Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Centralization for

Significant Energy Savings

Dale P. Smith, CMRP
Corporate Programs Manager
Predictive Service, LLC
dsmith@pscorp.com

Abstract
All facilities lose energy dollars through overheated electrical distribution systems, overloaded and
misaligned rotating assets as well as lose expensive compressed air and steam through leaking
pipes/fittings. Couple this with the increasing pressures of global competition, thinning workforce,
and budget constraints are forcing us to improve equipment reliability by fully leveraging predictive
maintenance (PdM) technologies.
This paper focuses on how the successful integration of standard PdM technologies can capture
significant energy savings and simplify ROI calculations. By the way, any associated benefits of
increased safety, reliability and enhanced facility capacity are purely coincidental.
Matching Knowledge and Information
Bailouts, wars, elections, and the gloomy global economy have forced hard decisions for many. For
example:
1. Rising fuel costs force air lines to get creative and pass the costs to flyers such as charging
for food, leg room, checked luggage, and even pulling wires to reduce weight.
2. Even one mans trash is anothers treasure. For years, no one wanted sawdust and now it is
up to $50/ton to or $1,200 per truck. One may say we are being forced to get everything out
of the pig except the squeal.
These types of external pressures are squeezing all corporate profits, sustainability goals and
affecting maintenance organizations which are:

Already thinly staffed with backlogs exceeding available hours

Very reactionary
Relegated to keeping the existing systems as good as possible

How will you get creative to save money and add back to the bottom line or protect whatever
reliability team is still standing? This is difficult since many facility maintenance departments are
care takers of older equipment and systems which were not designed for energy conservation.

The Tale of Two Maintenance Leaders

This is the tale of two maintenance leaders Bob and Weave. They are at opposite ends of the
spectrum with regards to resources, data, and knowledge to drive the most cost effective, reliable,
safe, efficient and sustainable facility capacity.
Bob - Maintenance Leader #1: Bob is making the big bucks with few headaches as the Director of
Facilities at a large pharmaceutical overseeing a reliability program of 24,000 assets at 10 plants in
the eastern U.S. In the last 6 months, over 3,000 positions have vanished and the buzz is that there
are more layoffs coming, less overtime and a 15% cost reduction mandate across the board. Forget
getting the capital for improvements, you are trying to keep your reliability program staffed and
sustaining production. Where are you going to find some money?
The good news is that in most cases, the energy savings can be found within your existing processes.
Your organization has the knowledge to address the issues but may lack the information to pinpoint
the cause and implement timely and cost effective repairs.
The great news is that you have a centralized enterprise asset management (EAM) system that will
help mine and trend information that can identify systems with the highest probability of providing
energy savings. You were told the information is there so it is time to start making this system pay.
A quick search of the EAM platform shows that infrared thermography of your electrical systems
has identified 793 temperature anomalies totaling 44,300 oF in temperatures higher than that of the
OEM heat curves and a potential savings in the next year of $94,353i.
Sum of Energy
Saved

Cause
Excessive
Temp oF

Poor
Connection

Internal
Flaw

Breaker

18,252

1,598

19

327

$ 20,196

18%

7,361

Connector

16,932

455

$ 17,387

15%

4,073

Fuse

3,096

5,483

$ 756

$ 9,335

8%

1,205

Connection

8,645

183

$ 8,828

8%

3,022

Blade Port

7,001

1,174

$ 8,175

7%

2,499

Component

Overload

5 More. . .

Grand
Total

Other

6,298

488

$ 287

529

$ 7,602

7%

3,346

Contactor

7,382

$ 7,382

6%

1,418

Breaker (3P) Bolt On

4,386

1,029

18

$ 5,433

5%

1,954

Breaker (1P) Bolt On

4,100

996

$ 5,096

4%

2,190

Fuse Clip

4,244

$ 4,244

4%

1,458

23 more. . .

