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

Altamash Ahmad Baig, Alan S. Fung () and Rakesh Kumar
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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

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-19

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.

Keywords: energy consumption; energy efficiency; energy audit; greenhouse gases; PRISM analysis; small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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