In Facility Data Manager, facilities can set energy targets. Part of that process includes choosing between normalized and absolute measurement for the target.
A normalized target, also known as emissions intensity target, is a specific type of reduction target that focuses on reducing energy consumption relative to a certain level of economic activity or output. It is recommended to use a normalized target to account for operational fluctuations.
- For example if your facility uses 100 MJ of energy to produce 100 T-shirts, the normalized value/energy intensity would be 1 MJ/piece. If you set a target to reduce this value by 10% your target would be 0.9MJ/piece.
An absolute target focuses on achieving a direct decrease in the total amount of energy usage.
- For example of an absolute target is reducing total energy use for all facility activity by 10% from a 100,00 MJ baseline.
More about Normalization
Your use of energy, water, or other manufacturing inputs can fluctuate due to various factors such as an increase or decline in business. To account for fluctuations we recommend dividing consumption data by a common parameter, such as production units. This provides better year-over-year comparison of data and therefore more useful, and actionable analytics.
Normalization removes some variation in the data set. Consumption of energy for example is typically tracked in kWhs (Kilowatt-hours). For data normalization, a standard parameter, such as square meters of facility space or units of production, is used to divide the absolute energy consumption (in kWh) and allows for meaningful comparisons over time or between entities.
How to calculate normalized data
Calculate using data captured from an absolute scale and divide it by a standard parameter such as units of production, number of employees, or revenue.
Within FDM, if you select a normalized baseline, target, or reduction, it will be normalized against the production units entered into the Site Information section for annual production.
For example, if you selected annual production in “meters”, your normalized baseline will be normalized against meters.
Additional Resources:
United State Environmental Protection Agency