14,017

$2,806

$ 16,823

15%

5,954

94,353

$ 14,309

Grand Total

$ 1,807

$383

$114,314

44,223 oF

Figure 1: Component Cause and Energy Savings Matrix

Page 2 of 15

Just like a crime scene investigators, you have followed the clues to find the bad actors. Now that
you have the information, applying your knowledge is easy and determines the direction and
proactive strategies. Using a rule of thumb that 70% of electrical thermal issues are caused by loose
connections cross-referenced with your top 10 components (blue highlights), the list starts to become
a little more manageable with 521 items worth $80,000 in savings (blue highlights).
Your plan of action is twofold. Issue work orders to critical systems with connection issues or the
highest paybacks and establish a connection torque program during the annual infrared inspections.
Successfully eliminating these poor / loose connections eliminates 30,000 oF in excessive
temperatures (Bright Yellow Highlights) and the associated fire and safety risks.
If you are lucky, you could pick up more savings by using the EAM platform to cross-tie the next
bad actor cause category of internal flaws with poor connection-related components already being
addressed or near the these systems. You are confident since this energy saving opportunity doesnt
include motor systems, compressed air, steam, etc.
Weave - Maintenance Leader #2:
Weave has the same type of facilities, assets, and
responsibilities. The difference is that Weave is experiencing the realities of knowledge and
information gaps. He, like most organizations, is in some mode of not having perfect information,
trying to add a technology and/or trying to build a critical mass of data. Transforming
managements perception of maintenance from cost center drain to bottom line contributor/profit
center can be an uphill fight.
Weave knows time is running out that he may have one opportunity to mine the asset data /
financials to gain management acceptance of reliability programs as a contributor to the bottom line
and funding support. If any of these fit your situation, the following steps and calculations can help
guide you through typical facility systems, PdM technologies that can identify issues and basic
energy saving calculations.

Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Road Map to Energy Savings

This section describes the basic steps and calculations required to highlight PdM-driven energy
savings.
Step 1 - Build an Inventory of Your Assets
It is crucial to gain a complete picture of all assets within a reliability program or at least the
equipment targeted in your pilot project. If you are very, very lucky, your computer maintenance
management systems (CMMS) may have some or all of this information.
Keep in mind that from an electrical standpoint, many organizations dont breakdown the electrical
systems to the component level (i.e. relays, breakers, and lighting panels) and will not show up in the
CMMS.
Dont underestimate the challenges of integrating multiple data sources and types. For example, you
may have to work through a mix of spreadsheets, PDFs, databases, MS Word documents, and
proprietary software and the inconsistencies associated with each.
Page 3 of 15

If you are finding information gaps or at the early stages, roll-up your sleeves, grab a simple facility
layout drawing and notebook and walk the facility to capture asset name plate data.
Step 2 Get the Energy Bill

Item

This step requires work with the

Energy Manager to review 2-3 years of
bills and energy patterns. If you dont
have an energy manger, your utility
suppliers can help explain the billing
and any calculations. Use the sample
electric bill and formula to calculate the
cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) which
will be applied to many of the energy
saving calculations in this documentii.

Totals

33,400

$756.80

504

$433.56

22,000

$412.00

Off-Peak Demand kW

280

$180.60

Power Factor

0.86

$177.00

On-Peak kWh

On-Peak Demand
Off-Peak KWh

$1,959.96
Taxes

The calculation requires dividing the

Total Monthly bill or Aggregate Cost
of Power (A) by the on- peak (B) and
off-peak (C) kWh.

