Scanenergi Solutions’ energy management information system (EMiS) has played a key role in helping Sibelco Europe to reduce energy consumption across its UK operations.

Sibelco, a global producer of advanced industrial minerals, is already one of the first companies in the UK to receive the prestigious government-backed Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Now, working with Scanenergi Solutions, it has taken its commitment to energy efficiency a stage further, capitalising on Scanenergi’s EMiS software to drive critical competitive advantage at both a strategic and an operational level.

“The EMiS software supplied by Scanenergi has been a critical component in managing the day-to-day energy demands of our business…without the software, we could not operate this aspect of our business with the highest level of integrity that we do today,” says Phil Goodwin, Energy Manager for Sibelco in the UK.

Sibelco operates sites throughout the UK, selecting, extracting and processing materials from reserves of silica sand, ball clay, kaolin and dolomite. These materials form an extensive portfolio of products that surround our daily lives, such as glass, ceramics and metallurgy.

Since 2008, the EMiS supplied by Scanenergi Solutions has significantly enhanced Sibelco’s energy management system, not only by helping the company to meet its environmental and legislative compliance obligations, but also by enabling it to maximise opportunities for energy cost savings and emissions reductions.

“The EMiS software supplied by Scanenergi has been a critical component in managing the day-to-day energy demands of our business,” says Phil Goodwin.

At an operational level, Scanenergi’s EMiS software has helped Sibelco to focus on energy use at all of its UK sites, improving operational efficiency and competitiveness in challenging international markets.

“Energy is one of the highest costs at each site. It therefore made sense to focus on optimising our energy use as a way of controlling costs, with the assistance of external experts like Scanenergi,” says Phil Goodwin.

Greater energy efficiency has been achieved through:

Improved data acquisition and validation

Automatic meter readings for the largest consuming sites enable the EMiS software to provide half-hourly energy profiles of key assets. Combined with additional data such as production volume and rainfall levels, this enables the site manager to gain a precise picture of the true cost of production per tonne, while also identifying areas for improvement.

Efficient capturing of manual meter readings

Where fully automated meter readings are not feasible, meters are read manually by scanning a barcode on the meter and entering the reading onto a PDA, which uploads them automatically to the EMiS. If the reading is outside the expected range, the operator is immediately alerted, allowing corrections to be made promptly.

Enhanced utility management

Energy consumption baselines have been introduced for each site, together with threshold bands to ensure the site is operating within normal parameters. If these parameters are exceeded, prompt action can be taken to identify the reason and, if appropriate, implement improvements or remedial measures.

Peak demand

The EMiS can forecast periods of peak energy demand and also calculate the energy cost of using different tariffs at different times of day.

“ Managing our cost base by improving the way we buy or use energy, or through better data housekeeping is not just about energy efficiency, it’s about basic business practice,” concludes Phil Goodwin.

Read more about our EMiS software here.