Energy planning is nowadays an integral and indispensable part of company development strategies, as this must be consistent with the rules established during the definition phase and with the company’s energy policy.
Good planning makes it possible to define and plan interventions and activities, so that the objectives set out in the energy audits relating to energy savings, efficiency and production can be achieved.
The general purpose of the Planning is to see potential operations in the energy field to encourage economic savings.
This can be done mainly through two alternatives:
- without reduction of consumption: reduction of costs through the negotiation of fuel and electricity tariffs, these are measures to optimize costs;
- with reduction of consumption: correct management of the company and the plants. It refers to the situation where staff are aware of energy costs and adopt measures to save energy. These are energy-saving measures, energy efficiency improvements and energy self-production.
Leaving aside the negotiation of fuel tariffs, the planning objectives can be summarised in three main points:
- energy saving;
- energy efficiency;
- energy self-production through the use of renewable energy plants.
The company’s energy policy is therefore the set of resolutions and measures with which managers intend to manage their company from an energy point of view through a system of energy management previously designed. It is, in essence, the starting point for the definition and revision of the objectives to be fulfilled from time to time.
The document indicating the company’s energy class is called energy policy.
In the realisation of the latter, it is necessary that the company is supported by a technical staff, which in most cases is composed of an energy manager, who will personally take care with the management of the definition of strategies and the final choices concerning the scope, the method for recording the results and the specific performance indices of the company.
For more information see the website dedicated to the environment, Sardegna Ricerche.