“TIP Check“ – real opportunities to save

Industrial enterprises have a huge potential to save resources then reducing energy lost. To do that, it is needed only to make a check of isolation, choose the most efficient isolation solutions and to install them properly. Experience shows that investments in technical isolation in the factories pays off during the first months. In many EU counties the check is encouraged and supported financially.

“TIP Check“ (”Technical Insulation Performance Checks“) enables the industry enterprises to save resources and reduce the enormous costs for maintenance and exploitation of the devices.”, tells Liutauras Bajarskas, an expert of isolation solutions company “Paroc”. “TIP Check” is a part of energy management standard ISO5000.

According to German environmental agency (Umweltbundesamt), German industrial enterprises that have installed ISO50001 and that use energy ¬efficient measures, are permitted to pay smaller excise taxes (German electricity and energy taxes). In Denmark – the excise tax of electricity is lower. In France, there is 50% or even 100% discount for energy certificates (”The white certificates”). In Switzerland, the CO2 emission tax is lower but the organisations have to pay for ENAW (german: Energie Agentur der Wirtschaft – Industrial energy agency), that helps to install energy management systems. The tax is from 6 to 35 thousand Euro a year.

Ministry of Economy claims that similar encouragement measures exist in Lithuania as well. “There are some EU investment measures that encourage industrial enterprises to use energy more efficiently.”, comments Ministry of Economy representative Aušra Ramoškaitė.

1. “Auditas pramonei LT” (”Check for industry LT”) – financial support to check energy usage in industrial enterprises. Invitation to apply is planned to be announced in the second quarter of 2018.

2. “Renewable energy resources for industry LT” – financial support to create and install energy effi¬cient devices and to create new technologies for industrial enterprises. Before applying for this support, the enterprise must undergo the energy check. The next invitation to apply is to be announced on the third quarter of year 2018.

3. “Dalinis palūkanų kompensavimas” (“Partial compensation of an interest rate”) – partial compensation of credit and leasing of devices and technologies that make the enterprises work more efficiently in terms of energy consumption. Application deadline is October 31, 2020.

Statistics show that Lithuanian industry uses more and more energy. Comparing to year 2015, the energy consumption in 2016 grew 1,7 percent. In overall energy consumption statistic industrial sector consumes 18,8 % and that is almost 1/5 of all the energy that we use.

Saving extent

How much can we save after installing energy efficient measures and technical isolation solutions?

“It is very difficult question. It depends on industrial enterprise characteristics, its nature, production processes, technologies”, says L. Bajarskas. “That is why it is impossible to tell an exact number. All the enterprises are different and its potential and opportunities are also different.”

Experts of “European Industrial Insulation Foundation“ ( EIIF) state that if all European factories would implement simple economic solutions – would isolate pipes, industrial devices, surfaces, would x wrong insulation, every year we could save 620 PJ of energy and would reduce CO2 emission by 49 mln tones. This reduction would be equal to CO2 emission of 18 mln middle class cars, that ride about 12,5 thousand Kilometres per year. Energy consumption would be reduced by energy amount equal to whole industry of Netherlands.

“TIP Check“ audit is done by certificated engineers who have finished a special EIIF program. There already are such specialists in Lithuania. They could help the industry enterprises to estimate existing, designed and renewed isolation systems, show the most efficient solutions.

„TIP Check“ benefits:

• helps to save energy;
• reduces device maintenance cost;
• reduces CO2 emission.

Last year EIIF has done a survey of 180 enterprises that had “TIP Check“ done. They found out that annual potential of European technical isolation improvement is 750 000 MW/h per year (2.7 PJ per year). This way CO2 emission would be reduced by more than 500 000 tones. Averagely, investments would pay off during the next of two next years. Sometimes – after less than a year. And together industrial enterprises would save about 23.5 million Euro.

“TIP Check“ audit is done by certificated engineers who have finished a special EIIF program. There already are such specialists in Lithuania.” underlines L. Bajarskas. “They could help the industry enterprises to estimate existing, designed and renewed isolation systems, show the most efficient solutions.”

The good practice examples of „TIP CHECK“ in Europe

OIL REFINERY FACTORY IN BELGIUM
ANNUAL SAVINGS 1370 000 KWH – 36 640 EUR.

Engineers from “Bilnger Berger Industrial Services Group” checked technical isolation of a Belgian oil refinery factory and diagnosed it is possible to save 36,6 thousand Euro a year. The biggest potential to save was found in the gas emission systems, steam system, pipes. It was calculated that after isolating equipment correctly, 180 000 m³ gas would be saved.

RECYCLING FACTORY IN GERMANY
ANNUAL SAVINGS 1 448 500 KWH – 47 800 EUR.

“Thannhauser + Ulbricht” asphalt factory boilers were re-isolated. The work was done by an enterprise “Kermann”. After investing almost 13 000 Euro, a surface area of 127,92 m² was isolated. If we take 0,333 EUR/kWh as an average heating price, the enterprise now saves 47 800 Euro a year. This investment paid off during the first 3 months.

INDUSTRIAN ENTERPRISE IN NETHERLANDS
ANNUAL SAVINGS 1 280 000 KWH – 33 530 EUR.

During this project, carried out by “Hertel” (founder of EIIF), it was proved that steam distribution between isolated and not-isolated piping systems, differs a few times. After installing technical isolation costing 32 880 Euro, this investment paid off in a year.

CHEMISTRY FACTORY IN FRANCE
ANNUAL SAVINGS 12 600 000 KWH – 505 000 EUR.

After the „TIP Check“ in one of the France’s oil refinery factories, “KAEFER” experts found out that the potential of this enterprise is to save 0,5 mln. Euro a year. The biggest potential was found in the roofs and windows of the tanks. In addition, during the check, some places of danger to be burnt were found. For example, the doors of the boilers, unisolated valves and dampers were dangerous because their temperature rises up to more than 100 °C. After isolating 30 valves, about 600 000 KW/h will be saved a year. Investment in this company was about 100 000 Euro, it paid of after less than 3 months. Enterprise now saves about 0,5 mln Euro a year.

OIL REFINERY FACTORY IN ITALY
ANNUAL SAVINGS 1 210 958 KWH – 75 000 EUR.

Italian enterprise „Termisol Termica“ made an isolation check in one of the enter prise’s towers. It was diagnosed that better isolation could help to reduce the energy losts by half.

Information by www.eiif.org

Aurimas LUKŠTINSKAS