Aggregate Cost of Power

(On-Peak kWh + Off-Peak
kWh)

Amount

Total Monthly Bill

3%

$58.80
A

$2,018.76

Figure 2: Sample Electric Bill

$2,018.76 / (55,400)

= $0.03643 per
kWh

Step 3 Follow the Money to Prioritizing Your Efforts

The challenge for most organizations is determining which systems will provide the biggest payback
based upon the specific technologies. A simple prioritization approach is to divide the gas, electric
and oil bills into two usage categories; by building type or use and by equipment types which are
common to a variety of process and applications, compressed air, pump and fan systems, etc. Dont
get trapped by assuming the highest energy consumers are enough to drive your PdM process. For
example, your facility may have hundreds of fractional horsepower motors that cumulatively
consume a lot of energy, but the labor, analysis and reporting costs of deploying PdM to each is
more than the replacement costs.
Taking the time to consider each assets criticality and value to the organization can eliminate 20%
or more of originally targeted assets. An asset criticality ranking process creates weighted scores
based upon probability of failures, failure severities, value impact on associated personnel, systems,
buildings and the overall organization.

Page 4 of 15

Ultimately, you end up with a comprehensive site equipment list and corresponding criticality score
that can be easily sorted to identify the most critical equipment by asset classification, building, and
cost center.
The list will be used to identify which equipment to focus on first with specific maintenance
strategies. Equipment having a high ranking will likely have more advanced PdM equipment
strategies and analysis performed; whereas equipment having the lowest ranking may have a lower
maintenance strategy such as run-to-failure.
At this point, we will assume that you have completed the energy and criticality prioritization and
that the failure modes in the four following facility systems can be monitored with the associated
PdM technologies.
Each organization has a different profile. For example, industrials have a higher number of processrelated motor loads, pharmaceuticals more HVAC loads and commercial buildings more focus on
the electrical, HVAC and roofing systems.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Electrical Distribution Infrared

Motor-Driven Systems Vibration Analysis, Infrared & Motor Circuit Testing
Compressed air Ultrasound
Steam Ultrasound and Infrared

Remember, you have limited number of attempts to gain or keep support so make sure you are
focusing those items with the best probability of showing savings. The intent of the following
examples are to provide basic calculations to establish the concept and ball park figures for
electrical and steam energy savings which will peak enough interest to get you a seat at the funding
table.
Step 4 Formulas to Calculate the Savings
Electrical Savings - The key process requires capturing power consumption measurements taken
when an anomaly is identified and after placing a piece of three-phase equipment is put back into
service. The two-step process is as follows:
1. Power Calculations
kW = volts x amps x pf x 1.732
1000

kW kilowatt
Volts voltage used in the application
Amps difference in amperage (before after)
PF power factor
1000 takes the total watts and by dividing makes it kilowatts
1.732 square root of 3 for 3 phase power. Eliminate this
number for single phase systems.
4.2 = average number of cfm/break horsepower (bhp). This is
based on manufacturers equipment data
Page 5 of 15

2. Annual Savings
Once the kW is determined a second formula is required to determine the annual savings:
Annual Savings = hrs x kW x cost / kW
Energy Saving Assumptions for Calculations:
Hours of Operation = 8760
Cost / kWh = $.08
Equipment is fully loaded
Motor Efficiency Factor = .90
Power Factor = .87
100 Horsepower Motor
Average power requirement in kW / brake horsepower (bhp) to generate one bhp = 0.746
Compressed Air Pressure = 100 PSIG
Steam Savings
Steam calculation requirements go beyond the intent of this paper due to collecting numerous items
such as boiler efficiency, loading, losses, number of boilers, fuel cost per 1,000 BTU, steam
pressures, water treatment chemical costs, labor burden, etc. Depending upon the size of your
facility, the boiler plant team will have the cost per 1,000 pounds of steam. The facility energy
manager or the boiler manufacturer can help. This paper assumes a cost of $12 per 1,000 pounds of
steam.
Opportunity #1: Electrical Distribution Equipment
Electricity and electrical distribution systems are the backbone of how we live and what drives most
of our nations progress. The issue at hand is that much of the electrical generation and distribution
systems are over 60 years old. Many have surpassed their designed life and more susceptible to
failure with safety and supply variables.
These power issues, such as the following, are often hidden and problematic to equipment:

