For a long time Höganäs has wanted to implement a number of energy saving measures at its Powder Plant in Höganäs, but due to high costs it has not been possible. However, in connection with a redevelopment project, the company's energy coordinator saw an opportunity to finally implement the measures.

“When we were building a new furnace, we saw synergy effects that made it possible to implement the measures at a lower cost than before. When we also received our application to the Energy Board at slightly less than 30 percent of the additional cost, it was within reach,” says Magnus Pettersson, who is an energy coordinator at Höganäs.

Höganäs replaced 16 old industrial fans with a modern fan system, which reduces the need for electricity. The system also makes it possible to preheat the combustion air to the furnaces, which reduces the need for natural gas. In addition, the company rebuilt the plant so that surplus heat from production can be used to reduce the need for district heating during parts of the year. In January 2020, the installation for delivering heat to the internal district heating network was completed and in May 2020 the delivery will start.

“Our goal with the rebuild was to reduce energy consumption by 2.5 million kWh per year and I estimate that we will achieve that in 2020,” says Magnus. “The electricity efficiency was somewhat less than expected, while the preheating of combustion air produced better results than expected. This means that carbon dioxide emissions will decrease by 350 tonnes per year instead of the expected 300 tonnes per year, which is positive.”

* 2.5 million kWh/year is as much energy as 130 households consume in a year