This document is intended to be used as a checklist for walk-through energy efficiency audits and assessments.
Steam Generators and Heat Transfer Fluid Heaters and Vaporizers
■ Use Fuel Flow/Air Flow Control with Oxygen Trim
■ Maintain Excess Oxygen Below 5%, Below 8% for Stokers
■ Reduce Stack Temperature to 330°F for Sulfur Bearing Fuels
■ Minimize Combustibles in Stack Gas and Ash
■ Burn the Lowest Cost Fuel
■ Apply the “Utilized Cost” of Coal
■ Minimize the Use of Stabilizing Fuel If It Is Expensive
■ Burn Non-hazardous Wastes in Boilers or Vaporizers
■ Check Casing and Flue Gas Ducts for Air In-leakage
■ Optimize the Soot Blowing Schedule
■ Keep Internal Tube Surfaces Free From Deposits
■ Check Boiler/Vaporizer Efficiency Regularly
■ Recycle Wastewater Streams for Ash Sluicing
■ Split Range Control of Fan Speed and Dampers
■ Control Oil Tank Temperature at Minimum
■ Automate Boiler Blowdown
■ Install Blowdown Heat Exchanger
■ Optimize Load Sharing Between Boilers and Vaporizers
■ Operate Boiler Feed Pumps at Minimum Discharge Pressure
■ Check Feedwater Heaters for Efficient Heat Transfer
■ Reduce Deaerator Vent to <O.1% Water Flow or <0.5% Steam Flow
■ Keep Steam Pressure and Temperature at Maximum If System Has Turbines
■ Lower Steam Header Pressure If There Are No Turbines
■ Eliminate or Find a Use for Vented Steam
■ Install Jet Compressor to Make Low Pressure Steam Useful
■ Shift Users to Lowest Header Pressure Possible
■ Optimize Steam Balance with the Right Combination of Motors and Turbines
■ Install Condensate Flash Tanks to Recover Low Pressure Steam
■ Reduce Pressure of Heating Steam During Warmer Weather
■ Use Turbines Instead of PRV’s to Reduce Steam Pressure
■ Adjust Steam Header Pressures to Maximize Turbine Work
■ Close Turbine Hand Valves
■ If Turbine Exhaust Must Be Vented, Vent Those Turbines to Atmosphere
■ Install Smaller Turbine Nozzles
■ Repair Steam Leaks
■ Isolate Unused Steam Lines
■ Eliminate Long Steam Lines with Low Flow
■ Establish an Effective Steam Trap Maintenance Program
■ Reduce Failed Steam Traps to <5% of Total
■ Ensure Bypass Valve Around PRV’s Is Not Leaking
■ Return All Condensate
■ Recover Waste Heat Wherever Possible
■ Replace Steam Vacuum Jets with Mechanical Vacuum Pumps
■ Be Sure Vacuum Jets Have the Correct Nozzle Size
■ Operate the Minimum Number of Vacuum Jets
■ Be Sure Vacuum Jets Have the Correct Steam Supply and Exhaust
■ Check Actual Steam Consumption Against Design
■ Check Turbine and Condenser Performance Regularly
■ Keep All Steam, Dowtherm, and Condensate Lines Properly Insulated
■ Provide New Heat Tracing as Electric, Not Steam
■ Conduct a PINCH Technology Survey
Electrical Loads
■ Buy New High Efficiency Motors Instead of Rewinding Failed Motors
■ Install High Efficiency Motors for New Applications
■ Change to Smaller Motors on Lightly Loaded Drives
■ Challenge the Need for Every Motor Running
■ Use Variable Frequency Drives If Flow Rate/Load Varies Widely
■ Use Daylighting Where Possible
■ Remove Lamps Where Illumination Is More Than Is Needed
■ Promote Turning Off Lights and PCs When Not In Use
■ Use Photocells, Timers, or Motion Detectors to Operate Lights
■ Replace Incandescent Lamps with Fluorescent, Sodium Vapor, or Metal Halide Fixtures
■ Replace Safety Shower and Fire Alarm Incandescent Lamps with Compact Fluorescent Lamps
■ Replace Fluorescent Ballasts and Lamps with High Efficiency Electronic Type Ballasts and T8 Lamps
■ Request a Lighting Survey
■ Clean Light Fixtures to Improve Efficiency/Light Levels
■ Provide Electric Tracing Rather Than Steam Tracing
■ Provide Controls on Self-Limiting Electrical Tracing
■ Maintain Heat Tracing Thermostats and Controls
■ Do Not Provide Heat Tracing For Freeze Protection on Lines 6” or Larger
