and the inefficiencies present. For this reason, potential savings should be assessed and measured for each individual installation.
What is the first step?
The first step is to analyse energy consumption and electrical network conditions in order to identify critical issues and determine where there is real potential for improvement.
