Before proceeding with insulation measures for industrial plants, it is a good idea to check first what the weak points of the plant are and where the thermal energy is lost, in order to plan the actions to be carried out. For this reason it is better to carry out an energy audit.
What are an energy audit and a Tipcheck audit?
An energy audit is used to collect information about the actual energy consumption during the production process, so that the necessary actions can be taken to improve the situation.
The Tipcheck audit is a standard instrument for thermal energy auditing , in line with EN 16247 and ISO 50002 certifications , to assess the performance of industrial insulation systems. Actually Tipcheck means Technical Insulation Performance Check.
The Tipcheck audit is implemented by Eiif, the European Industrial Insulation Foundation, with the aim of giving the industrial sector instruments and solutions to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions by improving their insulation systems.
How a Tipcheck energy audit works
The scope of Tipcheck audit is to assess the insulation systems of existing facilities, planned projects or retrofit interventions in order to demonstrate how more efficient insulation can save energy, money and help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions.
The Tipcheck audit consists of a standardised protocol with the scope of producing a recommendation document based on universal insulation practices. It has six steps:
- Technical preparation (2 days): a meeting is held with company managers to define the aim, purpose and targets of audit;
- Plant visit (1 -2 days): the scope of this visit is to check the points “most at risk” of heat loss, such as valves, flanges, pipes, which are not insulated, damaged or insufficiently insulated;
- Tipcheck data collection (1-2 days): in this step there is a survey on the points identified as problematic.
- Energy saving calculation: based on the data collected during the measurements, the current thermal energy loss of the installation can be calculated, it is also possible to calculate how much it can be reduced by applying the best insulation procedures
- Report creation (1-4 weeks);
- Presentation of results.
In the first 4 steps the data are collected and checked, while in the last two steps a presentation is issued.
Benefits of the Tipcheck Audit
The Tipcheck audit contributes to energy management systems such as ISO 50001 and can effectively answer how insulation can produce immediate benefits:
- Reduction of production costs;
- Increase of energy efficiency;
- Reduction of CO2 emissions;
- Improvement of process efficiency;
- Reduction of risks to personnel and equipment;
- Increase of competitiveness.
The audit is only the first step
The energy audit is very important to every company, because it can reveal exactly what the weak points of a plant are and in this way plan the best way to solve them, through the use of more efficient insulation.
New Componit is certified to supply a Tipcheck energy audit and a detailed report that shows which thermal insulation interventions can provide a real added value.
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Luca Mattioli
Sales Engineer