Energy Efficiency Without Being Lost And Deficient

Classically, energy efficiency refers to the use of less energy to produce the same result or product as would result from traditional manufacturing methods. Energy efficiency is heavily advertised in situations such as electrical systems in homes and businesses, heating and cooling in both residential and commercial settings, and energy-efficient appliances and machinery. In fact, most appliances you buy from the store will include informative signage displaying the numbers of efficiency so as to encourage more sales. One of the main goals of energy conservation is to produce equipment that reduces energy costs and produces sustainable energy. With more of a manufacturing focus, facilities have been modified to use clean energy rather than machines that produce excessive emissions to assemble goods.

A similar term to “energy efficiency” is “energy conservation.” Energy efficiency involves the physical part of using energy, whereas energy conservation refers to the act of reducing energy use. One example to explain the differences between these concepts is lighting: you can display energy efficiency by using energy-efficient products like LED lights throughout your home and the average cost to keep the lights on 24/7 in your home for one year will be roughly the same cost as keeping the light on in your refrigerator for about a month. However, you can display energy conservation by keeping your lights turned off when you’re not using them. The same concept can also be illustrated using other mechanical devices, like your heating and air conditioning.

Going hand in hand with the concepts of energy efficiency and energy conservation is the principle of renewable energy. Renewable energy refers to the energy that is collected from natural resources which renew in a relatively short span of time. There are several sources of renewable energy, including solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean energy, and bioenergy (www.un.org). The goal of more manufacturing and material handling facilities is to be able to use these renewable sources of energy to power their production in the future so as to lessen production and handling costs as well as preserve the environment. Renewable energy sources do not produce the greenhouse gas emissions that fossil fuel-powered facilities have pumped into the atmosphere for decades, so adapting our manufacturing and material handling procedures to fit a more energy-efficient model will ensure a more sustainable industry overall.

Manufacturing and material handling has become significantly more energy efficient in the last several years due to the use of more efficient equipment like motor-driven roller conveyors. MDR systems streamline the material handling process by eliminating the use of pneumatic equipment to power the rollers of the conveyor. Instead, the motors powering the conveyor are rollers themselves and only require controller cards to tell the rollers what to do. These systems even contain photo eyes for zone accumulation control, which reduces wasted space in the manufacturing atmosphere and also reduces time waste in line production. In addition to lowering the amount of space taken up by the materials being produced, the motor-driven roller conveyor is gaining popularity due to the smaller size of the system and the lessened need for additional equipment to power it.

At Russell Conveyor & Equipment, we have extensive experience with MDR pallet conveyors. Our Pallet Handling Accumulation Conveyors can be integrated into any material-handling workspace to help transport larger, heavier items. In fact, our Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyors to move loads up to 4,000 pounds, which allows you to enjoy the benefit of the MDR system while moving bulkier loads more safely and effectively. We are glad to show you how these systems can improve your manufacturing process and the facilities in which you operate. Among the many benefits of our pallet conveyors include decreased forklift and pallet jack traffic, lower maintenance and labor cost, improved product quality due to less damage, as well as general safety and reliability in the work area.