LIGHTING

Lighting Rule #1: “You can never save more energy than shutting it off.”

Lighting Rule #2: “There is at least one person who won’t like it.”

Lighting Rule #3: “Always retrofit lighting at night.”

Lighting Rule #4: “The occupancy sensor will turn the lights off when the company president is in the bathroom.”

 

PUMPING

Pumping Rule #1:  “You can never save any more energy than shutting it off.”

Pumping Rule #2:  “You will never get a production manager to accept downsizing.”

Pumping Rule #3:  “No one in production really knows the flow requirements.”

 

FANS

Fan Rule #1:  “You can never save any more energy than shutting it off.  But when you do, someone will complain that it’s too _________ (stuffy, cold, hot, quiet, etc.).”

Fan Rule #2:  “It is always a surprise to find out that the fan noise is more important than the actual movement of air”

Fan Rule #3:  “Employees always believe that more exhaust is better.”

 

MOTORS

Motor Rule #1:  “You can never save any more energy than shutting it off.”

Motor Rule #2:  “No one in the plant knows how much the motor is loaded.”

Motor Rule #3:  “If you burn your hand when you touch it, it is at least 100% loaded.”

 

INSULATION

Insulation Rule #1: “If you burn your hand on the equipment you can probably save some energy.”

Insulation Rule #2: “If the insulation is in the way of production or maintenance workers it won’t last long enough to have a payback.”

Insulation Rule #3: “If it’s already covered with asbestos, the payback period will be measured in decades.”

Insulation Rule #4: “Sometimes you have to point out the safety features of adding insulation, not the energy saved.”

 

FUEL SWITCHING

Fuel Switching  Rule #1: “The production managers think that using oil or gas fuel sources will contaminate the product.”

Fuel Switching Rule #2: “There is no easy way to install a chimney.”

Fuel Switching Rule #3: “Transporting heat through pipes or ducts is much more difficult, and messy, than using wires.”

Fuel Switching Rule #4: “‘Infrared’ is defined by the surface temperature of the infrared source, not the fuel.”

 

HEAT RECOVERY

Heat Recovery Rule #1:  “The heat source will always be the furthest distance it can be from where you can use it.”

Heat Recovery Rule #2:  “The waste heat stream with the most energy is the one with the most dangerous chemicals.”

Heat Recovery Rule #3:  “If the project goes smoothly during installation the output temperatures will be lower than expected.”

Heat Recovery Rule #4:  “If you find a large source of wasted energy you will not be able to find a matching use for it.”

Heat Recovery Rule #5:  “Production managers do not trust ‘second hand’ energy.”

 

HVAC

HVAC Rule #1:  “There are only two kinds of damper linkages: Those that are broken and those that are about to break.  The larger the damper, the more likely it is that the actuator system will be broken.

HVAC Rule #2:  “The more money that you spend on an energy management computer, the more money you will need to spend on the operating personnel.  (Otherwise, the only thing that they will be able to do is OVERRIDE.)

HVAC Rule #3:  “There is no such thing as a “temporary” override.

HVAC Rule #4:  “Unit ventilators are the noisiest, most uncontrollable, and hardest to maintain way to heat and cool a room.  (That is why they are the most common.  People are so used to being uncomfortable while the equipment is still making so much noise that nobody is ever really sure if it is broken.)

HVAC Rule #5:  “Air source heat pumps north of 40o Latitude are just plain stupid! “