Building materials · 2025
Cement plant energy program
A fictional cement case study: reducing energy per tonne with metering, idle-load removal, and a sequenced heat-recovery project.
- Client
- Calder Cement Works
- Published
Before and after
| Before and after | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Energy per tonne | Baseline | -11% |
| CO2e avoided | 0 | 9,400 t/yr |
| Program payback | Unknown | 2.6 years |
Context
Calder Cement Works (fictional) faced rising energy costs and a board request for an emissions plan. The plant had monthly utility bills and no line-level metering, so every discussion about savings ended in the same argument about the kiln.
The team assumed the only meaningful lever was a major kiln upgrade. The data had not been collected to prove or disprove it.
Approach
We ran a six-week metering campaign across the kiln, raw mill, cement mill, and compressed-air system, then built a load profile by shift.
- 17% of compressed-air load occurred during periods with no production demand.
- Cooler exhaust held enough recoverable heat to preheat raw-mill feed.
- Two large motors idled for more than 40% of scheduled hours.
The program sequenced no-cost operational fixes first, then a heat-recovery project with a measured baseline.
Results
- Energy per tonne fell 11% across the metered areas.
- The site avoided roughly 9,400 tonnes of CO2e per year (fictional).
- The combined program payback was 2.6 years, with the operational fixes paying back in under four months.
What changed
The plant now reviews a shift-level energy dashboard in the daily production meeting. The heat-recovery project was approved on its own numbers, not on a vendor estimate.
Fictional case study for portfolio purposes. Client names, sites, and results are invented.