Unstable utility supply / line surges

Lightning strikes / transient voltage
Unbalanced
and
overloaded
transformer bank
Short circuits
Unidentified single-phase ground
faults
Faulty power factor correction
equipment
Expertise and staffing shortages

Transformers
Switchboards
Generators
Controllers
Circuit Breakers
Switchgear
Motors
Cables
Switches (Air & Oil)

0%

20%

40%

60%

These variables are often hidden but can

Figure 3: Lack of PM and Failures
manifest themselves as single phasing,
shorted windings, overheated transformer banks and partially tripped over current protection.

Page 6 of 15

80%

The Risk and Insurance Perspective

Zurich Insurance Risk Engineering reports identify that 30% of all large fire losses are caused by
electrical failures (includes all cases and unknown). Figure 3 breaks down these failures to the
component level and shows the percentage of electrical losses caused by lack of maintenance.

IR thermography captures thermal anomalies and variances in

temperatures. It is ideal for capturing high resistance, overloaded,
phase imbalance and loose electrical connections that cause overheating and waste energy. Use
infrared thermography and the asset inventory, created in Steps 1-3 as a road map to scan your high
priority transformers, switch gear, disconnects, distribution panels and contactors, relays, breakers,
etc Scan while equipment is under at least 40% load and hit critical transformers / connections
during typical high temperature periods (June, July and August).
Electrical Infrared

Electrical Infrared Survey

Assume that during your infrared survey, a 480 volt, three-phase breaker is found to be operating at
a temperature of 171 oF (Figure 4). The measured ambient temperature is 73 oF. The breaker is rated
at 100 amps but the actual load is measured at 38 amps. The anomaly is determined to be a loose
connection and requires cleaning and tightening to be returned to a precise state.
Numerous ways exist to
calculate the cause/effects of
the higher temperatures and
energy being wasted (i.e. heat
curves, amp draw differences,
and voltage drop).
The
following example uses the
amp draw difference between
pre- and post-repair amp
Figure 4: Breaker with Temperature Anomaly
readings. In this case, the
amps before were 38 and amps
after the successful repair were 35.5 with a resulting difference of 2.5 amps.
Potential Annual Savings by repairing the loose connection:
kW = (480 volts x 2.5 x .87 x 1.732) / 1,000 = 1.808
= 8,760 x 1.808 x $0.08
= $1,267.38

Page 7 of 15

Opportunity #2: Motor-Driven Systems

In the U.S., motor-driven systems such as pumps,
compressors, and materials processors (i.e. grinders,
mixers, crushers, sizers, etc.) consume an average of
63% of the electricity in the industrial sectoriii.
Figure 5 identifies a breakdown of this segment by
energy use which can provide some prioritization of
your energy effortsiv. There are many opportunities
since many sites have to live with low cost purchasing
practices or older, less efficient motors but there is room
for improvement. For example, an older 100 HP with
low efficiencies (Pre-EPAct of 1992) costs
approximately $35,000 per year and $525,000 for 15
years in energy costs. A staggering 95% of this motors
life cycle costs (LCC) is consumed by electrical costs so
reclaiming just a few efficiency points with PdM can
add significant savings to your bottom linev.

Figure 5: Motor Systems Energy Use

by Equipment Type

Mechanical equipment can face an inherent problem with excessive

friction, if not lubricated, aligned and operated properly. For
example, a motor is spinning at nearly 3,600 rpm will generate excessive and increasing
temperatures at the failing point. Motors are rated by class for
their maximum operating temperature. Aside from vibration,
moisture, chemicals, voltage irregularities, dirt, and other nontemperature related life-shortening items; heat is probably the
biggest insulation killer. vi Temperatures in excess of these
maximum ratings will cause damage to insulation on the
windings, greatly shorting the life of the motor. For example,
for an 18oF (10oC) rise in temperature beyond rated design, the
heat reduces insulation resistance and useful life by 50%. Motors
can have hundreds of electrical connections that can become Figure 6: Infrared of Motor
loose or faulty because of unexpected thermal expansionvii.
Mechanical Infrared