■ Keep Electrical Equipment Cool
Electrical Power Distribution
■ Buy All Electricity Under One Contract
■ Take Advantage of Utility Incentives for Demand Side Management
■ Request an Interruptible Electrical Contract
■ Have a Load Reduction Plan to Avoid Setting New Electrical Peaks
■ Take Advantage of Utility Incentives for Demand Peak Shaving
■ Use Diesel Generators to Shave Peaks
■ Increase Turbine Generator Load to Shave Peaks
■ Transfer Loads from Motors to Turbines to Shave Peaks
■ Avoid Setting Peaks by Cycling Nonessential Equipment
■ Run Nonessential Equipment and Batch Processes During Off Peak Hours
■ Delay Starting Motors Until a New Peak Can Be Avoided
■ Switch Large Motors Quickly to Avoid Setting a New Peak
■ Install a Power Monitoring System to Enable Load Management
■ Trend Plant Loads to Avoid Adding Unnecessary Distribution Equipment
■ Analyze Power Usage to Identify Energy Reduction Opportunities
■ Install Capacitors to Increase Power Factor
■ Install Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Small Remote Loads
■ Specify High Efficiency for New Power Transformers
Refrigeration
■ Allow Condenser Pressure to Drop With Reduced Cooling Water Temperature
■ Control Condenser Pressure to Reduce Horsepower
■ Vary the Hot Gas Bypass Control Set Point With Condenser Pressure
■ Monitor Energy Consumption Per Ton to Detect Poor Machine Performance
■ Increase Chilled Water Delta T Across Machines to Design Or Greater Values
■ Maintain Proper Amounts of Refrigerant Charge
■ Avoid Liquid Refrigerant Carryover Into Compressor
■ Operate the Refrigeration Evaporator at the Highest Practical Temperature (Pressure)
■ Minimize or Eliminate Air In-Leakage to Refrigeration Machines
■ Operate the Minimum Number of Refrigeration Machines for the Load
■ Install Refrigeration Optimization Control System
■ Optimize Brine System Concentration
■ Install Thermal Storage to Shift Load Off-Peak
■ Use Absorption Refrigeration Driven by Low Level Heat
■ Shift Loads From Chilled Water to Cooling Tower Water When Feasible
■ Precool With Cooling Tower Water Before Applying Chilled Water
Cooling Towers
■ Run Minimum Number of Pumps
■ Throttle Flow in Plant to Get the Design Delta T Across the Tower
■ Select Fan Speed for Ambient Conditions
■ Install Adjustable Pitch Fan Blades
■ Maintain Correct Cycles of Concentration
■ Maintain Tower Equipment to Run at Design Conditions
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
■ Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Control Systems
■ Use Exhaust Air to Heat or Cool Other Areas
■ Balance Air Flows to Meet Actual Loads
■ Ensure That Exhaust Flow Matches or Balances Conditioned Air Supply
■ Ensure That Duct Work is Free of Obstructions
■ Ensure That Terminal Diffusers and Ducts are Clean
■ Keep Coils Clean
■ Keep Air Filters Clean
■ Keep Fans Clean
■ Control Flow Through Air Washers Where Possible to Adiabatic Operation
■ Repair or Replace Air Washer Nozzles That Do Not Atomize Properly
■ Trim Impellers on Air Washer Pumps When Oversized or Install Smaller Impeller
■ Make Sure Control Valves to Coils Completely Shut Off When Not in Use
■ Make Sure Steam Traps on Heating Coils Function
■ Make Sure Dampers on Coil or Air Washer Systems Close Completely
■ Maximize Supply Air Temperature During Cooling Season and Minimize During Heating Season
■ Minimize Control of Humidity Consistent with Personnel and Product Needs
■ Minimize or Eliminate Heating and Cooling in Unoccupied Areas
■ Install Thermostats on Interior Walls
■ Calibrate and Eliminate Poor or Non-performing Controls
■ Install DDC Controls to Replace Pneumatic Controls
■ Install HVAC Management System
■ Utilize Water-Side Cooling Tower Economizer Systems in Winter Where Possible to Replace Chilled Water
