{"id":4050,"date":"2015-06-15T19:18:31","date_gmt":"2015-06-15T19:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informatech.energir.com\/?p=4050"},"modified":"2021-04-15T15:30:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T20:30:52","slug":"lean-energy-kaizen-ems-better-than-yesterday-not-as-good-as-tomorrow-japanese-maxim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informatech.energir.com\/?p=4050&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Lean energy \u2013 Kaizen \u2013 EMS \u2013 Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow (Japanese maxim)"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many years now, a great number of companies have been implementing efficiency measures and technologies to increase their performance, counteract instabilities in the prices of energy and meet new regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So now we can ask ourselves: what more can we do to continue to reduce our energy consumption and shrink our environmental footprint?  <\/span>
\nThe answer? Lean Energy. It proposes a strategy and a toolkit to continuously improve operational efficiency while reducing energy costs and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Today it is clear that achieving a company’s full potential calls for taking technological, organizational and behavioural dimensions into account. In recent years, however, companies have mostly concentrated on the technological dimension to the detriment of the two others, thus leaving room to do even more by optimizing the other two dimensions. <\/span>
\nHere is what Lean Energy involves and how this process enables us to meet our objectives to reduce energy consumption.<\/span>
\nSome definitions<\/span>
\nLean Energy<\/span>
\nOriginating in Japan, Lean Energy is a management philosophy that literally means “lean management.” Work is organized in such a way that employees are mobilized to identify and eliminate energy waste by questioning the use of energy in their daily activities. It is not about replacing appliances; rather, it is making them more efficient by making sure that they are functioning optimally. This approach takes into account different aspects of a project – technology, management structure, and human behaviour. While technology and profitability are the focus of energy efficiency decisions, the human resources contribution is very important when it comes to the longevity of the continuous improvement measures.<\/span>
\nKaizen – Treasure Hunt<\/span>
\nIntegrating a Lean Energy approach into a company is not automatic. There are various tools on the market. A continuous improvement process adapted to energy, like the Kaizen or the ENERGY STAR “Treasure Hunt” approach, works well, calling for an intense, several-day activity involving company stakeholders from all decision-making levels. This approach facilitates collecting facts and data to obtain as accurate a picture as possible of energy consumption:<\/span><\/p>\n