Mechanical Infrared Survey

Using infrared thermography, your team scans motors, pumps, compressors and looking for
temperature changes / hot spots amongst motors, bearings, couplings, gears, pulleys, conveyors,
chain drive systems, etc.
The team identifies a motor-pump unit running 50 oF hotter than
comparative systems. The following identifies two different troubleshooting cases and the
associated calculations:

Troubleshooting Scenario #1 - The analysis determines that one phase (leg) of a fully loaded
100 hp motor is 95oF higher than the other two phases. The hotter leg is drawing 45 amps while
the others are at 30 amps each. Using the prescribed calculations, this 15 amp differential is
wasting $5,045 annually.
Page 8 of 15

Troubleshooting Scenario #2 A voltage analysis identifies an imbalance of 466, 458 and 445.
The following formula helps us determine that the voltage imbalance is 2.5%.
(Average voltage Lowest voltage)
Average voltage

456 - 445
456

= 2.5%

Figure 7 identifies that this 2.5% imbalance reduces the motors optimal efficiency by 1.4%.
Motor Load %
of Full
100
75
50

Nominal
94.4
95.2
96.1

Motor Efficiency %
Voltage Unbalance
1%
94.4
95.1
95.5

2.5%
93.0
93.9
94.1

Table from US Department of Energy viii

Figure 7: Motor Efficiency Und Conditions of Voltage Unbalance

Use the following formula to calculate the motor efficiencies and associated costs of the nominal
94.4% efficiency verses imbalanced 93% efficiency.
(Motor hp) (0.746) x (Annual Hours of Operation) x ($/kW)
Motor Efficiency
Subtracting the two numbers generates an annual savings of $832.98 by balancing the voltages.

Opportunity #3: Compressed Air Systems

Compressed air often viewed as the 5th utility, accounts for a significant
Ultrasound percent of the energy consumption and can have efficiencies as low as 1020%. This opportunity involves the optimization of motor-driven compressed
air systems by implementing a leak management program which ultimately reduces demand and run
time on compressors. Many organizations are able to shut down an entire compressor and the
associate supply-side costs by resolving leaks identified from a survey. Ultrasound technology picks
up sound waves above 20 kHz (beyond human hearing). The detector picks up ultrasounds and
converts them into an audible range for the operator who is listening with headphones.
Compressed Air Survey
Before you start your compressed air leak management program, it is recommended to determine the
best route with a facility drawing or a simple sketch of the compressed air system. Breaking down
the system into inspection zones makes the process more manageable. Start at the compressor (i.e.
air end) and work outward. Hang a tag at each leak and update your drawing. Make sure you
capture the following information to streamline the project and work order ranking process:

Page 9 of 15

Decibel (dB) levels

Instrument used
Number of inches or feet away from the leak when identified
Take a picture of the location.

During the inspection, look for and tag leak indicators such as valves left open, rags over pipes to
reduce noise on large leaks, unattended machines left on and blowing air. Check and repair drain
traps and dont leave them cracked open. Check for defective end-use tools and quick connects.
During the survey of your 100 PSIG system, you identify 20 leaks equally split between 20 and 30
dB. Use the following shortened look-up decibel and air loss table and calculation to calculate the
cfm losses at each decibel level.

Readings
10 dB
20 dB
30.dB

100 PSIG
0.5
0.8
1.4

75 PSIG
0.3
0.9
1.1

Values are in cfm based upon air

Figure 8: Example table of decibel (dB) and
system pressures (PSIG)

Energy Savings = (Air Loss (cfm) / 4.2) (0.746) (Annual Hours) ($ / kWh)
Motor Efficiency
These leaks are wasting $3,096 energy dollars annually.

