Kerala: Small and medium enterprise waste 50 per cent energy, reveals audit

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The energy audit being conducted by Energy Management Centre in small and medium enterprise (SME) clusters across the state has detected energy wastage of over 50 percent in units. Inappropriate technology and faulty processes, the audit has revealed, are the main causes of energy inefficiency.

Lack of uniformity, and a stubborn adherence to obsolete technology, seemed prevalent. The audit has found that various units under a single SME cluster, say rice mill or rubber crumb units, employ different technologies. Some are highly efficient while others are primitive.

“There is no standardization across units in a cluster. EMC is trying to ensure a sort of information flow through clusters so that each unit is aware of the best practices available in others,” an EMC energy auditor said. In the case of ice plants, it has been found that the energy consumed varied drastically across units. “This just shows an ignorance of new technology and the adoption of crude operational practices,” the auditor said.

For instance, there are rice mills that needlessly use a hot-water tanker when they can directly put the rice in the far-boiling chamber. This cuts both costs and energy. Besides doing a comparative analysis, EMC will also offer energy conservation tips. There are certain assembling units which require a dust-free ambience. “Most of these units install an AC chamber for the purpose when they require just a air-handling unit for the purpose,” the auditor said.

Even when efficient technology is used, the purpose is beaten when it is operated in a non-optimal manner. Standardisation of operations, awareness of new technology and efficiency tips are expected to save at least 20 percent of energy cost for SME units. It has also been noted that the margin of profitability in most cases is a mere 5-10 percent improvement in efficiency.