Optimising Energy Efficiency

There are many pressures facing today's buildings owners and operators, whether it's equipment safety, budgetary constraints or legislative changes. However, with the government's carbon reduction targets and rapidly rising energy costs, one of the main pressures having to be tackled is greater efficiency in energy use. David Lewis, energy management expert at Schneider Electric, recommends adopting voltage optimisation to meet this challenge.

A report carried out by NICEIC and the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) (2021 Vision: The Future of the Electrical Contracting Industry) indicates that whilst the construction market will show only modest growth over the next 10 years, more than half of activity will be focused on repair, maintenance and improvement of existing buildings. With demands for more reliable energy efficient buildings with bottom line improvement through reduced operating costs such as maintenance, energy management forms a cornerstone in an environment of increasing costs to operate.

With that in mind, it is enormously important to invest in solutions which will reduce a building's costs, optimise efficiency and optimise safety. One of the solutions to consider is voltage optimisation.

Voltage optimisation is a relatively straightforward but highly effective and proven way of reducing electrical consumption and consequently energy cost and CO2 emissions. In addition, business tax burdens such as climate change levy and carbon reduction commitment may also be reduced. It works by optimising the low voltage used by the building or site in line with the building's electrical equipment needs to run at its most efficient. It is particularly effective in the UK where there is an inherent problem of over-voltage, which not only wastes electricity but also damages and reduces the life span of certain kinds of electrical equipment.

Typically, electricity supplied by the National Grid in the UK is supplied at around 242V yet the majority of our electrical and electronic equipment is designed to run at a supply of around 230Vand operate most efficiently at 220V. This means there is a gap between the supply voltage and the voltage which the equipment needs, resulting in energy consumption in most buildings being significantly higher than required. Voltage optimisation therefore presents an excellent opportunity to help customers save money, reduce carbon, help equipment last longer and reduce maintenance costs.

Before adopting voltage optimisation however, it is important to recognise that not all applications will be suitable for the technology, therefore careful design and analysis is required. Some voltage optimisation providers will carry out site surveys including voltage logging, energy audits and network analysis so it is worth contacting your prospective provider to see if it offers this service. In addition, it is worth considering whether there are any other energy-saving projects or changes you are planning to undertake in the near future as this may affect the voltage optimisation savings and, as a consequence, the business' return on investment.

Voltage optimisation can be installed anywhere on a network, from a complete distribution system to single feeders or even single applications such as lighting. At one of Schneider Electric's locations in Stone, Staffordshire for example, optimising the voltage at 220V, with simple implementation and limited supply interruption, 8.2% energy savings were realised. This was measured using the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

Voltage optimisation can provide a highly reliable, low-loss solution but it is important to combine this with a comprehensive monitoring solution in order to achieve maximum savings. These monitoring solutions look at where, when and how energy is being consumed within a building and then allows you to strategically balance emissions, efficiency, reliability and cost.

Schneider Electric's PowerLogic range of meters and Power Monitoring software enable businesses to improve their competitiveness by giving them a complete understanding of their organisation's unique energy landscape. The range also provides hands-on tools to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, enhance productivity and increase power system reliability. Comprising metering, communication hardware and advanced analysis software, a power management solution acts like a layer of intelligence across a business' energy assets. It monitors key energy points and inputs 24 hours a day, then processes and delivers that data as timely and relevant information to those who need it. Where power quality and network resilience are a consideration, power factor correction and active harmonic filters can be additionally utilised for even greater power conditioning.

With increasing pressure on building owners and operators to reduce energy consumption in buildings, voltage optimisation offers a quick and proven way of enhancing a building's electrical network, saving money and energy, as well as reducing operating expenditure and achieving greater resilience with a significant return on investment. What's more, as the government strives to meet its ambitious carbon emissions targets, it is now offering incentives to encourage businesses to adopt voltage optimisation technology.

Whilst voltage optimisation is a proven way of lowering energy consumption, businesses still remain slow on the uptake. A significant amount of energy is wasted in buildings simply due to electrical equipment being designed to work at a lower voltage than that supplied by the National Grid. Voltage optimisation in the correct situation and combined with a comprehensive monitoring solution is one of the simplest, most effective ways of reducing carbon emissions and

LINK:	http://www.schneider-electric.co.uk/sites/uk/en/company/news/news-view...
	See more stories from schneider

Most recent headlines