More demands are constantly placed on the pulp and paper industry, in terms of quality targets and sustainability. On the other hand, direct costs are typically increasing and main machinery gets easily obsolete. This equation is often challenging but certainly not impossible to solve. Correctly planned engineering actions are keys to overcoming this challenge. The devil is in the details; i.e. there are no easy single tricks to improve the overall energy efficiency of an operating plant. However, a structured approach to improve the efficiency needs to be employed. In practice, this means focusing on a single piece of equipment and evaluating short payback items. Virtually each mill has multiple non-identified improvement objects that, by correct measures, can have payback times shorter than one year. This paper will discuss and highlight some typical improvement areas in the pulp and paper industry, supported by discussion related to general energy consumption development over recent decades.