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Waste heat recovery and minimisation is a significant opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce energy bills, so why haven’t more people heard of it?
Did you know that heating and cooling makes up almost 40% of the average Australian homeowner’s power bill? For businesses, that figure blows out by another 10 to 20%, making heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) one of the most expensive necessary evils that almost all operators face.
However, the good news is that as much as 80% of the energy that is lost via heat during manufacturing processes can be cost effectively recovered through waste heat recovery. For those unfamiliar with the broad term, waste heat recovery is the collection of any excess heat created as an undesired by-product of the operation of a piece of equipment or machinery.
Waste heat recouping methods range from the simple to the complex, and a growing number of businesses are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon to both lower their operating costs, and do their part in saving the planet.
As a business, identifying sources of waste heat in a facility can indicate energy savings potential, and help establish the appropriate plan of attack for a waste heat recovery strategy. Before you get started, it’s important to evaluate variations in waste heat characteristics such as temperature, flow rates, and presence of contaminants.
For many businesses, common areas of heat loss generally include –
In addition to lower maintenance costs and improved equipment productivity, as energy-using equipment can be operated at a lower intensity, there are often numerous opportunities in older buildings and plants to implement numerous waste heat recovery strategies.
In fact, the thermal energy collected from waste heat can even be recycled and used for preheating, refrigeration processes, upgrading to higher grades of heat, and even electricity conversion.
The most cost-effective use of waste heat is often to improve the energy efficiency of the heating process, and this can be done by preheating combustion air or hot water feeds. After nearby preheating needs are met, opportunities for transferring waste heat energy to other areas of the plant can be explored, such as the installation of a waste heat recovery unit or standalone system.
For those ready to implement long term waste heat recovery tactics, upgrades to existing heat exchangers, boilers, compressors, refrigerators, and heat transfer fluids all offer an affordable way to cut down on expenses linked to wasted heat. These can often degrade over time, and newer models or products are often better equipped in minimizing any potential losses.
Waste heat re-use has traditionally had limited application due to location and time constraints, but innovation linked to waste heat storage and export is changing that. One such example of this is Phase Change Materials (PCM), which allow storage of large amounts of waste heat for long periods of time. Waste heat can be stored overnight for preheating equipment at the start of the next day, or used at peak periods to reduce energy costs. Thermal energy can also successfully be stored in hot water tanks, salts or metal alloys or converted to electricity for storage in batteries.
While there are many standalone waste heat recovery units on the market for businesses ready to take the next step, it can be difficult to navigate your options. Sourcing the right system will usually boil down to the nature of your business, its size, and your budget.
An industrial electrician carries out a wide variety of tasks in these settings, but along with the basics, the primary focus is generally on hydraulic, pneumatic, and other types of operative machinery. This type of sparky has usually received specialist training to work in these types of industries, and is usually quite skilled forming a waste heat recovery strategy for businesses who need guidance from a professional.
Here at Shield Electrical, we are a Brisbane based electrical contracting company, and pride ourselves on being shockingly good at watt we do. For us, friendly and reliable customer service isn’t just a nice add on – it’s how we do business. Don’t take our word for it though, just ask our clients.
Established in 2015, Shield Electrical is lighting the way when it comes to providing electrical work with world class customer service. With our headquarters based in the central suburban pocket of Coorparoo, our team of qualified industry professionals are readily available to deliver quality workmanship, fast quotes, and affordable pricing.
Whether you’re on the hunt for an electrician for domestic services, residential, commercial and industrial construction, security systems or even just further energy saving tips, get in touch with us at Shield today to source practical solutions that don’t break the bank.
