Investigating Energy Conservation Opportunities in a Jobbing Foundry Industry

Jobbing foundry tends to consume more energy per unit output due to frequent melting and mold changing required to accommodate varying customer requirements. Therefore, energy conservation is required to lower the operation cost which could heighten the prices of the casting products. An energy audit was conducted in a jobbing foundry to identify the saving opportunities for the case study foundry. A walk-through of the facility was conducted. During this process, data collection, energy measurements and analyses, as well as leakage and lighting investigations, were performed. From the analyses of the electricity bills from January 2022 to July 2023, this foundry had a significant energy consumption of 54,837.42 kWh, with 11,082.34 kWh consumed at peak periods. Furthermore, significant leakages were discovered in the compressed air system. Also, the findings from the lighting investigation revealed that the facility has poor and uneven lighting. Based on these findings, recommendations were made on load-shifting from peak periods with high tariff rates. Also, immediate repair of leakages and awareness creation on energy-saving practices were proposed. Finally, continuous process improvement was proposed for sustainable manufacturing operations.