Exploring the energy maze
December 1st 2004 Many schemes to improve the energy efficiency of building services fall by the wayside because of lack of investment. Steven Henry, managing director of Chalmor, explains how some of these obstacles can be surmounted
Improved energy efficiency is something we all need to be striving for, motivated by both commercial and environmental considerations. In most cases the arguments are clear and logical, based on payback, but finding the initial capital often proves to be the downfall of such schemes.
In many cases, however, there are schemes available to help with that investment. Finding the right schemes, though, requires specialist knowledge and experience.
With new build projects the Building Regulations dictate many of the energysaving measures that should be taken, but existing buildings with systems already installed can be more complex.
For this reason, a thorough assessment of the existing situation is the obvious starting point. A clear picture of how energy is being used currently will highlight the areas for savings in the future, so that any planned investment can be prioritised in terms of benefits.
Pay as you save At Astley Cooper School in Hertfordshire, for instance, there was enormous potential for saving energy but the full investment needed to maximise returns was not readily available. The solution proved to be a strategy that combined grants from various bodies with a ‘pay as you save scheme’ where the cost of equipment, installation and ongoing maintenance is paid for over a number of years, based on a percentage of the savings achieved each year.
The success of the project led to the schools premises manager, Sue Davies, receiving a Special Commendation at the 2004 Energy Manager of the Year Awards.
“General energy management advice was freely available at County level and I found these experts very helpful,” Ms Davies recalled. “But seeking specific solutions meant talking with private industry specialists and my contact with Chalmor proved useful on two levels: identifying the right products to resolve the school’s energy wasteful practices and putting me in touch with organisations that could help with funding”.
During the year 2000 - 2001, the school’s electricity consumption was 301 295kWh, gas reached 1 439 355kWh and water 3717m3. A decision was taken to reduce all three utilities - starting with an initial 10% in electricity, rising to 15% as various energy efficiency initiatives took effect.
Chalmor installed lighting controls throughout the building, part-funded by a scheme that was running at the time, called LightSwitch.The company has had considerable experience in locating the right scheme for educational establishments and, once LightSwitch had been identified, assisted the school with its bid.
The success of the lighting control scheme encouraged the school to instigate further energy-saving schemes and Chalmor was commissioned to undertake a detailed survey. These were undertaken under the company’s Energy Governor ‘pay as you save’ scheme, and a number of solutions were presented that would significantly reduce energy consumption. The package also included negotiation of a reduced water tariff.
“It proved to be a no risk strategy for us as they would install the hardware, complete with funding that covered much of the capital expenditure with the remaining costs funded through later savings,” said Sue Davies.
Astley Cooper School exemplifies how attention to detail is the key to achieving maximum savings. For instance, simply by replacing the existing six-foot fluorescent light fittings in the school hall with Endurance maintenance- free fittings, the electrical load was reduced from 5kW to 1.9kW, giving an immediate 60% saving. In practice, these savings will be even higher as the lighting has been linked to PIR (passive infra-red) sensors to switch off the lighting when the hall is unoccupied.
At the same time, light levels were increased from 130 lux to 400 lux and maintenance costs are greatly reduced as the Endurance fittings have a 60 000 hour operational life.
Keeping it simple Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always necessary to install a complex building management system (BMS) to achieve significant energy savings. In fact, greater complexity often introduces additional, often quite subtle, costs. Commissioning tends to be a major task, and any subsequent alterations to the software require the services of expensive, specialist sub-contractors.
Very often, it is the simple remedial measures that can have most impact – relative to the size of the investment – especially as stand alone controls now have much more processing power. For example, just replacing basic factory fitted controls on a warm air heater with an electronic time and temperature controller, with programmable optimum start, can make a big difference to running costs. And even more savings can be achieved by choosing the right equipment. Chalmor’s HeatMaster, for instance, was the first heat optimiser to be eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances, so that 100% of the investment can be claimed against tax in the first year. More articles from Chalmor Limited: | 
