# Automotive

> The Automotive playbook is jouleWise's typical engineering approach for automotive plants: two energy bills. one plan to cut both.

Canonical: https://joulewise.com/industries/automotive  
Publisher: jouleWise Advisory Services Pvt Ltd, Noida, India · Spain  
Reviewed: 2026-10-08  
Status: company page

## In short

One provider for green electricity, green heat and the data that proves both — from press shop to paint shop to dispatch. For a vehicle or component maker, decarbonisation has moved from a CSR line to a sourcing condition. Six pressures point at the same metered data. Most paint-shop heat is low-temperature: cleaning baths, conversion coating, booth air and washers sit well below 120 °C. Industrial heat pumps serve those loads with electricity — so as electricity gets cheaper and greener, so does every unit of heat.
## Two energy bills. One plan to cut both.

- **The situation.** An automotive plant pays two energy bills. Electricity runs presses, welding robots, compressed air and paint-shop HVAC; fuel — PNG, LPG or diesel — heats pretreatment baths, washers and ovens. OEMs increasingly ask suppliers for Scope 1 and 2 numbers and a reduction plan, and EU importers of steel and aluminium goods need embedded-emissions data under CBAM.
- **The gap.** Electricity, heat and ESG reporting are bought from different vendors on different clocks. Solar is sized without the heat load; boilers are replaced without a plan for low-cost electricity; ESG data is typed in once a year. Each fix leaves money and carbon on the table.
- **What we do.** jouleWise runs the whole decarbonisation stack: <b>green electricity</b> — intrastate and ISTS solar and wind, rooftop solar, BESS and green-market purchase, each source orchestrated to fulfil industrial demand at least cost; <b>ABT metering and data loggers</b> on every source and load; <b>green heat</b> from industrial heat pumps up to 120 °C; <b>ergOS</b> to meter and orchestrate both every 15 minutes; <b>esgOS</b> to turn the same data into audit-ready disclosure.
- **Why it compounds.** Low-cost green electricity lowers the cost of every unit of heat a heat pump makes. Thermal storage lets that heat be made in the cheapest solar blocks. ergOS proves it; esgOS reports it. Savings from one layer fund the next.
- **The value.** Up to 25% lower electricity cost on DISCOM tariff and up to 65% renewable share (reported, year 1 of ergOS). Heat pumps then displace fuel on pretreatment, washers and hot water — on green electricity, that heat is close to zero-carbon and a fraction of the cost of fuel-fired heat.
- **How to engage.** Four models, mix and match: <b>Advisory</b>, <b>SaaS</b> (ergOS + esgOS), <b>Heat Advisory</b>, and <b>Heat as a Service</b>, where you pay per unit of heat and invest nothing upfront.
- **First step.** A four-week decarbonisation baseline on one plant: electricity bills, load survey, fuel records and portable heat metering in the paint shop — ending in one business case for electricity, heat and ESG.

## Why now: The customer is counting your carbon.

For a vehicle or component maker, decarbonisation has moved from a CSR line to a sourcing condition. Six pressures point at the same metered data.

- **OEM supplier targets.** Vehicle makers are setting decarbonisation expectations for their supply base. Suppliers with metered Scope 1 and 2 data and a credible plan hold their place on the approved list.
- **Exports and CBAM.** EU importers of iron, steel and aluminium goods report embedded emissions under CBAM. Component exporters in scope need plant-level, verifiable data.
- **Energy cost.** The paint shop is among the largest energy users in a vehicle plant — heat, booth HVAC and ovens. Every rupee off electricity and fuel goes straight to margin.
- **Disclosure.** BRSR Core-format reporting and value-chain disclosure put your energy and emissions in your customers' reports as well as your own.
- **Electrification.** As the product line electrifies, the carbon in making it becomes the visible number. Green electricity and green heat cut it where it is measured — on the plant meter.
- **Carbon markets.** India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme sets emission-intensity targets sector by sector. Plants that measure now are ready when their sector or supply chain is covered.

## The intervention map: Every shop has a lever.

Coils arrive, presses stamp, robots weld, the paint shop heats and cools, assembly builds, carriers leave. jouleWise acts at ten points across the plant — four layers, one plan.

