SUSTAINABLE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR – ENERGY
Claude Lyons WINNER
ounded in 1918, Claude Lyons cottoned on to an electricity quirk at an early stage: the national grid typically supplies electricity at more than 240 volts, but most electrical equipment is designed to accept a range of electricity voltages, with 240 being near the upper end of that range. For example, a 230- volt linear appliance operating at 240 volts consumes approximately 9% more energy than necessary. This means that organizations waste thousands of pounds each year simply by plugging equipment into the mains. Claude Lyons developed and manufactured its PowerSave voltage optimisation technology to act as a middleman between the national grid and equipment. The technology continually adjusts the mains voltage so that equipment doesn’t receive more power than necessary, delivering energy savings of up to 25%, reducing electricity bills and carbon footprint and prolonging equipment life.
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As the longest established UK company specialising in voltage control
48| SUSTAINABLE FM AWARDS 2010
technologies, Claude Lyons’ technology is now very much of its time as organisations look for new ways to save money, comply with legislation and demonstrate their commitment to the environment.
AT THE FOREFRONT OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION With increased focus on carbon footprint and the pressures of legislation like the Carbon Reduction Commitment, facilities managers are constantly looking for cost-effective solutions, and the market for energy management products has therefore grown exponentially in recent years.
Claude Lyons’ PowerSave Energy Saving Regulator (ESS) has stood out amongst other technologies because it provides true voltage optimisation. Most voltage reduction energy saving devices are essentially fixed-ratio transformers which reduce the supply voltage by a fixed percentage – this is not actually ‘voltage optimisation’ because a fixed reduction can only ‘optimise’ a fixed incoming voltage, and supply voltage varies at most sites. The ESS, however, works by
continually and automatically adjusting the amount by which voltage is reduced, which ensures that equipment never receives more or less electricity than it requires. This true, dynamic voltage optimisation therefore optimises both financial and energy savings because power is not wasted and equipment is protected in the event of power dips and surges.
One of the key benefits of this dynamic voltage optimisation is that there is a clear metric for evaluating financial savings – as electricity bills are reduced – and energy savings – as this can be calculated based on the new voltage the ESS outputs. In 2010 Claude Lyons launched an additional innovation that enhances this by allowing facilities managers to monitor energy performance remotely.
This new remote monitoring capability allows for system status monitoring without the need for additional meters or direct access to the equipment. Settings can be adjusted remotely as well, providing facilities managers the ability to manage the equipment from off as well as on site.
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