Benchmarking Indicators

Benchmark can be presented by ‘Specific Energy Consumption’ value for each sector which implies the amount of energy used per unit output of a product or service. Specific energy consumption (SEC) can be calculated as follows:

Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) = Amount of energy used for a particular period/ Amount of production or services provided in the same period

Unit of SEC can be varied for different sectors due to the variation in production and services in different sectors.

When calculating amount of energy used, all sources of energy utilised need to be captured, such as electricity, LPG, diesel, furnace oil, biomass etc. All sources of energy can be converted into one common unit, Mega Joule(MJ) to present the total energy consumption.

Examples:

• Unit of SEC of a tea factory = MJ/kgs of made tea
• Unit of SEC of a hotel = MJ/room night or MJ/food cover
• Unit of SEC of a commercial building = MJ/m² of floor area

In establishing benchmarks it is vital that realistic and achievable targets are set. General norm of comparing the specific indicators of a particular industrial sector to the reported benchmarks is, if the industry’s indicator is less than the benchmark value, then it is operating with good practices and if the industry’s indicator is greater than the benchmark value, then the industry can further improve its energy efficient practices.