麦肯锡 -从低效审计迈向能源卓越 From ineffective audits to energy excellence

March2026

Mcsey

&company

McKinseyDirect

Frominefectiveauditstoenergyexcellence

Industrialcompaniesarestrugglingtocreatemajorenergysavingideas,justashighpricesarepressuringprofitability.Adeeperdivecanfindhiddendriversthatcouldtransformenergyconsumption.

byKenSomers

withPrzemyslawLeszczynski

2Fromineffectiveauditstoenergyexcellence

Energymakesupasignificantpartoftheinputcostsinmanymanufacturingindustries.Theenergyconsumedinproductionaccountsforupto40percentofthecostofcement,1forexample,upto30

percentofthecostofmanycommonchemicals,and10to20percentofthecostofpaper,steel,andfood2production.

Therelevanceofenergyinthesecoststructureshasonlygrown.InEurope,naturalgaspricesmay

havefallenfromtheirsummer2022peak,buttheyhaveneverreturnedtothelevelsseenin2021—andasofearlyMarch2026,they’rerisingquicklyonceagain.Electricitypricesinmanymarketshaverisensharplythankstofuel-pricedynamics,higherdemand,andtheescalatingcostofgridupgrades.In

theEuropeanUnion,forexample,electricitypricesforlargeindustrialconsumersrose86percent,onaverage,between2020and2025.3

Againstthisbackdrop,theimperativeforcompaniestopursuemeaningfulimprovementsinenergy

efficiencyhasrarelybeenstronger.Leadersareworkingtoprotectprofitabilityandmaintainpledgeddecarbonizationtrajectories.Yetmanyorganizationsfindthemselvesrunningoutofideas.Decadesoftraditionalenergyauditshavedelivereddiminishingreturns,leavingcompaniesfewactionableinsightsintoenergylossesacrosscomplexproductionsystems.

Thatmatters,becausemostindustrialorganizationsdohavesignificantunexploitedopportunitiesto

optimizetheirenergyuse.Whileconventionalauditstypicallyidentifyenergysavingspotentialinthe

single-figurepercentagerange,companiesthatconductdeep,expertise-ledenergytransformationscommonlyfindopportunitiestoimproveenergyproductivityby20to40percent.Forabusinesswhereenergyaccountsfor20percentofoperatingcosts,suchatransformationcanincreasemarginsbyfourtoeightpercentagepoints(Exhibit1).

Whyenergyauditsarerunningoutofsteam

Regularefficiencyauditshavebeenstandardpracticeforenergy-intensiveusersfordecades.

Sometimessuchauditsareevenmandatedbygovernmentsandregulators.TheNetherlands,for

example,requireslargeenterprisestoconductenergyauditseveryfouryears,andtoimplementallidentifiedmeasureswithapaybackperiodoffiveyearsorless.

Mostcompaniescontinuetorelyonauditmethodologiesdesignedforanearlierera,however.And

theseapproacheswereoptimizedforspeed,repeatability,andminimalskillrequirements.Standardauditstypicallyrevolvearoundstandardizedleverlistsandequipmentwalk-throughs.Whileefficient,theysufferfromthreestructurallimitations.

1.Theleverlistsareexhausted

Largeindustrialplayershavealreadyimplementedmostlow-cost,short-paybackmeasures.Whatremainsareinterventionsthatinvolvelongpaybackperiodsanddifficultbusiness-caseapprovals.Inpractice,traditionalauditskeepsurfacingthesameproposalswithoutdeliveringthenextwaveofimpact.

1

Improvingthermalandelectricenergyefficiencyatcementplants:Internationalbestpractice,InternationalFinanceCorporation,June2017.

2“Foodandbeveragemanufacturing,”GovernmentofAustralia,DepartmentofClimateChange,Energy,theEnvironmentandWater,2025.

3

Eurostatelectricitypricesfornon-householdconsumerswithconsumption≥150,000megawatt-hours(MWh)(excludingVATandotherrecoverabletaxesandlevies).

