A method of estimating energy saving effect and its application to factory energy supply systems

In order to carry out energy saving service, it is indispensable to calculate the energy saving effect quantitatively by presuming the energy cost at the time of not executing the energy saving measure. However, it is difficult because the energy cost changes when environment (energy demand, unit prices of fuel or electric power, and so on) changes even if an energy saving measure is not executed. Although the effect has been conventionally evaluated by the difference between the energy costs before and after the energy saving measure, the effect cannot be calculated correctly when there is environmental change. In this paper, we propose the method of estimating the energy saving effect by presuming the energy cost after an energy saving measure, assuming that the measure is not executed, and show the results of its application to the practical power plants. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 168(4): 14–20, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20880