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Creating a greener tomorrow, today


Bob Cowlard, managing director of Carel, looks at what being ‘green’ really means.


WHEN CONSIDERING ‘Green Issues’ in our industry it is always too easy to fall back onto the ‘reduce energy usage’ and ‘carbon reduction’ message – and that may be because we as an industry are a heavy consumer of power – but is this the only consideration when discussing green issues?


If you type ‘green issues’ into an internet search engine you are offered a vast list of environmental issues to consider – everything from climate change, flooding, land use, genetic engineering, pollution, resource depletion, toxicants and waste. So where does our market sector figure in this? Actually in nearly all of it and in most cases we bring benefit and often we overlook this.


One example is research facilities. Without humidification and refrigeration control laboratories would not be able to operate, thereby costing lives through lack of medical research.


The reality is that we, as people, are the biggest impact on green issues. As users and consumers we have to change our habits to improve the situation. In modern life the use of energy is a daily necessity, but however much and how often we use it could be better managed.


Managing energy


Data centre cooling is a necessity and the focus is now upon how to cool it effectively and efficiently. Free cooling using ambient air which has a temperature lower than the internal building space offers massive benefits. Combined with evaporative cooling, it is fast becoming the obvious choice of many – however, so would be turning up the set point temperature by a few degrees.


Modern IT equipment is designed and


built to operate at higher temperatures, however I am fairly sure that no one has ever been sacked for keeping a data centre too cold, so could this be one reason why the temperature is set so low? Retail lighting plays a very important role in showcasing store merchandise as well as providing a great part of in-store design. Major developments have been made in recent years to reduce the lighting energy usage, but what if the lighting could be more effectively managed and dimmed at intervals prior to a store closing time? Could the air conditioning be turned down or off towards the end of trading hours, and would the change in temperature be gradual enough so as not to impact on customer comfort?


Fifteen minutes of efficient lighting and/or air conditioning usage could easily save 2kW of power in a typical small retail store and upwards of 30kW in a larger department store.


One of the biggest industry changes we are involved with in food retail is the move


away from HFCs to CO2. This is a huge transition and one that some retailers are only starting to consider and plan, however now that the F-Gas Directive is being finalised it is a trigger for many to start to make the step change.


While this presents a few issues and decisions to be made concerning critical or sub-critical operation, the technology is now in place, and the cost penalty has now been taken out of the equation when compared to HFCs. With the obvious barriers out of the way there are no reasons not to ‘go natural’.


When considering new product purchases companies should be very aware of ‘short-termism’ on budget control. ‘Life cycle costing’ should not be a fad


but seriously considered when making product selection. Make sure that future maintenance is also considered as lack of maintenance reduces efficiency, uses more energy, and shortens product life time. This last of course leads to an increasing carbon footprint when manufacturing the replacement.


Using the best products is step one but how do they work together? In simple terms select the best system for the best solution. Decide upon the integration of products, how to control them and how they work with each other. Review what is actually needed, and what is nice to have. Carel specialises in integrated control solutions, but so often the lack of end- user awareness is harder than the actual programming.


A green social conscience


I opened this article with grouping energy usage and carbon reduction together, which for most is very logical because one is a by-product of the other. However, are they joint reasons for companies making decisions or is the reality to reduce energy to save money? Is the carbon reduction – the healthy bit – just a convenient ‘feel good’ factor?


I have regularly wondered how much of the ‘green’ message from many large companies is a purely a marketing or political tool. Dare I still hope that it is driven by a social conscience?


I am constantly asked every time I offer a new energy-saving device or concept ‘what is the payback period?’


If the future of our planet was the driver, then surely the question would be, ‘how much carbon can I save?’ In short, the decision is a commercial one, and not a ‘green’ one.


Based upon this very simple premise, if the cost of electricity went down then there would be less ‘green’ products installed, which is worrying for future generations. On that basis, why are we complaining about energy costs going up – at least we are saving future generations. This also leads me to believe that too often the cheapest green product is installed and not the best.


I do not live in a fantasy world where I believe that the drive for a cleaner future is shared by everyone equally – but I do live in a world where I hope that people understand that we as users are responsible for everything that we do.


Visit ACR News online at www.acr-news.com A supplement to ACR News May 2014


Energy Efficiency 9


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