Training: Energy audits in the industry

(RBH, Association for Energy and Mining PKS and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade)
25-28. November 2024 | Belgrade

Energy audits are not only a legal obligation, but also a smart step towards saving energy and reducing costs.

During the last week of November, the training "Energy audits of industrial plants" was successfully held in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Belgrade.

In cooperation with colleagues from the Association for Energy and Mining of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, we designed this training for all company representatives, as well as consultants in the field of energy consumption optimization and energy efficiency, who are interested in providing energy audit services to small and medium-sized enterprises in the future and for all those who are not obligated to the Energy Management System in accordance with the Law on Energy Efficiency and Rational Use of Energy ("Official Gazette of the RS", No. 40/21), the Decree on Obligers of the Energy Management System ("Official glasnik RS", No. 59/22) and accompanying by-laws, i.e. those who are not obliged to conduct energy audits according to the Rulebook on the deadlines, scope and manner of conducting energy audits in the energy management system, as well as the content and method of delivering extracts from the report on the conducted energy audit.

An energy audit is a systematic procedure for obtaining appropriate data and knowledge about the existing level, method and structure of energy consumption of an object, production process, private or public service, by means of which economically profitable energy efficiency measures are identified and their effects in terms of energy consumption reduction, necessary investments, and financial savings. The results of the energy audit are presented in the energy audit report.

Energy audits are very important for the identification of economically profitable energy efficiency measures because for the correct selection of these measures, it is necessary to look at the situation on the ground, both in terms of the state of technical systems and in terms of how energy is used. Even in simpler buildings, where the energy efficiency measures are mostly typical, it is recommended that energy audits be carried out before choosing energy efficiency measures, and in the industry sector, this is necessary, if we want the measures to be optimal.

The importance of energy audits is also told by the fact that, since the first programs aimed at increasing energy efficiency (SAVE from 1990), the EU has seen the need to encourage and promote them, so energy audits are an integral part of EU regulations in the field of energy efficiency.

In Serbia, energy audits are mandatory for large consumers, who are obligated to the energy management system, as well as for large companies, while the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan in the industry sector foresees encouraging the implementation of energy audits in SMEs and encouraging the implementation of measures resulting from such audits.

After three days of theoretical lectures, the participants had the opportunity to perform an energy audit in practice at company Abbott Interiors.