1. **Green sourcing** (power, Electricity). Intrastate and ISTS solar and wind contracted through open access, routed for the lowest landed cost.
2. **Connectivity and metering** (power, Electricity). Open access approvals, connection agreement and ABT metering at the plant incomer.
3. **Rooftop solar** (power, Electricity). Press and body shop roofs carry behind-the-meter solar, sized from measured load.
4. **Battery storage** (power, Electricity). LFP storage moves midday solar into the evening shift and shaves peak demand.
5. **Heat pumps on pretreatment** (heat, Heat). Degreasing and conversion baths heated by heat pumps instead of PNG or diesel burners.
6. **Thermal storage** (heat, Heat). Hot water store charged in solar blocks, drawn across all shifts.
7. **Waste heat recovery** (heat, Heat). Compressor-house and chiller-condenser heat lifted back to process temperature.
8. **ergOS control** (data, Data · ergOS). 15-minute metering of electricity, heat, fuel and water; forecasting, trading and heat dispatch.
9. **Inbound steel and aluminium** (esg, ESG · esgOS). Supplier data and embedded emissions for Scope 3 and CBAM reporting.
10. **Outbound and customers** (esg, ESG · esgOS). Per-part carbon, OEM questionnaires and BRSR Core-format disclosure from esgOS.

Illustrative plant. Actual intervention map built site by site in the baseline.

## Green electricity: Low-cost green electricity.

Presses, welding lines, compressed air and paint-shop HVAC set a two- or three-shift load. We build the green portfolio to that profile — and move heat pump load into the solar hours, where green electricity is cheapest.

- **Plan.** Meter-data due diligence: bills, load survey, rooftop and captive parameters. Solar, wind, hybrid, BESS and exchange electricity optimised together, capex or opex, with each state's ToD, banking and open access charges in the landed-cost model. Outcome: RE-100 roadmap · size, location, savings, NPV
- **Implement.** RfP over a 25-year horizon, developer evaluation, reverse auction, PPA and shareholder agreements (26% SPV equity for captive status), open access approvals and connection agreement. Outcome: Green electricity contracted · ~3 months once planning closes
- **Meter and log.** ABT meters at injection and drawal points — main and check meters on CTs and PTs of the required accuracy class — plus data loggers on every incomer, heat pump, steam, fuel and water line. Installed, tested, sealed and linked to the SLDC and to ergOS. Outcome: Every source and load visible in 15-minute blocks
- **Orchestrate.** ergOS forecasts 96 blocks, schedules with the SLDC, trades DAM, GDAM, RTM and GTAM, manages banking and battery health — and now dispatches heat pumps and thermal storage against price. Outcome: For the life of the assets

## Heat: The boiler, reinvented.

Most paint-shop heat is low-temperature: cleaning baths, conversion coating, booth air and washers sit well below 120 °C. Industrial heat pumps serve those loads with electricity — so as electricity gets cheaper and greener, so does every unit of heat.

| Duty | Temperature | Heat pump? |
|---|---|---|
| Pretreatment degreasing (alkaline cleaning baths) | 45–60 °C | yes |
| Conversion coating (zirconium or phosphate) | 30–55 °C | yes |
| ED bath and rinses (cooling the bath, heating rinse water) | 28–35 °C | yes |
| Paint booth air (heating and humidity control) | 20–30 °C | yes |
| Parts washers (machining and assembly lines) | 50–80 °C | yes |
| Canteen and hot water (kitchens, showers, laundry) | 55–65 °C | yes |
| Sealer and PVC ovens (remain on existing burners) | 130–160 °C | stays on fuel |
| ED and topcoat ovens (remain on existing burners) | 140–190 °C | stays on fuel |

- **Heat sources we reuse.** Compressed-air compressors, ED bath and chiller condensers, oven and booth exhaust — heat you already pay for, lifted back to process temperature.
- **Heating and cooling at once.** The ED bath and paint-shop HVAC need cooling while pretreatment needs heat. One heat pump serves both — the cooling load becomes the heat source.
- **Sized from metered heat.** Portable heat meters log flow and temperature on candidate processes for two to four weeks before anything is sized.

## Economics: Low-cost electricity drives low-cost heat.

What one kWh of useful process heat costs, and what it emits, depending on where the heat comes from. The heat pump cuts cost on any electricity; green electricity is what cuts the carbon.

| Route | ₹ per kWh of useful heat | kg CO₂ per kWh-th |
|---|---|---|
| PNG-fired boiler (₹55/SCM · 85% efficiency) | 6.22 | 0.221 |
| Diesel (HSD) boiler (₹90/L · 85% efficiency) | 10.59 | 0.315 |
| Heat pump on DISCOM electricity (₹8.5/kWh · COP 4.0) | 2.12 | 0.179 |
| Heat pump on green open access (₹5.5/kWh landed · COP 4.0) | 1.38 | 0.000 |
| Heat pump in solar blocks + store (₹4.0/kWh · COP 4.0) | 1.00 | 0.000 |

Illustrative only, not an offer. Assumptions: PNG 10.4 kWh/SCM, 1.95 kg CO₂/SCM; HSD 10.0 kWh/L, 2.68 kg CO₂/L; grid 0.716 kg CO₂/kWh (CEA baseline order of magnitude); green electricity treated as zero-emission on a market basis with green attributes retired. Heat pump COP 4.0 reflects hot water near 60 °C for pretreatment, lifted from compressor and chiller waste heat; COP falls as delivery temperature rises. Tariffs, fuel prices and COP vary by site and are replaced with metered values in the baseline.

