Page 10 - Warehouse Annual 2022

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Save energy in yourve energy in your
Sa

warehouse to meet

green initiatives

Implementing sustainable practices throughout a warehouse will not only save money for the
organisation, but will increase customer goodwill.

BY JIM HUSTON, MANAGER OF SYSTEM ENGINEERING – W&H SYSTEMS

arehouses and distribution centres can By ensuring that equipment is used only when needed,
realise great savings by implementing energy companies can see savings from:
Wmanagement systems. It has been estimated that • Improved operating efficiencies.
properly run energy management programmes targeting • Less downtime due to undetected equipment problems.
energy efficiency can save five to 20 percent on energy bills • Extended equipment life cycle.
without a significant capital investment. From small to large • Reduction of power draw.
sites, these savings can represent thousands to hundreds of • Lower costs of environmental compliance.
thousands of revenue each year, and many can be achieved
with minimal cash outlay. Due to the size of warehouses and Energy-saving equipment for the warehouse
distribution centres, even small improvements can have a The cost of operating equipment in manufacturing
large positive net effect on the bottom line. facilities and distribution centres is an ongoing cost
that requires a substantial amount of electrical power.
Where do the savings come from when implementing Companies can reduce electrical demand by upgrading
an energy management system? Poor power factor can to energy-efficient equipment that utilises high-efficiency
act as a major energy drain. Inefficient use of supplied motors. Conveyors, sortation units, AS/RS, etc. can be
power can easily be overlooked because it has few powered by high-efficiency motors or high-efficiency
outward signs. There are no blown fuses, tripped circuit variable-frequency drives.
breakers or failed electrical apparatus to alert facility
personnel of a problem. Material handling equipment can Many warehouses and distribution facilities are
be made more efficient with the use of high-efficiency extremely large and house material handling systems
motors and an energy management system that shuts that handle varying sizes and weights of containers or
down parts of the system automatically when not in use. If products. An individual conveyor system could measure
a conveyor is required, sensors detect incoming products five to six miles. Managing and maintaining this equipment
and automatically start it up again. can be a challenge.

8 Warehouse Annual 2022