The economic down-turn has had a severe impact on countless businesses, forcing many to re-examine their operational costs. For commercial and industrial businesses that rely on steam, a dedicated and reliable service provider offering outsourced steam can deliver significant cost efficiency while eliminating the need for up-front capital investment, which reduces overall business risk.

This is according to Jonathan Probert, Head of Business Development for EP Steam – a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG group. He points out that energy consumption, of which steam production constitutes a significant portion, generally accounts for around 10% of a company’s operational costs.

Probert explains that, by partnering with a service provider that owns and operates boiler systems, while selling the steam to the business as a utility, a business can have new systems installed or have their existing systems upgraded. This, without the need to spend any of their own capital, while enjoying the added upside of immediate cost savings.   

“Our outsourced steam product utilises state-of-the-art boiler and control systems which ensure optimal running efficiency and therefore offer a reduction in energy use. The simple fact is that newer steam generation systems are more reliable, and can produce much more consistent results. Achieving this level of efficiency, however, requires dedicated and constant monitoring and maintenance – something that most businesses are not equipped for,” Probert notes.

Outsourcing with Energy Partners Steam also allows for remote monitoring, he adds. “This means there is a team that is constantly monitoring and tweaking the system’s output remotely, able to detect maintenance issues early enough to keep down time to a minimum while ensuring optimal efficiency.”

With companies being under pressure to recover and adapt to an entirely new economic landscape, Probert says that it has never been more important to consider the impact that even small improvements in efficiency can bring to a company. “Whether it is food production, paper production, textiles or any other business, being able to increase efficiency without the need for capital outlay is becoming even more valuable,” he concludes.