MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE
Energy monitoring provides the data needed for strategic decision- making.
Power Heatmap
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failures. Combined with comprehensive power quality monitoring, these systems provide visibility into the health of critical electrical infrastructure. Energy monitoring provides the data needed for
Gareth Brunton
Gareth Brunton is Managing director of Bender UK, where he leads the company’s mission to deliver smart, safer, and more sustainable energy solutions that protect critical industries across the UK and Ireland. With over two decades of service at Bender, he has been instrumental in advancing technologies that actively monitor, forewarn, and locate faults, helping clients prevent downtime, enhance operations, and reduce costs.
Beginning his career as a commissioning engineer in 2004, Gareth progressed through operations management before becoming Managing director in 2016. His leadership combines deep technical understanding with a commitment to improving electrical safety and resilience across healthcare, rail, eMobility, oil and gas, defence, maritime, critical infrastructure, and energy. He also participates at group level on strategic projects that strengthen Bender’s global capabilities and customer focus.
strategic decision-making. With healthcare organisations committed to reaching Net Zero for direct emissions by 2040, and every organisation now required to have a Board-approved Green Plan including energy monitoring and reduction actions, having accurate, real-time energy consumption data becomes essential for compliance and strategic planning. The data collected through comprehensive monitoring systems forms the foundation for evidence-based energy reduction strategies and supports the journey toward Net Zero targets.
Proving compliance without disruption One of the most significant advantages of modern condition monitoring solutions is the ability to maintain compliance without disrupting operations. Traditional BS7671 testing often requires disconnecting essential loads – an increasingly impractical approach in healthcare environments where continuity of service is no longer an option. Smart monitoring systems can generate the reports needed for regulatory compliance without shutting down systems for testing. This improves the compliance process from a disruptive obligation to a seamless background process that enhances rather than hinders it. Integrating multiple monitoring functions such as residual current monitoring, insulation monitoring, power quality analysis and energy measurement, creates a broader view of electrical infrastructure health. This holistic approach enables maintenance teams to move away from calendar-based preventive maintenance to condition-
Integrating multiple monitoring functions such as residual current monitoring, insulation monitoring, power quality analysis and energy measurement, creates a broader view of electrical infrastructure health
52 Health Estate Journal November 2025
based predictive maintenance, which benefits costing and reliability. For those healthcare estates teams dealing with ageing
infrastructure and tight budgets, this is an improvement in operational efficiency. Resources can be allocated based on actual need rather than arbitrary schedules, while the risk of unexpected failures is dramatically reduced through early detection of developing problems.
Real world validation The practical benefits of proactive condition monitoring were demonstrated at a private healthcare estate, where a Bender Pulse trail delivered results across multiple critical areas. The system deployment included 8 ATICS-ISO devices,
12 EDS units, 12 PEM devices and residual current monitoring across 142 circuits spanning two essential distribution boards (72 circuits on DB01-ESS01 and 70 circuits on DB01-ESS02). Pulse began detecting issues that the traditional monitoring approach had missed. A recurring 10kΩ fault was detected in circuits feeding operating theatre sockets, ultimately traced to a ‘Theatre in Use’ sign with low resistance to earth. While not immediately dangerous, this type of fault could mask more serious issues if left unaddressed, precisely the kind of hidden vulnerability that comprehensive monitoring is designed to reveal. The residual current monitoring component identified
several circuits with consistently high readings, prompting investigation and potential adjustments to response values. AC residual current levels remaining at 150mA since commissioning on specific circuits highlighted the need for targeted maintenance attention, while intermittent faults provided early warning of any developing problems. Power quality monitoring detected brief events, including under-voltage conditions and harmonic distortion. Some of these events coincided with broader HV ring problems affecting several adjacent sites, demonstrating how comprehensive monitoring can identify the systemic issues that extend beyond individual facilities. Perhaps most notably, the system enabled early identification of a developing fault in a circuit supplying access control systems. This early warning allowed the maintenance team to plan and execute repairs before the issue could escalate into a critical failure, potentially avoiding a major security system outage. The energy monitoring component revealed usage
patterns across medical IT systems, showing similar consumption between active theatre systems, while recovery room systems rarely supplied significant loads. This granular visibility enabled more informed decisions about system load and capacity planning.
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