Thursday, November 27, 2014

AFIA publishes energy management guidelines

    In order to assist the feed industry in the conservation of resources, preservation of the environment and reduction of cost in the area of energy management, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has published an updated "Energy Management Guidance Document." The six-chapter guide was drafted by AFIA's production compliance, equipment manufacturer and integrator committees and covers state regulations, the organization and development of an energy management program, feed industry audits, calculating energy cost and methods for conserving energy.
    The document is designed to help feed manufacturing facilities understand how to develop benchmarks within their companies and offers suggestions for improvement based on the findings. "It does not matter your profession—professional athlete or feed mill operator—the only way to improve your performance is to measure every aspect of your operation and then develop a plan to make improvements based on those results," said Keith Epperson, AFIA vice president of manufacturing and training.
    Key areas the document provides details on are: calculation of electric bills and how to reduce electricity usage in a feed facility; energy audits specific to natural gas consumption, operating temperatures of a boiler, peak demand usage and more; and the proper maintenance of boilers within a mill, especially if operators are pelleting feed or flaking grains. "Our goal is for feed mill operators to welcome this document into their facilities as our members always look to become more energy efficient, environmentally sound and up-to-date with current regulations," said Epperson.

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