Fromineffectiveauditstoenergyexcellence3

Exhibit1

Selectedexamplesofenergy-intensiveindustriesshowthatdeepenergy

transformationcanincreaseEBITDAmarginsbyupto12percentagepoints.

Impactofdeepenergytransformationsoncompanies’profits

Typicalsharesofenergycostsinthetotaloperatingcostsfor

10–20

10–20

10–25

15–30

30–40

Pulpandpaper

Steel

Foodandbeverage

Chemical

Cement

selectedindustries,%ofoperatingcosts

MinimumMaximum

100

Expectedenergycostssavingpotential,%ofenergycosts

MinimumMaximum

15–40

5–15

15–40

20–40

5–15

Impactonoperating(EBITDA)

marginsforcompanieswithlowmargins,%ofrevenues

BeforeAfter(average)

8+2–8pp1

3·

8

10·

+1–3pp

+2–10pp

8·

14·

2

10··

+3–12pp

15

+2–6pp

19

100100

1Percentagepoints.

Source:Industryassociationsstatisticsandannualreportsofselectedrepresentativecompaniesfromeachsector

McKinsey&Company

2.Thefocusismisplaced

Lever-basedauditstendtoassessequipmentefficiencyratherthanthesystem-leveldriversofenergydemand.Aboileroperatingat94percentefficiencyorapumpexceeding90percentmayappear

optimized,butthedeeperquestioniswhyasystemdemandsaparticularpressure,flow,ortemperatureinthefirstplace.Understandingtheenergyrequiredbytheproductandmappingoutthesystemlossesidentifiesnewopportunitieswithlargersavingsandbetterpayback.

3.Peopleandsystemsareneglected

Manyorganizationscontinuetoinvestinhardwarewhileunderinvestinginthemanagementsystems,capabilities,andculturalnormsrequiredtosustainperformance.EvidencesuggeststhatwhenteamsareequippedwiththerightKPIs,developdigitalliteracyandloss-basedthinking,andembedenergymanagementintodailyroutines,theycandeliveruptoa5percentimprovementinthefirstyearand

continueimprovingby1percentannually.

4Fromineffectiveauditstoenergyexcellence

Howtobreaktheauditgridlock

Tounlockmeaningfulandsustainedimprovementsinenergyproductivity,companiesneedadifferentapproach—onethatfundamentallyrethinkswheretheylookforopportunities,howtheydiagnose

performance,andhowtheyengagetheirpeopleintheprocess.

Organizationsthatsucceeddothreethingswell:

1.Lookintherightplacesbyassessingproductionnetworks,sites,andequipmentportfolioswithmaturitysurveys,external-factorbenchmarking,best-practicecomparisons,lossmapping,andexpert-drivenprioritization.

2.Usetherighttoolsandexpertisetorevealenergylossesthattraditionalauditscannotsee—throughadvancedheat-integrationmethods,advancedanalytics,shutdown–start-upanalysis,andfullsteamandpowernetworksimulations.

3.Engageandenabletheirpeoplewithstrongownership,normalizedKPIs,systematiccapabilitybuilding,andsustainedmanagementattention.

Lookingintherightplaces

AEuropeanpulpandpapercompanyseekingtogobeyonditsmandatoryauditrequirements

conducteddeep,yearlongdiagnosticsatitstenlargestmills.Despiteextensivepriorimprovements,thecompanyidentifiedsavingsequivalenttonearly40percentofitsexternalenergycostsand

implementedmeasuresthatreducedcostsby15percentwithinayear.

Analysisofmorethan1,200ideasgeneratedduringthatprojectdemonstratedthatwhilethe

potentialwaslarge,therewerenosilverbullets.Capturing80percentoftheidentifiedvaluerequiredimplementingroughly120initiativesacrossthetenmills.Tohelpsitesfocustheirengineeringeffortduringtheimplementationphaseoftheproject,thecompanyusedavarietyofprioritizationmethods,including:

•best-practicebenchmarksatequipmentandsystemlevels

•steamandpowersystemmodelingtoidentifyinefficientoperatingpractices

•lossmappingandexpert-basedhypothesestoconcentrateonthehighest-valueproblems

Thisapproachrevealedopportunitiesthatwerethreetofourtimeslargerthanthoseidentifiedthroughlever-basedaudits.

