Energy per unit
How much energy it takes to make one unit of output.
01 What it is
Why anyone looks at this number
How much energy it takes to make one unit of output.
It is a cost line and an emissions line at the same time. Reported once, from one calculation, it keeps the plant manager and the sustainability report honest about the same number.
02 The formula
How it is worked out
Energy per unit = energy_consumed_kWh ÷ units_produced grain : month × site × line unit : kWh per unit source : Meter and building-management readings, joined to production output
Sub-metering decides whether this is actionable. One site meter divided by total output produces a number that moves with product mix and tells nobody what to change. Line-level metering, joined to what that line actually made, is where the decisions are.
03 Worked example
The same number, with real inputs
| Energy consumed | 1.86m kWh |
| Units produced | 412,000 |
| Tariff | €0.19 / kWh |
| Calculation | 1,860,000 ÷ 412,000 |
| Result | 4.51 kWh per unit |
A 5% reduction is €17.7k a month and a reportable emissions cut from the same change. One number, two audiences, no reconciliation meeting.
04 What moves it
Four things that actually change this number
Product mix
Different products have genuinely different energy intensity.
Utilisation
Base load spread across fewer units raises intensity with no waste at all.
Equipment condition
Compressed air leaks, fouled heat exchangers, worn motors.
Ambient conditions
Seasonal heating, cooling and humidity load.
05 Where the number lives
The system, the record and the fields
| System of record | Key record | Fields you need |
|---|---|---|
| Meter and building-management readings, joined to production output | Meter / Site joined to Production order | meter_id, kwh, period_start, period_end, units_produced, site_id, tariff, emission_factor |
Sub-metering decides whether this is actionable. One site meter divided by total output produces a number that moves with product mix and tells nobody what to change. Line-level metering, joined to what that line actually made, is where the decisions are.
06 How it goes wrong
Three ways this metric misleads people
Site meter only
Intensity moves with mix and volume, and no team can act on it.
Fix: Sub-meter the major consumers and join to line output.Comparing sites with different product mixes
The efficient site looks wasteful because it makes the harder product.
Fix: Normalise by product, or compare each site against its own trend.Cost and carbon reported separately
Two teams build two numbers from the same meters and they disagree.
Fix: One calculation, two conversions — tariff for cost, emission factor for carbon.08 Questions
Frequently asked
Does this cover Scope 1 and 2 emissions?
Scope 2 directly, through the grid emission factor, and Scope 1 wherever you meter fuel as well as electricity. Scope 3 needs supplier data and is a different exercise entirely.
Why per unit rather than total?
Total consumption falls whenever production does, which is not an efficiency gain. Intensity is the only version of this metric that survives a volume change.
One definition, everywhere it is used
SCIKIQ stores this metric once and serves it to every dashboard, board pack and agent that asks.