Originally posted on 2018

Energy targets for the energy team.

In this post I will deal with the topic of energy targets. For which different approaches can exist.

Classical process: finding potentials to establish proportional targets.

The classic and logical process is to carry out a previous study with more or less accuracy of the entire productive process of the company and its consumption patterns (bottom-top targets). All important areas of consumption, their different variables, and the variations that occur must be investigated. We must try to discover deviations in the consumption of energy, either absolute, either specific.

Internal benchmark of equipment.

In this first approach, we do an inventory list of the equipment, its powers, and its working points. We can simply take the nominal consumption data. We can then compare with similar equipment. These differences will indicate where to focus, in the discovery of potentials. Also the exact measurement of the working point of the equipment is a very interesting fact. It allows to know if the equipment is within an efficient area or not. Also in this phase you can use the processes and tools described in the previous post, when I talked about the process of energy efficiency projects.

Our target inside the potential.

After determining which are the potentials with the greater or lesser accuracy, it is necessary to define what our objective may be within these potentials. It may coincide with it or be somewhat smaller, depending on different criteria. Well, once established the objective and defined  the project to implement, then we can consider introducing these savings within the structure of the company. Why? Because energy efficiency has to be a work of many, not just of one person. Because energy management to be sustainable has to be integrated into the organization and its processes. Because in order to achieve the success of the projects we must be able to motivate the participants in the project.

Smart targets.

Therefore, it is necessary that the energy objectives are translated into goals for the company’s departments, included in the personal objectives of the project members. If this goal has to coincide with the objective, or be different, or proportional, we determine it in each case. Of course, the goals have to be smart (specific, measurable,  attainable, relevant and time-bound) to be valid. So that they fulfill their mission of being motivators and do not generate an opposite effect. That can cause dissatisfaction among the members of the project team. The distribution of objectives when several departments participate must also be fair. So as not to cause excessive competition between them that is not productive for the company.

Allocating work team time with the energy targets.

These objectives are also an argument for the needed time dedication to the energy projects. That is, it allows to allocate the time of the department or the member of the team, dedicated for the achievement of the project. Since in many cases the saving objective is an additional project for the technical specialist and not its core duty.

Energy targets as a challenge.

There is also another approach to determining energy targets. If the time is short or generally speaking, there is a great potential, we can establish challenges which replace energy targets (top-bottom targets). The top management sets general challenges with a rough estimate. Then the energy manager needs divides this overall goal into the different departments and teams. He does this according to his experience and knowledge of the company and its energy potentials . Although at first this approach does not seem very rational, it can be used to give a boost to the company’s energy behavior. The potentials will appear afterwards, and calculation will be correct. The previous general potentials are later translated into concrete projects.

Set targets at the beginning of the year.

It is good that the energy objectives are established at the beginning of the year. At this moment we know also what are the other main targets of the company. As energy efficiency is not the core business then we have to find the balance. We communicate to the departments and the team members on that date, with the deadlines. This is the starting point of energy management in a company.

The personal objectives are a very effective means to get the commitment of the participants and the departments that have an impact on energy. It is important the responsible for managing the workload of the department has also targets. They are the sum of the objectives of their subordinates. This is a way of prioritizing the work along the year. Taking into account also the energy efficiency in all of them. We must remember that energy efficiency is one more variable within any project. In such a way, sometimes you do not have to make a big effort to get savings.

From here, the departments can start with the process of generating energy efficiency projects which was described in the previous post.