Forglobalmanufacturerswithtenormoresites,thechallengebecomesevenmorecomplex.

Energypricesvary,assetagesdiffer,andtechnicalandculturalmaturitycanrangewidely.Anothermanufacturerwithmorethan40sitesuseddigitalenergymaturitysurveystocreateafact-based,enterprise-wideprioritization.Thesurveysassessedthreedimensions:

•technicalsystems(suchasboilers,coolingtowers,ordryingmachines)

•managementsystems(includingKPIs,reviewcadence,anddigitalcapabilities)

•culturalsystems(behaviors,capabilities,andinnovationorientation)

Fromineffectiveauditstoenergyexcellence5

Thesesurveysrequiredonlyafewhoursofinputpersite.Whencombinedwithbaselineenergycosts,theyenabledthecompanytoranksitesbypotentialimpactandtoidentifyprocessareaswhereperformance

laggedindustrypeers.

High-levelsurveyscorescorrelatedstronglywithbottom-updiagnosticfindings.Siteswithrobust

managementandculturalpracticesalsooutperformedtechnically—aninsightthatreaffirmedtheroleofwell-trainedengineers,cleartargets,anddisciplinedperformancemanagementinsustainingtechnicalexcellence.Thatcorrelationhelpedthecompanyfocussubsequentbottom-updiagnosticeffortsonthelowest-performingsites,wherethepotentialforimprovementwaslikelytobelargest.

AdiversifiedAsianindustrialconglomerateappliedasimilarapproachacrossmanufacturingprocesses

rangingfromheavyindustrytosemiconductors.Atthisorganization,survey-drivenprioritizationhelped

thecompanyfocusdiagnosticresourcesonthemostcriticalutilitiesandsystemswithineachsite,andsetambitiousyetcredibletargetsacrosstheportfolio.

Applyingtherightexpertise,tools,andmethodology

Turningtheoreticallossesintorealenergy-efficiencyimprovementsisacomplextask.Thepulpand

papercompanydescribedabovefoundthattheidentificationofapproximately80percentofthesavingspotentialrequiredadvancedexpertiseorspecializedtools.Twelvepercentcamefrominitiativesuniquetoindividualsites,emphasizingtheneedforin-depthdiscussionswithlocalengineers.Only9percentcamefromthesimple,repeatableleverstraditionallyfoundinauditchecklists.Thelessonisclear:Complexity

hidesopportunity.Organizationsneedtoolsthatreveallossesnoteasilyseenthroughvisualinspectionorsimplecalculations.Forexample:

—Externalfactoranalysis:Advancedanalyticsmodelingtoisolatevariabilityinenergyconsumptionthatremainsafteraccountingforuncontrollableexternalfactorssuchasambienttemperature.ThispowerfultoolisalsoakeypartinnormalizedKPIdefinitionandformsthestartingpointtoapply

advancedanalyticstofurtheridentifytherootcausesoftheunexplainedvariability.

—Shutdownandstart-upanalysis:Quantificationofenergyconsumedduringproductionstops,

distinguishingbetweenshortandlongdurationstops,andplannedandunplannedevents.Dependingontheindustry,assetsmightspend10to30percentofthetimeinnonproductionmode.Mapping

historicalperformanceanddeep-divingtooptimizestart-upandshutdownprocedurescanleadtosubstantialimpactintheseindustries.

