How to Navigate the Waters of Energy Efficiency

In our world of running the foundry industry, we rely on accountants who understand taxes, lawyers who understand contracts, and experts who protect our company rights.

However, one area where many firms fall short is energy cost management. Most of the time, it is a variable that feels unpredictable and impossible to control. Looking ahead to the next 5-10 years, energy is looming as a major issue due to increased volatility and an aging power grid. But there’s good news! Some companies specialize in energy management and can:

• Ensure the installation of the most efficient equipment in your processes while maximizing rebates for energy-related projects.
• Analyze billings to make sure you’re not paying taxes that you didn’t even know existed.
• Properly manage deregulated energy costs to protect your firm and effectively manage energy risk.

With unpredictable costs, it’s valuable to have a partner who can point out the trends of the market, helping you increase profitability.

There's no point in denying it: some things in life just feel out of control. For our industry, it’s energy costs, but in the case of the town of Wattford (a very real, not at all fictional magical land that only exists to serve as a metaphor in this article), it’s a mighty river that defined their existence.

The story goes...

Wattford had always been at the mercy of the gargantuan river. It tore through the valley, like it owned the place, flooding homes when the rain came and drying up when farmers needed it most. To Elric, the river wasn’t just water. It was fate itself. 

One evening, after another unexpected storm hit Wattford, leaving destruction in its wake, Elric sat by the ruined docks, sad as can be. “Why do we even bother?” he muttered. “The river always wins.”

That was when an old wanderer in tattered robes strolled over to him. “The river only wins if you fight it,” the stranger said. “But those who learn to move with the current can shape it.”

Elric rolled his eyes. “You don’t get it, Strange Man! We don’t have a choice!” 

The old man smiled and handed him a strange wooden staff, carved with wave-like symbols. “I was once like you,” he said. “But I found a way. The river may be strong, but so are we. Learn to go with the flow.”

That night, Elric couldn’t stop repeating the old guy’s words. Go with the flow. What if he wasn’t as powerless as he thought?

The next day, instead of cursing at the river, he watched it. Studied it. He noticed how the currents shifted, how the land shaped the flow. Over weeks, he learned to predict its moods, how to work with it instead of against it. He designed giant walls to protect the town, showed the farmers where to dig canals to hold water for dry months, and even built boats that could withstand the wildest rapids.

The river never changed. But Elric did.

Years later, when the worst flood in history threatened Wattford, the people did not panic. They followed Elric’s plans, channeling the waters safely away from their homes. When the storm passed, the town still stood. Elric stood at the riverbank, holding the staff the old man had given him. For the first time in his life, he felt something stronger than the river. 

Control.

He had learned to go with the flow.

And that made all the difference.

Come see Bright As Energy at the 2025 NFFS conference. We’ll help you navigate the waters of energy efficiency so that you, like Elric, can reap the benefits of going with the flow.