You can't manage what you can't measure
February 1st 2009 Warehouses operators must question their current overheads to better understand where
savings – lighting and otherwise – can be made, says Nathan Goudie, general manager,
UK Maintenance, SDI Group UK
Warehouse operators are under
increasing legislative and price
pressures to reduce energy
consumption within their operations.
On average, just one non-automated,
medium-range warehouse will have
energy bills in excess of £200,000 per
year, with automated and temperaturecontrolled
facilities significantly more. This
means that even making just a small
percentage saving could have a positive
effect on the bottom line and reduce the
impact on the environment.
Lighting can be responsible for up to 60
per cent of energy usage, so refurbishing
and updating a lighting system can have
immediate results. High quality T5
fluorescent lights with high output lamps
are now the most efficient lighting solution
available that, whilst more expensive than
older technology, can half electricity usage
and possess vastly increased lifespan.
Modern lighting solutions also offer
greater flexibility when combined with
daylight and motion sensors, which ensures
that light is available when needed but
reduces it to a minimum when natural light
is available or not in operation. One third
party logistics operator that SDI Group is
working with has installed an intelligent
lighting system at a distribution centre
that, at today's electricity prices, will
achieve payback within a year. After that, it
will save the company approximately
£100,000 every year.
However, to achieve effective energy
management, it is not just about installing
the latest technology, but clever thinking to
ensure an intelligent solution is created. It is
critical in the first instance to measure usage
levels and assess any available data to
identify areas of waste and opportunities
that exist. Following an audit of a site, simply
developing a site policy has been found to
reduce consumption by up to 15 per cent by
better educating the workforce on energyrelated
procedures and best practise.
For example, electricity providers charge
different tariffs during the day and night,
so where possible high-intensity usage
such as forklift truck charging should take
place to coincide with off-peak rates.
Furthermore, triad warnings – peaks in
national electricity consumption that often
occur between 4pm and 6pm – result in a
cost penalty for users, so ramping down
usage during these periods can achieve
additional savings. More articles from SDI Group Limited: | 