—Steamandpowernetworkoptimization:Modelingsteamnetworksandelectricitygenerationassetstoidentifyperiodsofsuboptimaloperationcantapintolargepotentialaselectricitymarketshave

becomemorevolatileandcomplex.Thisvolatility,combinedwiththeflexibleuseofsteamturbines

andgenerationassetscanprovidesubstantialsavings.Thehighlyinterlinkednatureoftheseassets,

combinedwithmultipleconstraintsanddifferentmarginalproductioncostsbyassetandload,requirededicatedsimulationtoolssuchassystemdigitaltwins(Exhibit2)touncoverandcapturethefull

potential.Deployingthisapproachatalargepulpandpapercompanyresultedinannualenergycost

savingsofaround€6million.Energysystemoptimizationissettobecomeevenmorecomplex,with

thearrivalofcheaperbatteryandthermalstorage,alongwithnewcommercialmodelssuchaspay-as-producedpowerpurchaseagreements(PPAs)withgenerators.

6Fromineffectiveauditstoenergyexcellence

Exhibit2

Augmentingoperatorswithadigitaltwinofthesteamandpowernetworkcancutenergycostsby2to3percent,withnocapitalexpenditures.

Digitaltwinillustrativedashboard

Keyactivityindicatorsaretrackedandcomparedwithoptimizedvaluestoguideoperatorsonhowtoachievethe

optimizationtarget

Calculatedgaptooptimizedoperatingcostsquantifiestheoptimizationpotential

Digitaltwinofsteamandelectricitygridsisthebasisfortheoptimizationengine

Timetoimplement:~1week

McKinsey&Company

—Advancedheatintegration:Whilethecostofindustrialheatisrising,companiesalsohaveaccess

toarangeofadvancedheatrecoverytechnologiessuchashightemperatureliftheatpumps,heat

separation,orlow-approachheatexchangers.Decadesofheatgenerationoptimizationhasoften

exhaustedmostoftheimprovementopportunitiesthatcanbeidentifiedusingtraditionalpinch

analysis.Instead,leadingplayersareadoptingmoreadvancedtechniques,suchassource-sink-

technology-locationoptimizersbuiltonthermodynamicfirstprinciples.Thisapproachstartsby

findingthemostoptimalcombinationofthesenewtechnologiesacrossalltheheatsourcesandsinksofanentireindustrialcomplex.Thepotentialofsuchoptimizationislarge,often20to40percent

ofsitesteamproduction.Atoneliquid-basedchemicalplant,thisapproachidentifiednetpresent

value(NPV)positiveintegrationoptionsthatwouldreducesteamgenerationandassociatedcarbonemissionsby50to70percent.Tocapturetheseopportunities,theoptimizersolutionisusedasa

startingpointtoreengineerthesite’sheatintegration.

Thesetoolsdon’tjustidentifyopportunities;theyalsoprovideastructuredwaytoengageengineersandoperators.Byvisualizinglossesandframingtherighttechnicalproblems,theystimulatesolutiondesignandaccelerateimplementation.

Engagingandenablingtheworkforce

Ensuringenergyefficiencyultimatelydependsonpeople.Acrossindustries,weseerecurringchallengesinfourareas:ownership,communication,KPIs,andcapabilities.

Atonesitewith€150millioninannualenergyspend,responsibilityforenergymanagementwasassignedtoasingleemployee,anditmadeupjustone-thirdoftheirrole.Noaudit—nomatterhowadvanced—cancompensateforinsufficientownership.Externalexpertscancatalyzeimprovementideageneration,but

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theyarenosubstituteforinternalcapabilitiesthatmonitorenergyuse,challengeday-to-dayoperations,andimplementimprovements.

ClearcommunicationmustbepairedwithKPIsthatcutthroughexternal-factornoise.NormalizedKPIsthatuseadvancedanalyticstocorrectforexternalfactors,andleadingshop-floorindicatorssuchasfurnace

excess-oxygenlevels,helpteamsseeunderlyingtrends,closeperformancegaps,andmaintainaconsistentreviewcadence.

Finally,inthelongerterm,thekeydifferenceismadebycapabilities.Manyengineeringprogramsdevotelittleattentiontoenergy-systemoptimization,andcommonindustrial-engineeringtoolsoftenomitenergyentirely.Systematicupskillingwillbecomeessentialsothatengineerscandiagnoselosses,redesign

systems,andembedenergyconsiderationsintoeverydaydecisions.That’svital,becausemorethan40percentof