Pot versus kettle
9 Jun 2008
Engineers equally responsible for blocking investment in variable speed drives and other energy-saving technologies
Beancounters in the finance department are responsible for blocking much-needed investment in variable speed drives (VSDs) and other energy-saving technologies — or so many in the process engineering community claim.
Probably not so, according to ABB’s general manager, drives and motors Steve Ruddell, who cites how recent parallel surveys of finance directors and engineering managers seem to dispel this widely held view.
Asked to list their preferred options for cutting their energy bills, over half (52%) of finance managers put ‘Change your energy supplier’ as the top option, followed by 35% who would ‘Negotiate a better deal with existing energy supplier’. Well down the rankings was the option to ‘Install variable speed drives”, which was prioritised by only 10% of respondents.
The surprise, though, was that the survey of engineering managers provided a strikingly similar profile of responses, with again only 10% going for the VSD option, and almost 70% preferring to get on the phone to either change or haggle with their energy suppliers.
Process Engineering would welcome your views on current barriers to investment in energy-saving equipment within the process industries. Please email: patrick.raleigh@centaur.co.uk
Your feedback is much appreciated,
Patrick Raleigh
Editor
