IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i7p1744-d1370586.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Auditing and Analysis of Natural Gas Consumptions in Small- and Medium-Sized Industrial Facilities in the Greater Toronto Area for Energy Conservation Opportunities

Author

Listed:
  • Altamash Ahmad Baig

    (Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering Department, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada)

  • Alan S. Fung

    (Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering Department, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada)

  • Rakesh Kumar

    (Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronics Engineering Department, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada)

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of fifteen energy audits conducted on industrial sites in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The audits covered a range of industries including food processing, packaged goods, and finishing processes (powder-coating). The primary focus of the audits was to analyze the natural gas consumption and the performance of major-gas-consuming equipment. The audits identified natural-gas-consuming equipment that could be optimized to yield energy and operational cost savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction opportunities. Food production plants’ energy intensity ranges from 5.59 m 3 /ft 2 to 17.73 m 3 /ft 2 . Therefore, there is a significant opportunity to improve energy consumption through better technology integration. The results of the audits indicate a trend of an increase in the percentage of non-productive consumption with non-productive time. The proposed energy-saving measures include reducing non-productive natural gas consumption, gas-fired equipment tune-up, optimizing boiler loads, and reducing oven exhaust by using variable frequency drives (VFDs). The findings of this study could be used to develop a demand-side management program specifically for small- and medium-sized industrial facilities in the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of Canada.

Suggested Citation

  • Altamash Ahmad Baig & Alan S. Fung & Rakesh Kumar, 2024. "Auditing and Analysis of Natural Gas Consumptions in Small- and Medium-Sized Industrial Facilities in the Greater Toronto Area for Energy Conservation Opportunities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:7:p:1744-:d:1370586
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/7/1744/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/7/1744/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anderson, Soren T. & Newell, Richard G., 2004. "Information programs for technology adoption: the case of energy-efficiency audits," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 27-50, March.
    2. Bosu, Issa & Mahmoud, Hatem & Hassan, Hamdy, 2023. "Energy audit and management of an industrial site based on energy efficiency, economic, and environmental analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    3. Bataille, Chris & Melton, Noel, 2017. "Energy efficiency and economic growth: A retrospective CGE analysis for Canada from 2002 to 2012," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 118-130.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin, Ralf & Muûls, Mirabelle & de Preux, Laure B. & Wagner, Ulrich J., 2012. "Anatomy of a paradox: Management practices, organizational structure and energy efficiency," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 208-223.
    2. Todd D. Gerarden & Richard G. Newell & Robert N. Stavins, 2017. "Assessing the Energy-Efficiency Gap," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(4), pages 1486-1525, December.
    3. Apriani Soepardi & Pratikto Pratikto & Purnomo Budi Santoso & Ishardita Pambudi Tama & Patrik Thollander, 2018. "Linking of Barriers to Energy Efficiency Improvement in Indonesia’s Steel Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, January.
    4. Thollander, Patrik & Kimura, Osamu & Wakabayashi, Masayo & Rohdin, Patrik, 2015. "A review of industrial energy and climate policies in Japan and Sweden with emphasis towards SMEs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 504-512.
    5. Olsthoorn, Mark & Schleich, Joachim & Hirzel, Simon, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures for Non-residential Buildings: Technological and Organizational Heterogeneity in the Trade, Commerce and Services Sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 240-254.
    6. Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Jiang, Qingzhe & Zhao, Jun, 2021. "Assessing energy resilience and its greenhouse effect: A global perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    7. Andrzej Pacana & Karolina Czerwińska & Grzegorz Ostasz, 2023. "Analysis of the Level of Efficiency of Control Methods in the Context of Energy Intensity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-26, April.
    8. Jalo, Noor & Johansson, Ida & Kanchiralla, Fayas Malik & Thollander, Patrik, 2021. "Do energy efficiency networks help reduce barriers to energy efficiency? -A case study of a regional Swedish policy program for industrial SMEs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    9. Kalantzis, Fotios & Revoltella, Debora, 2019. "How energy audits promote SMEs' energy efficiency investment," EIB Working Papers 2019/02, European Investment Bank (EIB).
    10. Häckel, Björn & Pfosser, Stefan & Tränkler, Timm, 2017. "Explaining the energy efficiency gap - Expected Utility Theory versus Cumulative Prospect Theory," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 414-426.
    11. Brucal, Arlan & Javorcik, Beata & Love, Inessa, 2019. "Good for the environment, good for business: Foreign acquisitions and energy intensity," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    12. Jieting Yin & Qingyou Yan & Kaijie Lei & Tomas Baležentis & Dalia Streimikiene, 2019. "Economic and Efficiency Analysis of China Electricity Market Reform Using Computable General Equilibrium Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, January.
    13. Runst, Petrik & Bettendorf, Axel, 2017. "Energieeffizienz in Klein- und Kleinstunternehmen des Handwerks," Göttinger Beiträge zur Handwerksforschung 16, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh).
    14. Joshua Linn, 2008. "Energy Prices and the Adoption of Energy-Saving Technology," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(533), pages 1986-2012, November.
    15. Xiaomeng Zhao & Kangyin Dong & Jun Zhao & Qingzhe Jiang, 2024. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Paths to sustainable development in China: why green finance and green technology matter?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1-26, April.
    16. Boyd, Gale A. & Curtis, E. Mark, 2014. "Evidence of an “Energy-Management Gap” in U.S. manufacturing: Spillovers from firm management practices to energy efficiency," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 463-479.
    17. Newell, Richard G. & Jaffe, Adam B. & Stavins, Robert N., 2006. "The effects of economic and policy incentives on carbon mitigation technologies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(5-6), pages 563-578, November.
    18. Théophile T. Azomahou & Raouf Boucekkine & Phu Nguyen-Vanc, "undated". "Promoting Clean Technologies: The Energy Market Structure Crucially Matters," Working Papers 2008_13, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    19. Papineau, Maya, 2017. "Setting the standard? A framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of building energy standards," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 63-76.
    20. Stefan Ambec & Paul Lanoie, 2009. "Performance environnementale et économique de l'entreprise," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(4), pages 71-94.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:7:p:1744-:d:1370586. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.