Opportunity #4: Steam Trap Programs

Within steam systems are two types of leaks; internally when a trap fails and steam leaking
externally to atmosphere. This energy saving scenario will focus on the trap losses.
Traps are mechanical valves that return condensate back to the boiler for reuse. Failed traps either
fail closed or open. A trap failed in the closed position not only reduces efficiency but prevents
return of the condensed water vapor only to sit and corrode pipe/components. Safety becomes a
concern with slugs of the sitting water being picked up with the live steam creating water hammer.
Water hammer can blow apart piping systems exposing personnel and impacting facility services.
A trap failed in the open position sends steam back to the condensate tank preventing useful work.
Steam can be a very expensive resource ranging from $5 - $15 / 1,000 pounds of steam which
includes the boiler fuel costs, losses, labor, water treatment, etc.
Rule of Thumb for number of Traps Blowing Live Steam
50% if no steam trap survey or maintenance program
25% with annual program

Page 10 of 15

12% with semi-annual program

Even newer systems can have failed or failing traps as high as 30% within the first 3-5 years.

Steam Trap Survey

Ultrasound
Infrared

A steam trap survey differs from compressed air surveys by requiring a

contact probe to touch each trap to check each traps performance. The probe
captures the ultrasonic sounds. Instead of touching every trap located in the
facility, infrared thermography can help to identify overheated or cold traps or
piping runs. Figure 9 is a good example of complimentary ultrasound and
infrared technologies support a final recommendation).

Visual

Figure 9: Trap blowing through, stuck in the open position. Decibel level
on the steam trap was a constant 52 dB and normal expected level should
be in the 20-30 dB range when operating. Pressure at trap was 30 PSI.

During your steam trap survey, use your senses to perform listening and visual inspections, similar
to compressed air surveys, to help find steam discharging from valves and fittings, and leak
indicators such as rust, corrosion, hissing, rags covering loud leaks, etc.
In this example, ultrasound and thermography identify a failed trap blowing 100 PSI blowing
through with a 3/16 orifice. Using the following look-up tables and calculations, one can find the
amount of wasted steam and financial impact. Add up all losses by multiply the steam loss per trap
(i.e. losses typically provided by the ultrasonic equipment manufacturer) by hours of operation,
steam cost, and by the number of failed traps and/or piping leaks.
Orifice
Diameter
1/32
1/16
3/32
1/8
5/32
3/16

10
PSI
0.58
2.3
5.3
9.4
14.6
21

25
PSI
0.94
3.8
8.45
15
23.5
33.8

50
PSI
1.53
6.1
13.8
24.5
38.3
55.1

75
PSI
2.12
8.5
19.1
34
53.1
76.4

100
PSI
2.7
10.8
24.4
43.4
67.9
97.7

125
PSI
3.3
13.2
29.7
52.9
82.7
119

150
PSI
3.9
15.6
35.1
62.4
97.4
140

200
PSI
5.1
20.3
45.7
81.3
127
183

300
PSI
7.4
29.8
67
119
186
268

The US DOE has numerous steam system optimization resources, larger look-up tables and additional calculations supporting

the tables.

Figure 9: Steam flow (lbs/hr) through orifices at specific steam pressures:

97.7 pounds of wasted steam per hour

Page 11 of 15

Average cost of $12 / 1,000 lbs steam

$28.14 / day (24 hours)
$10,270.22 / year (8,760 hours)

