A new approach to exergy analysis is proposed for examing the consumption of energy as the minimum driving force and of exergy consumption that is avoidable, and for the development of a method to predict the alternatives in system improvement by exploring possible reduction in the avoidable exergy consumption. Also suggested in this study is a dimensionless parameter gamma (AVO), which is the ratio of avoidable exergy consumption over total fuel energy input to the system. Detailed analyses, including the calculation of exergy consumption, exergy loss and avoidable exergy consumption, were conducted for each component in the syngas cooling system in the Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant, to prove the effective application of the proposed method. The analysis showed that the rank of avoidable exergy consumption was different from that of total energy consumption, and hence it confirmed that an energy analysis by conventional methods misled the focus of improvement in system design. The methodology developed in this study offers a new approach for system designers to analyze and to improve the performance of a complex energy system such as an IGCC plant.