Last Updated on December 16, 2025 by Admin
The equipment in many industrial facilities operates almost constantly, making some decision-makers especially eager to optimize energy efficiency whenever possible. Doing so can lower utility bills and make a brand’s assets better-suited to emerging needs. Where should leaders focus their efforts, and why does it matter?
Table of Contents
Conduct an Equipment Audit
Authorities should begin by taking an inventory of all their equipment, including relevant statistics, such as the average running time in a given shift or workday. Accessing maintenance records to see how often individual items do not work as expected could help them decide what needs modernization the soonest.
Internal data often contains useful details, such as patterns that suggest companies may not be achieving the desired return on investment when equipment fails frequently or causes other disruptions. Creating a document or chart that specifies why businesses need specific assets and how they use them results in a holistic picture to streamline modernization efforts.
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Review Maintenance Strategies
Although some leaders only have machines fixed once they break down, a better strategy is to adopt a preventive approach that involves maintenance at recommended intervals to reduce the chances of the equipment going out of service unexpectedly. Some innovative companies even use connected sensors to predict machine malfunctions before humans can detect the symptoms.
Reviewing existing maintenance strategies can help determine whether an asset that appears to have poor energy efficiency may, in fact, be incorrectly maintained. This also enables leaders to assess whether the current approaches provide sufficient uptime.
Measure Overall and Individualized Energy Usage
Some manufacturing professionals only discover that their equipment or plants are using too much energy once they receive unexpectedly high bills. Most would prefer learning that information sooner so they have time to correct the problem before paying too much. Hiring an energy auditor is one of the best ways to get a baseline reading for a facility and all its equipment. That person can look for abnormalities that indicate it is time to replace an asset or take other actions.
Most auditors provide detailed reports that break down the proposed improvements and their likely impacts. Those insights help decision-makers determine which changes to make and when to implement them. Progressing in stages works well when companies cannot afford to make all the suggested upgrades at once. Many executives also want to see early payoffs to justify future investments.
Check for Parts Availability
The desire for increased energy efficiency may be the primary driver of planned equipment upgrades, but professionals should also consider other factors that may influence their replacement decisions. The availability of spare parts is among the most important factors because it significantly affects how easily owners can maintain and repair specific models.
Many people also obtain helpful information from manufacturers, such as when representatives provide estimated timelines for how long the brand will continue to service specific products. Some businesses have equipment that is still relatively energy-efficient, but for which it is difficult or impossible to source extra parts. Those may become among the first to upgrade because of the ramifications of prolonged outages. Energy efficiency is a sensible prioritization, but authorities must consider comprehensive views before reaching conclusions about upgrades.
Install an Energy Management System
Many companies have specialized software that allows people to automate specific energy-related processes and configure equipment accordingly. This provides users with better oversight, allowing them to avoid wasting energy and become more aware of their overall resource dependency.
Some options work in the cloud, enabling authorized parties to log in from anywhere and see real-time statistics about their facilities. These ongoing data streams support equipment upgrade goals because they let authorities rely on current information rather than guesswork. These individuals can also select which equipment runs at particular times, which is particularly helpful, regardless of whether a plant operates continuously or has no weekend shifts.
Assess Machine Communication Options
Decision-makers seeking viable ways to update aging equipment must evaluate the possibilities for making the machines communicate with each other. That is a foundational capability of industrial automation, as it typically means employees can operate assets with less oversight while maintaining quality control.
Some vendors sell kits to help users update machine communication options without investing in new equipment. Parties interested in this approach should consider booking consultations where experts will assess compatibility and other particulars to tell clients whether upgrades are possible or if they should begin budgeting for replacements.
Add Sensors to Equipment
Connected sensors give real-time statistics about equipment operations, usually sending all the information to a centralized database for later review. Some systems also provide historical trends, alerting users to specific instances where machinery has suddenly begun using more energy than usual or flagging other abnormalities. These insights inform the appropriate parties sooner, enabling them to act decisively and confidently.
Sensors also streamline maintenance programs by providing condition-based statistics. That information could indicate problems such as excessive warmth or unusual vibration before humans notice them. Factory leaders then receive details about overall equipment health beyond energy usage.
Set Realistic Goals
Those involved in modernizing outdated equipment should consider what they hope to achieve from these updates. The most important thing is to determine feasibility. Even the most comprehensive updates may not make an eight-year-old machine as energy-efficient as one released in the past year. Technology evolves quickly, and equipment makers regularly incorporate new components into their designs.
Getting expert opinions about the effects of planned upgrades is a practical way to shape expectations. This external information can also influence budgets, revealing when it makes more sense to replace a piece of aging equipment rather than update its parts.
Tighten Processes Before Updating Equipment
Sometimes, equipment that appears to have poor energy efficiency often performs below expectations due to inefficient processes. Imagine if the current workflow requires an operator to pause for several seconds while keeping the machine running to wait for the completion of a previous step on the assembly line. In that example, equipment energy wastage occurs naturally due to brief but ongoing interruptions in the flow.
The most cost-effective strategy is to assess the processes associated with a machine considered for upgrades. Optimizing those first can reveal whether enhancements to the hardware or other components would be worthwhile. If the processes consume the most energy, a company can spend its money more effectively by investing in options such as employee training and workflow improvements.