■ Reduce Preheater Set Point
■ Install Adequate Insulation on Chilled Water Systems
■ Use Primary-Secondary Circuits and Variable Flow Chilled Water Systems Where Applicable
■ Replace Worn or Loose Belts on Fans
■ Install Waste Heat Recovery Where Applicable
■ Install or Switch to Variable Air Volume Air Distribution System
■ Use an Infrared Survey to Locate Heat Loss
Building Envelope
■ Install Tight Sealing Doors and Windows to Minimize Infiltration
■ Install Hanging Door Seals in High Traffic Areas
■ Use Ceiling Fans to Eliminate Stratification of Air in High Ceiling Areas
■ Install Adequate Building Insulation
■ Install Roof Spray Systems to Minimize Heat Gain
■ Utilize Advanced Window Treatments to Minimize Heat Gain
■ Where Appropriate, Re-Roof with Light Colored Roofing Materials
■ Ventilate Attic Space
■ Install Adequate Wall Insulation
■ Insulate Partition Walls Between Conditioned and Unconditioned Spaces
■ Keep Garage and Warehouse Doors Closed
■ Use Self Closing Doors
■ Recaulk Doors and Windows and Install Weather-Stripping
■ Replace Broken Windows
■ Install Vestibules to Prevent Excessive Air Infiltration
■ Close Abandoned Stacks
Compressed Air
■ kW/100 scfm Should Be <19 for 100 psi and <24 for 160 psi
■ Intercool Between Compressor Stages
■ Keep Intake Filters Clean
■ Cool Air Intake Where Possible
■ Monitor Stage Temperatures and Pressures to Detect Problems
■ Use Inlet Guide Vanes for Control of Centrifugal Compressor Output
■ Control Antisurge Valves with Flow Rather than Pressure
■ Keep Antisurge Valves Closed
■ Base Load Centrifugals and Carry Swings on Reciprocating Compressors
■ Optimize Load Sharing Between Compressors
■ Reduce the System Pressure to the Minimum Needed
■ Use a Booster Compressor for Small High Pressure Loads
■ Use Air Blower Instead of Compressed Air
■ Do Not Use Compressed Air for Cleaning or Agitation
■ Eliminate Air Trap Leakage
■ Repair Air Leaks
■ Shut Off Compressed Air to Equipment That Is Down
■ Replace “Heatless” Air Dryers with “Heated
■ Eliminate Pressure Regulators That Bleed Air
■ Monitor Compressed Air Use to Detect Abnormal Changes
Fans
■ Use Adjustable Speed Drives
■ Reduce Speed with Sheave-Change to Minimize Damper Throttling
■ Control Fan Output with Inlet Guide Vane Control to Reduce Throttling Loss
■ Keep Fan Belts From Slipping
■ Size Ductwork to Give Minimum Static Pressure Loss
■ Minimize Duct Leakage
Pumps
■ Reduce System Pressure to Minimum Needed by the Users
■ Substitute Gravity Flow Where Possible
■ Use a Booster Pump for a Small High Pressure Demand
■ Connect Heat Exchangers in Series to Reduce Cooling Water Flow
■ Operate the Minimum Number of Pumps for the Load
■ Install Smaller Impellers to Avoid Throttling Loss
■ Maintain Pumps to Produce Design No-Load Discharge Pressure
■ Use a Variable Frequency Drive To Control Discharge Pressure
General
■ Reuse Water Wherever Possible
■ Use Untreated Water Instead of Filtered Water
■ Control Water Flow to Coolers and Condensers at Optimum Rate
■ Keep All Instrumentation Calibrated
■ Measure and Record All Utility Consumption and Analyze Performance and Trends
■ Operate the Minimum Amount of Equipment to Satisfy System Loads
■ Use DCS and Energy Optimization Systems to Control Efficiently
■ Use All Utilities at the Most Economical Temperature and Pressure
■ Optimize Piping Systems for Minimum Life Cycle Cost
■ Isolate All Unused Energy Consuming Equipment
■ Insulate Heated Tanks
■ Use Suction Heaters Instead of Heating Entire Tanks
■ Repair Hot Water Leaks
■ Run Hot Water Heaters at Minimum Temperature Required
■ Keep Heat Exchanger Surfaces Clean
■ Purchase Only Energy Efficient Equipment
■ Use Heat Pumps to Supply Hot Water and Refrigeration
■ Operate Internal Combustion (I/C) Engines Only When Necessary