A low-cost and early-return strategy for energy consumption reduction in industrial facility: the inclusion of energy criterion in equipment maintenance plan

Esfandi, Mahmoud-Reza; Rezvan, Mohammad Taghi; Karimshahi, Fateme

doi:10.22052/eem.2026.257394.1144

A low-cost and early-return strategy for energy consumption reduction in industrial facility: the inclusion of energy criterion in equipment maintenance plan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Business Adminstration Department, Faculty of Financial Science, Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

² Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.22052/eem.2026.257394.1144

Abstract

Energy is an essential parameter in determining the cost of final products in energy-intensive industries. Proper attention to energy efficiency can significantly enhance competitiveness and profitability in such facilities. Hence, reducing energy consumption is critical for addressing environmental concerns and promoting sustainable development.

In contrast to capital-intensive and long-term strategies, short-term and low-cost approaches are more viable for reducing energy consumption. One such strategy is the integration of energy considerations into facility maintenance management. This paper proposes a preventive maintenance optimization (PMO)-based framework to ensure the inclusion of energy criteria in the revision of equipment maintenance plans.

The present study aims to lay the groundwork for changing the attitudes of operational and managerial personnel by assessing their awareness of the impact of proper maintenance on energy consumption and evaluating the use of energy criteria in the development and review of equipment maintenance planning. In designing the proposed framework, conventional methods for reviewing equipment maintenance plans are prioritized to avoid major procedural changes. This approach helps reduce the likelihood of resistance to change by relying on commonly used maintenance review practices.

The proposed framework is applied to a technology-based industry in Iran. The maintenance plan of an energy-intensive piece of equipment in the studied industry, namely a 315-kW centrifugal fan, is revised to validate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed framework. Under constant operating and process conditions, the implementation of the revised maintenance plan over a five-month monitoring period resulted in an average reduction of 2.3% in electrical energy consumption, achieved without any hardware modification or capital investment.

Keywords