## Roadmap: Baseline. Electricity. Heat. Proof.

1. **Baseline** (Weeks 1–4). Bills, load survey, fuel and steam records, portable heat metering on candidate processes, ESG data map. Outcome: Signed-off energy, heat and carbon baseline
2. **Roadmap** (Weeks 4–8). RE-100 electricity plan, heat pump shortlist for pretreatment, washers and hot water, and the ESG data map — in one business case. Outcome: One business case — electricity, heat, ESG
3. **Meter and log** (Weeks 6–12). ABT metering at the incomer and data loggers on electricity, heat, fuel and water lines — the measured base every later step is sized, settled and reported on. Outcome: ergOS live on metered data
4. **Electricity live** (~3 months after roadmap). Open access contracted and approved; rooftop solar and BESS where they fit; every source orchestrated against demand on ergOS. Outcome: Green electricity flowing
5. **Heat live** (Pilot, then scale). One heat pump and thermal store on pretreatment, metered on ergOS; then washers, booth air and hot water across shops. Outcome: Fuel displaced, measured on ergOS
6. **Operate and disclose** (Every block · every year). ergOS runs electricity and heat; esgOS publishes BRSR Core-format, CBAM, CDP and customer disclosures with an audit trail. Outcome: Assurance-ready numbers

Timelines indicative; confirmed after the baseline and dependent on state approvals and equipment lead times.

## 24-hour dispatch

Two shifts, with the paint shop as the heat load: pretreatment baths and washers held at temperature from the first shift to the last. The store is brought up before the morning shift, in the cheapest blocks, so the day starts without the boiler.
## Facts

- Heat duties and temperatures: Pretreatment degreasing 45–60 °C (heat pump); Conversion coating 30–55 °C (heat pump); ED bath and rinses 28–35 °C (heat pump); Paint booth air 20–30 °C (heat pump); Parts washers 50–80 °C (heat pump); Canteen and hot water 55–65 °C (heat pump); Sealer and PVC ovens 130–160 °C (stays on fuel); ED and topcoat ovens 140–190 °C (stays on fuel).
- PNG-fired boiler: ₹6.22 per kWh of useful heat, 0.221 kg CO₂/kWh-th
- Diesel (HSD) boiler: ₹10.59 per kWh of useful heat, 0.315 kg CO₂/kWh-th
- Heat pump on DISCOM electricity: ₹2.12 per kWh of useful heat, 0.179 kg CO₂/kWh-th
- Heat pump on green open access: ₹1.38 per kWh of useful heat, 0.000 kg CO₂/kWh-th
- Heat pump in solar blocks + store: ₹1.00 per kWh of useful heat, 0.000 kg CO₂/kWh-th
- Plant areas with a lever: Pretreatment baths, Paint-shop washers, Compressed-air heat recovery, Chiller heat recovery, Shift-profile electricity.

## Assumptions and limits

- Illustrative only, not an offer. Assumptions: PNG 10.4 kWh/SCM, 1.95 kg CO₂/SCM; HSD 10.0 kWh/L, 2.68 kg CO₂/L; grid 0.716 kg CO₂/kWh (CEA baseline order of magnitude); green electricity treated as zero-emission on a market basis with green attributes retired. Heat pump COP 4.0 reflects hot water near 60 °C for pretreatment, lifted from compressor and chiller waste heat; COP falls as delivery temperature rises. Tariffs, fuel prices and COP vary by site and are replaced with metered values in the baseline.
- Timelines indicative; confirmed after the baseline and dependent on state approvals and equipment lead times.

## Questions and answers

**Does it replace my boiler?**  
For loads up to 120 °C, yes — as the primary heat source. The boiler usually stays on standby and for any loads above that range.

**What if electricity is expensive?**  
Each kWh of electricity returns three to four kWh of heat, so heat costs roughly a third of the electricity price. On green open access, the carbon falls close to zero as well.

**What does the site need?**  
Spare electrical capacity, space near the heat users and a steady heat demand. A hot-water store smooths peaks and lets the unit run in the cheapest blocks.

**Is it proven?**  
It is the same refrigeration cycle as the chillers already on your site, run for heat. Industrial units are in service worldwide in food, chemicals, pharma and textiles.

## Related

- [The Automotive sector deck](https://joulewise.com/downloads/joulewise-automotive.html)
- [Heat Pump Studio](https://joulewise.com/studios/heat-pump)
- [Discuss your plant](https://joulewise.com/contact)

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