Hatch Energy is helping the mine and forestry sectors to save money during energy assessments thanks to a computer diagnostic tool.
The One-2-Five Energy software package, which is put out by environmental software company EnVinta, is used to reduce energy use at industries around the world.
During an assessment, Hatch Energy consultants meet with managers and take them through a series of international best practices designed to save energy using the software package.
These best practices can be anything from training employees, turning off equipment at the end of their shifts or installing new energy-efficient technology.
Each area of the company’s operation and department is given a one-two-five star rating. The results are then compared to other businesses in the same industry that have also taken the test, said Jon Feldman, a managing consultant with Hatch Energy.
The software sets up a plan to help industries implement the recommendations. It integrates with internationally recognized environmental management systems such as ISO 140001 and ISO 9000.
“I think one of the key benefits is that it identifies the gaps between the site’s practices and international best practices or industry best practice,” said Feldman. “It gives them a structured plan for improving their process.”
Sometimes managers don’t believe their company can do better in a certain area, but when they see how better-ranked peers are conducting their operations, they may be encouraged to change their practices, he said.
One-2-Five was first developed in Australia 20 years ago when consultants were doing assessments of the country’s electricity and gas market, said Feldman.
“They would spend two weeks interviewing people and correlating all of the data. Somebody said ‘We’re asking the same questions over and over again. Can we not make this into a tool where instead of spending two weeks doing this, we can do it in two hours and get the same results?’”
Last month, Feldman made a presentation about the software system at an Ontario Mining Association conference about energy conservation in Timmins. His co-presenter was David Vodusek, the business improvement and environment manager at Rio Tinto’s Timmins operations.
Rio Tinto recently worked with Hatch Energy to have its operations assessed for energy waste using the One-2-Five software.
The system has also been used during energy assessments at Xstrata, Goldcorp, Barrick Gold, Domtar, Weyerhauser, St. Marys Paper, Tembec, Bowater, Longlac Wood Industries and Columbia Forest Products.
“It’s a very good tool to benchmark your operation, and down the road, see how you’re doing. It’s quick and easy.
Within a few hours, you can carry out the diagnostic. It’s a great way to see if your business is improving towards energy management over time,” said Vodusek.
“We certainly do have some improvements that we are looking into. Some were improvements that we’d already identified, but were just in the roll-out stage. We are moving towards implementing the other opportunities that were identified in the diagnostic in the coming months.”
Vodusek said it not only makes sense to reduce energy costs from an economic point of view, but also to help the environment. Rio Tinto is “leading the way” when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
