Energy efficiency requires common sense…

An individual approach to reducing carbon emissions requires common sense, reflection and a rethinking of habits. In industry, it’s all the same.

Are the operating methods that were relevant 20 or 30 years ago still relevant in today’s environmental paradigm?

Can the manufacturing process be overhauled without upsetting the balance of the entire production chain, and in a way that is both efficient and energy-efficient?

What is energy sobriety?

In a context of energy transition, adjusting our consumption (electricity, gas, oil) and reducing our environmental footprint in various areas are becoming essential actions. In an age of over-consumption, energy sobriety invites us to rethink the way we consume and operate, to limit ourselves to our real needs.

A genuine approach, its main objective is to reduce superfluous consumption in order to limit the harmful effects on the environment.

The négaWatt association specifies that energy sobriety can be achieved through 4 levers: [1].

• User-friendly sobriety, based on the sharing of equipment and its use.
• Dimensional sobriety, which concerns the correct sizing of equipment in relation to its conditions of use. The aim here is to adapt machine operation in industry to actual needs.
• Structural sobriety, which consists in creating the conditions for moderating our consumption in the organization of space and our activities.
• Sobriety of use, which focuses on the proper use of equipment to reduce consumption.

Why are we hearing so much about energy sobriety today?

The war between Ukraine and Russia, a major energy supplier to Europe, has exacerbated the pressure on gas and oil prices.
France is also facing a drop in electricity production due to maintenance work on several of its nuclear power plants.

Faced with the risk of gas and electricity cuts this winter, the government, and more specifically, Prime Minister Elisabeth Born, presented its energy sobriety plan on October 6, 2022 with a clear objective: a 10% reduction in France’s consumption in two years and a 40% reduction in energy consumption by 2050.

Dametis is proud to be a signatory of the Sobriety Commitment. “Like the hummingbird, Dametis is doing its part.

Energy efficiency in industry

According to the statistics department of the Commissariat général au développement durable, the industrial sector consumed (in the end) 312 TWh in 2021, or 17.5% of French consumption. 2] The main forms of energy used remain natural gas (37%) and electricity (36%), followed by refined petroleum products, marketed heat and coal.

This is a significant proportion, and underlines the major challenge facing this sector.
Energy efficiency is the first step on the road to massively reducing the environmental impact of industry, and becoming a real player in sustainable development in France.

Industries need to take action to limit their consumption and achieve energy sobriety. There are a number of simple actions that can be easily implemented, and which can result in substantial savings on annual energy bills: switching off machines/appliances at night, investing in more energy-efficient machines, avoiding leaving appliances in standby mode.

Reducing energy bills is another important aspect of energy efficiency. And to reduce their bills, industries can turn to renewable energies such as biomass, geothermal and wind power.