Attention to energy efficiency seems to rise and fall in corporate priority with both the
rise and fall of energy prices and the rise and fall in manufacturing margins. The life of
the corporate energy manager is much the same. If energy costs are high and margins are
slim, you are the man or woman of the hour, and if times are good and natural gas
supplies are booming, no one will return your calls. Resources are allocated similarly.
Bad times and poor prospects for capital spending free up lots of people to look for
opportunities for more efficient operations. When times are better, those human
resources are reallocated to opportunities with higher expected returns. A well
thought-out energy management program identifies opportunities, sets the bar for
ongoing performance, and maintains improvements with a minimum of resources.
Otherwise, over time and with reduced scrutiny, efficiencies decline and relative costs
go up. A few years later, the cycle repeats itself and a new team relearns all the lessons
from the last cycle.