$10,000 potential savings for one trap and some facilities have thousands!
Turning Heads with Your Mountain of Data
Keep It Super-Simple (KISS) Principle of Data Management
The challenge for many is that PdM programs generate an enormous amount of data. Much of this is
delivered in word processing documents, PDFs and spreadsheets, proprietary software and hard
copies which slow a Leaders ability extract information for making empowered and proactive
decisions.
If you have good data in a CMMS or an enterprise asset management (EAM) system, use them. On
the other hand, dont blinded by their bells and whistles and effort required to input and extract
information. Even if you are like Bob - Maintenance Leader #1 and have robust software
platforms and mountains of data, these systems create a belief that we must wait for the software
to kick out perfect information before making a decision.
Additionally, many times the information that would empower a closed-loop, PdM-to-repair
process is missing on the back end of these systems. Chalk it up to human nature or culture, once
the repair has been made, the after repair information, which is needed for some of your energy
calculations, never makes it back into the CMMS or EAM. It is perceived as a waste of time or of
less value compared to the interesting wrench time on the next work order and ultimately the data
never documented.
Todays recessionary pressures prevent many maintenance leaders from affording this software
luxury and or the possible stagnation of efforts. Instead they should rely on keeping it super
simple, small, accurate and manageable. Remember this is a pilot project and in the early stages
the approach requires building a case for targeted equipment opportunities with the best and highest
probability success. MS Excel can keep collection and centralization to a simple, consistent and
manageable level for you, or the utility or service providers providing information. Maintaining the
data in a centralized and organized system is crucial for transforming it into usable information
which drives the programs success.
Take matters into your own hands. By this, I mean taking a personal stake in collecting the field
data and pre- and post-repair readings. This is your project and you may have to overcome cultural
barriers, lack of support, manpower shortages and will trust but verify the information being
collected. Being in touch with the process and validating the results will fuel your passion for the
final presentation and closing the deal.
Closing the Deal
As mentioned earlier, most organizations have the knowledge and skills but lack the information to
make the right decisions in a timely manner. Once you have solid results, your goal is to provide
simple communications that gain support for your reliability and energy saving efforts.
Page 12 of 15

This papers examples are based upon actual client data which totaled nearly $20,000 in annual
potential savings (Figure 11). Potential is used since someone must implement repairs but it may
have to be with little or no capital support. The good news is that the hot and loose electrical
connections and compressed air fittings could be addressed with minimal labor and material
investment. Even the material cost of purchasing a new steam trap is only a few hundred dollars.

PdM Technology

Component

Annual Savings

Electrical Infrared

1 Breaker

$1,267

2
3
4

Mechanical Infrared
Ultrasound / Visual
Ultrasound / Infrared / Visual

1 Motor
20 Compressed Air Leaks
1 Steam Trap

$ 5,045
$ 3,096
$10,270
$19,678

Figure 11: Example Energy Savings with PdM

The results are only scratching the surface as the total savings are based upon your equipment
population, completeness and frequencies data collections with any existing programs and the wealth
of additional energy saving opportunities with additional PdM technologies such as vibration
monitoring/alignment strategies, motor circuit and motor current analysis, lube oil
analysis/optimization, and aerial infrared surveys for roof moisture saturation.
The first recommendation is to centralized information which is easily accessed, extracted and
understood which can be done in a simple spreadsheet or database or with off the shelf packages.
Secondly, learn how to blow your own horn to gain support for your initiatives by publishing a
regular savings and energy report. The message should be financially based, kept simple, and not
too technical with numerous discussions and calculations about gallons, kilowatts and amperages.
Typical financial calculations cover return on investment (ROI) and/or net present value. When
performing the calculations, dont get caught in the trap of only talking about the savings and
ignoring the cost to perform the in-house or third-party surveys. Basically, keep in mind that you
have to spend money to make money.
Be specific in your arguments or requests and always have backup documentation in order to support
your savings, trend results and to put a scale to the benefits / costs. In addition to the previous
energy wasted and now being saved, calculate the corporate financial benefit such as the cost of
downtime avoided. The medium could be a few PowerPoint slides or a spreadsheet.
Dont give up. Many, very successful energy programs started with 1-2 small victories and
incrementally added successes to overcome skepticism, cultural bias towards maintenances, and lack
of awareness. Regardless of your reliability programs sophistication, this document highlights that
the use of simple PdM tools which can recapture lost energy or help you correctly account for its
impact to the bottom line and gain credibility for your maintenance team.
Good luck and dont hesitate to call if you need help.

