Energy
Reduce energy costs with a holistic approach to energy management
ith the climate discussions in Paris at the end of 2015, energy efficiency and usage reduction is understandably a hot topic. However, what does this really mean from an energy management perspective for facilities management? You may well be happy with your current energy supply, usage and back-up support, but how do you really know that this is operating as efficiently as it can be? With energy costs likely to form a huge proportion of complete operating costs, the central task of energy management is to reduce cost for energy provision without compromising on the work processes. The only way of truly identifying this is by conducting a survey out, at the outset, to ensure all relevant information and system characteristics are gathered. Without a detailed understanding of an entire environment and what it is trying to achieve, it is very difficult to identify if a supply, with its associated load types, is even viable for power quality improvements.
W An effective survey will explore energy
efficiency, conduct load or harmonic surveys and complete power quality investigations to give a complete picture. For example, what are the types of loads and what percentage do they represent? This could include heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) requirements,
determining transformer type and what the tap setting are, right the way through to the levels of harmonic current and voltage distortion and how they are impacting on energy costs. The list goes on, but only then with the right information in place, can the right type of action or equipment be identified to ensure it will give the best return, while also allowing for redundancy and built in headroom. Ultimately, an effective energy management approach needs to be an integral part of facilities management and in fact an essential part of a company’s overall strategy. It needs to encompass critical decisions on energy investments, while avoiding energy risks. Whilst also being transparent about the total cost of ownership (TCO) of equipment and maximising operating efficiencies, energy usage and running costs.
As Martin Pearce, Sales Director at Critical Power says, “Practically for facilities management, effective energy management is about adopting a holistic approach using a combination of tactics. This includes; market analysis of current energy supply, combined with site surveys to determine inefficiencies (and potentially efficiencies!), while adopting a turnkey approach for any installation changes required, so the
headache is taken away. However, it does not stop there, as it is important to minimise any downtime in the future by ensuring business continuity, through remote monitoring and regular service maintenance support.” The likelihood is that energy management and efficiency issues will continue to proliferate as power demands increase and change. This is why it is so important that whatever the output from the climate conference in Paris, that businesses, particularly facilities management continue and in fact increase their focus on energy management. The pressure to address this will continue to be principally from a financial cost-saving perspective, however there is now likely to also be a shift in focus to it becoming more of an environmental one too.
www.criticalpowersupplies.co.uk
AirSource announces £280K investment A
irSource, manufacturers of heat pumps and other products for commercial & industrial heating and air conditioning, has invested £280,000 in state-of-the-art equipment at its Eccles, Manchester site to meet additional customer demand. The company, whose applications are mainly in the healthcare, retail, education and hotel sectors, has installed a punch press machine and a test unit. AirSource has invested £250,000 in an Amada EMK2510+ auto loader
punch press for cutting and profiling the sheet metal required for the manufacture of air handling units and heat pumps. This major investment has resulted in increased capacity and improved component flow with just- in-time manufacture. A continuous process the auto loader offers flexibility and spare capacity for the future. The company has also spent £30,000 on a test rig, a model Tempair 33T heat pump from the Tempair range, delivering a variable volume up to 2.7m³/s. The unit is used to test and develop new components, provide training for commissioning engineers, check the operation of controls and demonstrate working parts to clients. Managing Director, Dave Clayton, explains: “The test unit provides information on temperatures, pressures, volume and power absorbed and is designed to simulate operating
22 energy
internal and external conditions. The unit will soon be modified for the further development of refrigerants with low global warming potential.” Dave Clayton continues: “The investment in the punch press and the test rig demonstrates our commitment to future expansion, training and innovation and to the successful development of products for the building services market. It will help us dramatically improve our efficiency, particularly in the areas of quality, accuracy and productivity.” AirSource has a turnover of £4m and a 40-strong workforce. Five jobs were created in 2015, including a new sales manager for the south, 1 apprentice and 2 young trainees. The company is also looking forward to exporting products in the future. Tel: 0161 425 8553, Email:
info@air-source.net www:
air-source.net.
Building & Facilities Management – February 2016 Building & Facilities Management – January 2014
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