The preferred method of separation in the chemical industry, distillation, is a very energy intensive process.
Many companies tend to excessively purify products and sometimes with good reason.
In this case, the reflux rate should be decreased in small increments until the desired purity is obtained. For plants that are in locations that experience winter climates, the operating pressure can be reduced according to a decrease in cooling water temperatures. Although lowering the pressure in our column would actually be an expense since it's under vacuum, this would not always be the case. The lower pressure will facilitate separation thus lowering energy consumption. Damaged or worn internals can turn your distillation column into a money pit.