ENeRGY sAVING FACT sHeeT

Saving energy in the textiles manufacturing industry

Introduction
If you operate a small to medium sized textile manufacturing facility, including wool scouring, cotton and dyeing processes, then this fact sheet could help you to:
n save energy and money n increase efciency n improve your environmental performance!

by promoting an environmentally responsible image and providing a safer and more comfortable workplace.

Things to consider when implementing energy improvements

Implementing energy saving actions may require forward planning and some changes to the way your business operates. For example:
n Proposed changes to machinery settings, lighting systems

This fact sheet provides a range of practical and cost effective energy saving options that you can apply to reduce the amount of energy your business uses. Some actions offer immediate savings and other associated benets while others involve an upfront cost that can be recovered within a few months or years. With energy costs expected to increase due to climate change policies and other measures and pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, textile manufacturers can save money and help the environment at the same time!

Major energy uses

Textile manufacturers generally consume large quantities of energy and water through activities such as washing/drying, warp preparation, weaving, dyeing, printing, nishing, quality and process control, and warehousing (even if bre or textiles has been pre-processed elsewhere). Most of the energy consumed is in the form of natural gas that is used to heat water in boilers and washing ranges, but most of the greenhouse gas emissions result from electricity consumption. The key activities for energy efciency are bre dyeing, washing, drying and heat setting as signicant savings can be achieved in water heating, steam generation, drying and stentering.

and other actions may need to be discussed with managers, workplace safety representatives, unions, insurers and suppliers to ensure that they suit your operations and will not impact negatively on product quality, work conditions or security. n Employee training and awareness and management involvement are likely to be required to support the introduction of new equipment or processes and to encourage actions such as switching off equipment n Ongoing monitoring of energy use is important to identify problems early and to measure (and reward!) improvements. Key performance measures, such as energy consumed per unit produced, can be used to gauge the cost of energy inputs and savings achieved across the whole business or for individual jobs or processes. The easiest time to save energy is generally when building or renovating premises and purchasing new equipment.

Energy saving options for textile manufacturers

Some common energy saving opportunities for small to medium sized textile manufacturers are provided in the table following. The costs, savings and payback periods are provided as a rough guide only. They include estimates of up front costs such as capital, labour and installation, but do not include ongoing costs unless these are fundamental to the option itself (e.g. improved maintenance regimes). The suitability and benets of each option depend on the nature and size of your business and the scale of application. You should also check that they comply with local environment, safety and other requirements. Even if you have considered similar actions in the past, they may be more cost effective now as the cost of many technologies has gone down while the cost of energy has increased.

Benets of saving energy

Improving energy efciency can benet your business and the environment by:
n reducing energy costs through actions such as purchasing

more efcient equipment n reducing the environmental impact of your business through minimising energy-related greenhouse gas emissions n extending equipment life, reducing operation costs and avoiding downtime through increased energy efciency and improved maintenance regimes n improving your business reputation and employee satisfaction

ENeRGY sAVING FACT sHeeT

Saving energy in the textiles manufacturing industry

* $

<5% total energy saving $$

PROCESS CHANGE

** $1,000 - $10,000

5-10% energy saving $$$

MAINTENANCE

*** $10,000 - $50,000

>10% energy saving $$$$ $50,000+

up to $1,000

EQUIpmENT / pLANT UpGRADE

OpTION

COST

ENERGY SAVING

PAYBACK pERIOD

Monitor and minimise reprocessing rates (e.g. < 10%) to reduce energy wastage from the need to re-work off-spec product. Prepare fabric and other wet bre before drying to improve the energy efciency of drying ovens (e.g. using a squeeze roller). Optimise the amount of fabric fed through dryers at any one time and monitor moisture levels to ensure that the bre is not over-dried. Review processes to see if bre drying can be reduced, for example a wash can be undertaken after dyeing and treatment rather than drying the fabric after each stage. Investigate the use of low temperature dyes and other processing inputs that indirectly reduce demand on energy intensive activities. Turn off machinery and lighting when not required through the use of timers and sensors. Inspect and repair air compressor leaks and install valves that return exhaust air back to the compressor. Improve burner efciency in boilers and dryers through oxygen trimming and annual maintenance. Purchase energy efcient ovens, stenters and other equipment. Water efcient equipment may also reduce energy use by minimising the volume of water to be heated (e.g. low liquor ratio dyeing machines use less than 50% of the (hot) water used by conventional equipment). Install variable speed drives (VSD) to the exhaust fan motors of stenters and dryers and optimise the speed to suit fabric moisture levels (based on moisture meters in the oven). Insulate hot surfaces where practical (e.g. hot water and steam delivery lines). Recover steam condensate for boiler reuse to remove the need to reheat and deaerate cold water. Install heat exchangers to recover waste heat from boilers, ovens, stenters and dryers and use it to pre-heat incoming water or air. Recover hot waste water streams to pre-heat incoming water and use as a feed for dyeing, scouring, or washing.

nil

**

Immediate

$$

**

1-2 year

$$

n/a

nil

***

Immediate

nil

Immediate

$$$ $$ $

* * *

3 years 4-5 years 0-1 year

$$$$

***

2-3 years

$$$

5 years

$ $$

** *

0-1 year 0-1 year

$$$

**

2-5 years

$$$

2-3 years

Further information
If you would like further information, or to talk to someone who can help get you started, please contact Ai Groups Energy and Sustainable Business Helpdesk on 1300 733 752 or at sustainablebusiness@aigroup.asn.au or visit the AiGroup website at www.aigroup.com.au.

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