Energy and water efficiency – Brian Muscat
Energy efficiency as standard practice for businesses has been gaining increased momentum for a decade now. Today it is reflected in legal obligations arising through the EU Energy Efficiency Directive’s increasingly ambitious targets, and its need has been highlighted by the UN’s IPCC report on climate change. That report stresses the importance of limiting CO2 and other greenhouse-gas emissions if we are to avoid disastrous climate change – something critically important to us all. As the chair of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry’s Manufacturing Committee and the CEO of a manufacturing company, I believe there is still a lot of potential for increasing business’ energy efficiency. To give some examples: • 80 per cent of electrical energy consumption in industry is used to operate motors; high-performance motors can improve operational efficiency by up to 10 per cent. • Lighting can account for around 35 per cent of energy use in a building and lighting control is an area where it is the easiest way to make substantial energy savings. • Power factor correction results in less current being drawn, and therefore less electricity cost, less heat and greater...