Speak to Equipment Optimization Specialists
The recommended energy efficiency optimizations vary depending on whether the equipment is an industrial robot, a boiler or another asset. These inevitable variations can sometimes make leaders uncertain of which avenues to pursue first.
Experts who specialize in industrial equipment upgrades for energy efficiency are dependable partners in this process because they utilize their experience and knowledge to thoroughly examine the details of each facility and its assets before making recommendations. Which brands should decision-makers consider?
1. Concentric
Concentric is the only provider of nationwide assistance for critical power, energy storage and forklift power in the United States that has nationwide service teams. The company’s extensive network provides the coverage and expertise needed to keep essential facilities running smoothly, enabling them to save energy and prevent downtime.
Because these experts’ knowledge encompasses a range of equipment brands, customers can depend on them for suggestions about adding to or servicing existing equipment according to current or emerging business needs. These providers also make site visits to maintain material-handling machinery or automation systems.
An effective maintenance plan is an essential part of meeting energy-efficiency milestones because technicians can detect issues sooner. Therefore, those problems do not go undetected for months or years and unknowingly contribute to rising bills.
Key Features
| Maintains a national engineering and service team to support industrial customers | Offers brand-independent expertise to maximize clients’ flexibility with planned upgrades |
| Serves more than 250 facilities with a customer-centric and technology-driven approach | Provides 25 years of experience in industrial power |
2. CLEAResult
CLEAResult has a trade ally network of more than 750 team members dedicated to saving power for industrial facilities, businesses and households. When visiting a site, energy-efficiency experts build custom solutions by selecting from more than 100 results-driven capabilities to create specific programs. A dedicated manager then reviews them in greater detail to discuss what works best for each client and their goals.
All of the company’s energy-efficiency efforts start with a comprehensive site or building assessment. This reveals how power impacts daily operations and which upgrades would bring the most favorable changes over particular periods.
Team members can also coordinate energy-efficiency programs on the national level with a centralized approach, assisting clients with multiple branches who want to maximize the results and maintain consistency while conserving resources.
Key Features
| Offers over 20 years of expertise in energy optimization | Operates a partner network to handle extensive energy-efficiency installations |
| Conducts in-person or virtual energy assessments to maximize convenience and results | Provides technical, facility-level and diagnostic energy-efficiency evaluations |
3. Energy Edge
Established in 2009, Energy Edge offers extensive experience in the electricity and natural gas markets. This knowledge enables clients to navigate an increasingly complex landscape while achieving their energy-efficiency goals. This brand’s facilitation of over $10 billion in energy transactions demonstrates its robust capabilities, made possible by the varied backgrounds and problem-solving attitudes of its team members.
Whether a client has supply procurement questions or requires a complete global energy management strategy, this company assists with those needs and many others. Its experts also provide guidance on matters such as renewable energy purchases, enabling companies to make sustainable choices that reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.
The business offers numerous support services because team members recognize that energy management plans often require ongoing adjustments for optimal results across various industrial applications.
Key Features
| Assists a wide range of commercial and institutional clients across the United States and Canada | Upholds a commitment to unparalleled customer service |
| Provides a complete range of energy consulting services to meet diverse needs | Addresses complex energy challenges to achieve measurable results |
4. PEC
PEC addresses energy-efficiency issues associated with outdated machines, high energy bills, ineffective maintenance strategies and related challenges. Regardless of whether clients require retrofitting, monitoring solutions or other established options, this brand’s experts utilize their knowledge and real-world experience to develop the most suitable strategies. This provider operates five locations across the United States, giving it a broad reach.
Company leaders can also view this business as a sustainability partner, as it has helped clients eliminate 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from their processes. Free energy assessments yield baseline readings to inform the path toward measurable, desirable changes.
More than 5,000 businesses have relied on PEC for energy optimization guidance. Parties interested in seeing similar benefits can review online case studies to understand the potential impacts of working with this provider toward actionable improvements.
Key Features
| Specializes in turnkey energy optimization services for commercial and industrial clients | Achieves an average 75% energy reduction for clients |
| Makes energy-efficiency upgrades affordable with financing and rebate options | Works across industries, resulting in thousands of successful projects delivered |
Methodology
Companies appeared on the list due to their extensive experience in helping clients across industries optimize their energy use through strategic upgrades, including modernizing and updating equipment. These brands also stood out because of their excellent customer support options and large service areas. Those characteristics help clients feel more prepared as they embark on energy-efficiency journeys and anticipate meeting challenging but reachable goals.
View Energy Efficiency as an Ongoing Process
Even once decision-makers replace or modernize equipment that uses the most energy, they will almost certainly find other upgrades to consider. Rather than becoming overwhelmed, they should focus on the abundant potential of adopting a continuous improvement mindset. They will then see the value in viewing energy efficiency as a constantly evolving target and incorporating it into their corporate strategies moving forward.
Team member accountability is another crucial aspect because virtually all employees can influence the power a company uses by making small but purposeful changes. Hearing workers’ perspectives about energy efficiency and related areas gives executives fresh perspectives that can change their processes and affect future investments in a business’s equipment and other resources.
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