Page 13 of 15

Author Biography

Dale P. Smith, CMRP

Corporate Programs Manager
Predictive Service

216.906.7550
216.378.3500 x135
dsmith@predictiveservce.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dalepsmith

Mr. Smith has over 18 years of experience within the engineering and reliability consulting
industries designing, implementing and running successful multi-site corporate safety, reliability and
energy programs for medium, large and Fortune 500 companies such as Alcoa, General Motors,
Kaiser Aluminum, ADM, Dana, Schering-Plough and Wyeth.
Mr. Smith formerly served as a Programs Manager for an engineering consulting and safety services
firm and managed combustion system safety and asset reliability programs with three global
automotive, aluminum and pharmaceutical clients. These clients represented over 300 facilities
worldwide. He was the single-point-accountable (SPA) manager responsible for the day-to-day
operations, corporate relationships, training, program efficiencies, overall contract administration
and profitability.
Projects at Predictive Service include overseeing the development, management and growth of
reliability programs for over 22,000 production assets and ensuring that the clients achieve the most
cost effective, reliable, safe and competitive facility capacity.
Mr. Smith is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) through the Society for
Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and an active member in the Association of
Maintenance Professionals (AMP). He is a Corporate Programs Manager with Predictive Service in
Beachwood, OH.
Predictive Service (PSC) headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio provides a fully integrated mix of predictive
maintenance (PdM) technologies and delivers all information via a centralized, web-based software
management system, ViewPoint. PSC helps all types of global corporations ensure reliable, safe, cost
effective and sustainable facility capacity. Keep the following services in mind for "safeguarding your
future":

Reliability Engineering

Infrared Thermography (Electrical and Mechanical)

Vibration Analysis

Oil Analysis (Lube / Hydraulic / Transformer)

Ultrasound

Motor Circuit Testing

Aerial Infrared

ViewPoint Web-based asset management reporting software

Page 14 of 15

References

I. In preparation for this article, the author collected data from Predictive Services ViewPoint
database of data collected during reliability field services with a specific search on electrical
infrared inspections. This data spanned a cross section of 7 industry segments with the following
summaries:
Industry

Average Years of Data

2.29

Hospitality

Sites

2,745

Property Mgmt

Covered Assets

18,3301

Foods

Thermal Anomalies

14,275

Retail

Cumulative Temperature Rise

770,524.45 oF

Textiles

Average Temperate Rise per

Anomaly

59.04 oF

Pharmaceuticals

Energy Savings

Aggregates

Average Energy Savings per

Anomaly

$9,507,834
$462.74

Note: facilities averaged shifts of 6 days/week and 16 hours per day. Electrical average across sites is
$0.07 / kWh.
ii

For the purposes of this document, most of the energy savings are calculated using electricity as
the base (other than steam generation which includes natural gas, water treatment, etc.).
Additionally, the approach is in general terms. Numerous additional factors can impact or finetune each calculation.

iii

U.S. Industrial Motor Systems Market Opportunities Assessment, Xenergy for Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, 1998.

iv

Energy Use, Loss and Opportunities Analysis, Energetics, Inc and E3M, Inc for the U.S.
Department of Energy, November 2004.

Motor Planning Kit 2.1: Strategies, Tools and Resources for Developing a Comprehensive Motor
Management Plan, Consortium for Energy Efficiency, Inc.

vi

Smith, CMRP, Dale P. Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Integration for Electrical Distribution
Safety and Reliability. ASSE Safety 2009 Conference Proceedings, 2009

vii

Boosting your Bottom Line: Plug into Programs. Lubrication Management & Technology page
6. March / April 2008.

viii

DOE, DOE/GO102005-2024, September 2005 Motor Systems Tip Sheet #8.US

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