USING waste heat to warm the “cold end” of the factory could be one of the outcomes of the energy study at Allied Glass, the Yorkshire company that makes quality glass containers for food and drink producers, Tony Dawe writes.

Temperatures near the glass furnaces in the Leeds and Knottingley factories can reach 60C (140F) while extra heating is often needed in the process area where products are inspected and packed. In between are compressed-air forming machines to shape the bottles. The consultant is monitoring the amount of air used and investigating whether waste compressor heat could be used in the process area.

Brian McMillan, the company’s technical director, says: “This is the most specific idea from the study. We have focused on making the furnaces the ultimate in efficiency but are happy to open our eyes to the best ways of using energy throughout our operations.”

With the final version of the study in front of them, McMillan and fellow directors are devising the strategy to deliver a clear energy policy. Until now, energy has tended to be a secondary issue and part of a wider environmental policy.

The rising cost of gas and electricity, tougher regulations on carbon emissions and competition in the glass industry have changed that approach. But before the energy policy can be finalised, Allied Glass plans to conduct “swot” analyses to investigate “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” of various measures to improve energy efficiency, cut carbon emissions and use renewable sources.

The final stage of the fast-track carbon management programme that the company is undertaking as a carbon champion will be to implement and manage the new policy.

McMillan says: “The policy will come from the top of the company but to make it successful will mean working from the bottom up. That means educating the workforce in what we are hoping to achieve and the ways they can help. This is going to be a thorough process; we don’t want it to be a five-minute wonder.”