HIGH EFFICIENCY MOTORS
- The energy cost to run a motor for two
months can be greater than the initial
purchase price. Modern motors, to the
new mandatory motor efficiency standards
IE2, are substantially more efficient, paying
back their purchase price within a few
months.
- Users who employ an effective motor management
policy which includes motors,
Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), gearboxes
and the driven machine can release further
savings.
- Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) optimise
the voltage and frequency supply to the
motor to match the speed to the actual
load demand, reducing energy consumption
significantly. Even relatively small reductions in speed
can produce significant energy savings.
LIGHTENING
- Choose light bulbs carefully. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use 75 percent
less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer. For example, a 20-watt fluorescent bulb is equal to a 60-watt incandescent bulb. They can also be used as porch lights
- Install dimmer switches and three-way bulbs. They use less energy and let you enjoy a choice of lighting levels for different tasks
- For outdoor use, consider high-pressure sodium bulbs, which are more efficient and last longer than their incandescent counterparts
- When buying bulbs, check the lumens. The higher the lumens, the more light you’ll get
- More light shines through when you keep dust off your lampshades, light fixtures and bulbs
- Because light bounces off walls and ceilings, you’ll get more light for the money if you paint your walls light colors
- Increase the power of reflection by putting lamps in corners where two walls reflect light into the room
- Take advantage of free light from the sun by putting furniture near windows
- Place security lights on a timer or photo-electric control so they’ll turn on and off automatically. Mercury vapor or high-pressure sodium lights are the best energy buys for outdoors
BUILDING CONTROLS
- The three basic functions of a
Building Energy Management System
(BEMS) are improving plant control,
monitoring energy usage and
optimising plant operating times. You can achieve savings of anything up
to 30% by installing and maintaining an
effective BEMS.
- Some of the easiest energy savings can
be made through effectively managing
BEMS time clock schedules, to ensure
plant is not running overnight, at weekends or on bank holidays, unless
required.
- Monitoring your environment controls
can also help, ensuring that heating and
cooling systems are not working against
each other.
INTELLIGENT LIGHTING CONTROLS
- Implementing intelligent lighting
systems can save over 40% of energy
used in lighting.
- Light fittings can be individually controlled
to turn them off or even dim the output
as required. Used in conjunction with light
level sensors and presence detection,
controls can be optimised to take full
advantage of daylight savings and
maximum off periods.
- Significant additional savings can be made due to reduced maintenance requirements
– more easily scheduled with predictive
failure analysis.
- Once installed, lighting controls provide
excellent flexibility and an improved user
environment as the light conditions are
optimised at all times. With individual
control of fittings, it is very easy to
reconfigure lights into different groups
for new office layouts or other required
changes.
POWER CONTROLS
- There are several power control
solutions that can help reduce costs
and energy usage.
- Power factor correction can improve the
usable power available to equipment,
and thus maximise its efficiency.
- Active harmonic control removes
harmonics and other noise from power
lines, which saves energy and also
reduces wear and tear on electrical
equipment.
- By scheduling production to off-peak
times, and managing the electricity
tariffs, you can use energy when it is
cheaper, therefore reducing costs. You
can also avoid penalties which may be
incurred for taking electricity at peak
times.
- Another way to save money is real-time
demand response, i.e. reducing load
by stopping equipment or turning on a
generator when the National Grid sees
peak demand coming.
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