ENERGY SAVING EQUIPMENT
When it comes to deciding whether to ‘repair’ or ‘replace’, it very much depends on the age and condition of the current process cooling equipment. If the chiller in question is fairly new, then immediately replacing it is likely to be out of the question. Here, the best policy would be to implement a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) contract to pick up any red flags and ensure the chiller is kept at maximum operational efficiency for its full working life. This will not only minimise the risk to downtime, but also reactive maintenance costs.
However, if the chiller is reaching the end of its operational life, it may be a long-term false economy to implement an on-going repair and maintenance plan as the lower material cost of replacement parts would be offset by sustained high running costs.
More often than not, there is a perception among manufacturers that high efficiency equipment equates to a high cost, but that is not always the case and opinions need to be shifted.
For smaller manufacturers and SMEs, accessing the necessary capital has often been difficult. However, there are initiatives in place which are dedicated
to providing financial support to SMEs seeking to fund energy-efficient equipment. One such example is the Carbon Trust’s Green Business Fund, which can offer grants to cover up to 15% of the equipment cost, up to the value £5,000. As a Carbon Trust-accredited supplier, 2018-compliant process cooling equipment – such as the i-Chiller and i-Chiller HE from ICS Cool Energy – can be purchased using Green Business Funding. Another option is to undertake an equipment hire agreement. Contracts range from a short-term basis, to long-term hire. This option allows all costs to be managed through one monthly all-inclusive payment, which not only covers the cost of the process cooling equipment, but on-going maintenance costs and contingency breakdown cover.
One significant benefit of a long-term hire agreement is that responsibility for compliance lies with the company hiring the cooling equipment, rather than the end user. However, as with a capital sales purchase, compliance only affects new products manufactured from 01 January 2018. Ultimately, the EcoDesign Directive’s main aim is to reduce energy consumption. Energy consumption equates not only to carbon, but money; the bottom line is that a reduction in energy consumption will directly reduce monthly operating costs for manufacturers.
While the enforced changes to industrial cooling may seem steep, there are many far-reaching long-term benefits from a financial, environmental, and sustainability perspective. Yes, there is a lot of information to digest, but the changes can easily be broken down in to a manageable plan of action. By working closely with a temperature control specialist such as ICS Cool Energy, UK manufacturers can navigate any uncertainty and start reaping the rewards that the new legislative changes will offer. This information is taken from ICS Cool Energy’s Demystifying the 2018 Changes to Chiller Legislation.
Fujitsu
www.acr-news.com
January 2018 49
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
