First Step in Energy Saving: Managerial Approach

Today almost all executives of lots of large-sized companies all around the world, has the energy efficiency subject in their agenda. Nevertheless, yet there is no existed standardized and clarified managerial approach method across the globe, which explains how and where to start so as to gain real achievement in the subject. As a consequence of that, so many eco-sensitivity projects that starts with praiseworthy goodwill ends with unfortunate chagrin. The lack of enough scientific content in application of those projects causes results far away from exactly expected returns. Therefore, those initiatives, which fail to satisfy expectations, may incline dramatic waste in money and time at the end. Moreover, even unfortunate destructions may emerge while positive affects to the world, humane and energy consumption problem are anticipated. So as to avoid such cases, to provide added value in the subject of energy saving, the first step is to define strategic goals in the perspective of general managerial approach. Hence that, determination of visional constraints, which are focused on energy saving, is heavily necessary at the point. After then, long-term goals that are depended on those constraints and analytical expectations that are depended on those long-term goals must be set off. This approach will construct a base for the management to create projects in the future which are aidful for both the company and the nature. The entire subject related actions must be shaped according to a pre-defined perspective and must be based on constraints. This is the only possible way to get public, humane and nature-beneficial results. To follow such engineering model as a roadmap in energy saving management will provide to gain positive results in shorter period of time and with less amount of budget. With no doubt it is absolute that, it may not be so possible to gain benefits at short notice from such research & development studies. It may be necessary to be self-denying and patient until getting the actual big gains. However systematically developed engineered based roadmap would be helpful to minimize possible looses that may be occurred while reaching those gains. Here is shown the developed methodological approach that would form a basis to that systematic.

In order to apply that model approach, a coordination of collaborative study should be done from top management level to the lowest. Whether at the beginning; from the point at which visional values are revised so as to increase the control power in energy consumption, top management team would state clearly that they take all the blame, and then the entire departments and the entire employees embrace the future actions. Moreover it would be helpful also to reflect the results to the outside of the company more easily and quickly. Nevertheless, it would not be enough to show it just by words and attitude. The analytical relation that is drawn above for exploration of future actions must also be set for business manners of the workers. In other words, some duty diagrams are necessary to be modeled such that all employees are responsible to his (her) colleagues from the top to the lowest level. By the power of those diagrams, work packages can be appointed with detailed definitions and limitations and deadlines can be assigned to each. Additionally, key performance indicators can be identified for each so as to follow easily how much unit of package is done per unit of time. So, high efficient study results can be acquired from all that work. However, before the work definitions, responsibility diagrams must be modeled clearly. If it is done parallel to the previous analytical hierarchical model, better results can be gathered.

As a first application step of that analytical and hierarchical diagram, the subject must be assimilated at the vision extent. Top management need to determine general terms about the point; that is the company’s existence is directly and vitally depended on finding smart ways to decrease unit natural resource consumption. It would be beneficial to express sensitivity to the subject along the top management moderated meetings and events. Additionally, the vision content also must be revised according to that sensitivity. As long as revision is made, success ratio of prediction of the future business and power of management would be increased. With that improved company profile, more effective and efficient results can be obtained from energy saving focused re-engineering studies. To follow engineering based managerial approach within the scope of energy economy and environment, will provide to get more sophisticated results in shorter period of time. At the point money aspect is one of the most considerable subjects. It is critically important to decide finically, how much from the budget would be allocated for such studies. Precisely, expenses made for those studies and projects are expected to repay themselves after a period of time. Consequently, it is desired those projects would start to return benefit and saving after the end of investment process. Managers have to progress detailed and analytical feasibility studies and then make the final budgeting decisions. However, the entire feasibility studies must have formulations which comprehends well the main expected objectives and goals driven from those objectives. Thus, it would be easy to analyze to energy saving actions in the future whether they are well enough to satisfy all those goals and expectations; easy to monitor whether investments for those actions would provide the desired returns or not. In other words, it would be possible to see either they are worthwhile to invest or not.

In order to get expected results from energy saving improvement studies made at company, the subject must be espoused with all its main priorities from top management level. The entire shareholders, executive board members and general manager must recognize that in order to continue the existence of the values of the company, first the existence of the world is heavily necessary to be continued. Moreover they should point out that is the “sine qua non”! To recognize that, for today’s environment conditions it is an indispensable life rule rather than a choice, to be idealistic about energy saving subject, would lead the steps of “actions to be taken” be more swiftly. Thus, this will make the future actions result in more effectively. After then, the given importance to the subject must be expressed clearly to chiefs of departments. Just as the pumping blood from heart to body via vessels, to reflect the willingness, to increase the attention to the whole company and employees, sensitivity of the subject should be explained with meetings made often by chiefs. In other words, chiefs of departments are to functionalize the job of “clutch” between physical and capital resources of the company.

Transfer of the right pulses taken from top management to employees, with well-selected expressions would increase total efficiency got from studies. Moreover, also transfer of the information about employees’ reactions and efficiency rates of done work packages to top management with clear explanations would be beneficial to increase total dynamism either. From the point, working types would be designed under the control of chief of departments. In order to see the results of completed work packages and to analyze whether expectations are met successfully it is important to prepare systematic reporting regularly. Technical staff has to provide data flow under the moderation of engineers. Then those data must be reported with interpretations, which would be aidful to reinforce the analysis. In addition to that, reporting must also cover legal regulations about energy and environment and have to be renewed according to legality so as to take necessary precautions.

It is critically significant to keep up the data that constitute basis of reporting correctly and definitively. Production and energy consumption data information must be stored continuously via computer based systems unerringly. Operation persons had better be responsible from that storage. Moreover, respective executive must be acquainted in case of any failure that may cause a break in data transfer. That is because, it is important to control database management effectively.

For seeing results clearly customer side reactions is another important performance indicator. It must be expected to satisfy customers also at the end of such studies. At least any initiative that may bring customer dissatisfaction is needed to be taken stock of cautiously and in detailed and then final decision had better be given. With no doubt it is obvious that existence of a company is directly depended on enabling to sell its services/products. It must be questioned whether a company can be declared as successful which acts oppositely on its dependence. On the other hand, a company who fails to satisfy its customer enough and starts to lose some of them, is obliged to lessen its economic potential. Then there would be a question mark; how long company can continue to afford expenses needed for energy saving studies. At the point, another beneficial side of following that hierarchical model can be seen. In this article the importance of a direction of a systematic methodology is stated with its reasons.