A Systematic Method for Increasing the Energy and Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing Companies.

Abstract: Consciously considering the energy and resource consumption is of rising interest in manufacturing companies. However, especially in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) the target-oriented implementation of promising measures is impeded by different obstacles such as unattractive amortization times, lack of transparency or high efforts (personnel/time). Against this background, a guided method for the systematic identification of most promising improvement potentials is suggested in the paper. Based on a so called energy portfolio it allows the classification and prioritization of energy consumers in the company and the derivation of target-oriented action plans towards energy and resource efficiency improvement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]