Preparing Energy Managers and Technicians for Energy Data Collection: New Instrument Familiarization Activities

Abstract

Energy audits can be used to provide hands-on activities related to an energy management course. After learning the necessary background concepts, students need to be aware of what measurements must be taken to evaluate an existing energy system.In industry and universities, one may find apprentices and students from different educational backgrounds, such as electricians with no exposure to newer measuring instruments and students with no ability to take electrical and/or mechanical measurements. By studying the capabilities and limitations of measuring instruments, newcomers to energy auditing may collect reliable data.This article introduces several hands-on activities that could be replicated to teach students how to take accurate measurements of electrical, light, and heat flow parameters, ultrasonic leak detection, electronic combustion analysis, and simple data acquisition before conducting energy audits. A sample laboratory activity includes a description of the measuring instrument, factors that contribute to inaccurate readings, safety concerns, and several practice measurements useful to energy audits.

Establishing Baseline Electrical Energy Consumption in Wood Processing Sawmills for Lean Energy Initiatives: A Model Based on Energy Analysis and Diagnostics

“…Kulatunga [10] emphasizes the importance of using energy analysis and diagnostics equipment, as well as the necessity to use state-of-theart equipment, such as power meters to check the power quality; data loggers to determine the energy use trend; light intensity meters to check the light levels; thermal imaging, along with the use of infrared temperature guns to identify insulation opportunities; and combustion analyzers to measure the boiler or furnace efficiency, among others.…”