How to gain value from energy efficiency

In 2015, there are few business issues that carry more importance than managing energy costs. However, there is precious little data available on how companies manage energy use and promote energy efficiency.

To tackle this problem, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) enlisted the expertise of CanadianManufacturing.com to develop a survey of more than 500 industrial companies that measured energy use across Ontario’s business landscape. We also conducted a series of roundtable discussions to identify common barriers to adopting energy efficiency regimes, and to gather anecdotal evidence from the experiences of small and medium-sized business operators in their journey to improve efficiency and mitigate energy costs.

It’s our hope that, over the next few years, this survey helps to build an energy efficiency benchmark against which small and medium-sized companies may compare themselves. The following report contains much of the research generated from that survey, and some of the bright ideas and easy opportunities contributed by our roundtable participants.

Click here to download a PDF of the report

Report highlights

The survey asked industrial executives about their approach to energy conservation. Below are some of the key findings:

• Less than half (44 percent) of respondents feel their businesses are running as energy efficiently as possible.
• Only 38 percent have conducted an energy audit.
• “Lack of staff time/ resources” was cited as the top reason for not having conducted an energy audit, followed by “no executive mandate” (28 percent); “unsure of the benefits” (26 percent); and “not sure how to conduct an audit” (23 percent), followed by other challenges.
• Among businesses that have conducted an energy audit, cost savings was cited as the top motivating factor (49%).
• Eighty-five percent of those who have conducted an audit report it led to energy savings.