§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) if he will list the most recent gains of efficiency in the use and conservation of energy following technological changes in industry; and
(2) what has been the saving of energy by the use of improved quality of materials for industrial production.
§ Mr. KaufmanFew comprehensive data are available on gains in energy efficiency brought about by technological change and the use of improved materials. I can, therefore, give only a few examples.
It is, for example, felt that, by closer monitoring and control, 2 per cent. savings in refinery fuel costs can be achieved. Similarly, recent changes in the design of heat exchangers and steam-condensate valves have permitted substantial energy savings to be made. Replacement of old ethylene cracking furnaces by more efficient ones and the use of flare gas recovery will also reduce operating costs considerably through energy saving. In the metallurgical field, improved natural gas burners and ceramic recuperators have also produced energy savings in steel making, and the use of divided blast furnace systems has also increased output efficiency.
However, in order to understand more systematically the current pattern of energy usage, the Departments of Energy and Industry are jointly developing energy auditing techniques, as part of a broader energy conservation programme. This should enable a more useful assessment to be made of the potential effects of technological change, including those relating to the use of new and improved materials.