6519_SME COP A4 Inserts AW 16/7/03 14:00 Page 1

Lighting

20% of electricity generated in the UK is used for lighting. It’s one area of energy utilisation
that can use a variety of alternative energy saving technologies. Here are some tips.

Description How it works Category

Switch off policy Label switches and encourage people to turn lights off when they are not required.
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Time switch control Can be used for lighting over defined periods, like display windows or warehousing.
‘Solar’ time switches automatically adjust as seasonal day length changes.
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Measure light levels Lighting levels are sometimes unnecessarily high for the task in hand. Measuring light levels
and comparing with industry recommendations can help.
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Proximity control Senses the presence of people or vehicles and turns the lights on for a short period. Commonly
used for external lighting, it can also be used internally in areas of low use like stores or toilets.
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Photocell control Controls external lighting or supplementary lighting in naturally lit buildings, by sensing light levels.
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Compact fluorescent Fluorescent lighting technologies which operate as a plug-in replacement for tungsten
lamps bulbs. They give five times the efficiency of a tungsten bulb and 10 times the bulb life.
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Sodium and mercury Sodium and mercury discharge lamps give the highest efficiency for lighting externally and in
halide discharge large buildings. New designs of tubes have improved efficiency. ‘T8’ (26mm) tubes can be used
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lamps/Strip fluorescent as a direct replacement for old ‘T12’ (38mm) tubes giving 8% efficiency improvement. Also, new
lamp improvements electronically controlled triphosphor fittings will provide increased efficiencies of 20%, improve
lamp life and allow dimming.

Strip fluorescent lamp New designs of tubes have improved efficiency. ‘T8’ (26mm) tubes can be used as a direct
improvements/sodium replacement for old ‘T12’ (38mm) tubes giving 8% efficiency improvement. Also, new
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and mercury halide electronically controlled triphosphor fittings will provide increased efficiencies of 20%, improve
discharge lamps lamp life and allow dimming. Sodium and mercury discharge lamps give the highest efficiency for
lighting externally and in large buildings.

Use of daylight Buildings can often be modified by using roof lights or suitably placed windows so that lower
levels of artificial light can be used.
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Space heating and boiler plant

Space heating is used in most buildings with a variety of fuels and delivery systems.
In commercial buildings, space heating is usually the highest energy consumer. Savings fall into
three major categories - More efficient equipment, Better control or Stopping heat losses.

Description How it works Category

More efficient equipment

Maintain boiler, Servicing helps maintain the thermal efficiency of boilers and heaters, and also prevents
pipework and heaters hazardous gases being produced as a result of incomplete combustion. This should be done
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yearly by a suitably qualified person. Any water or steam leaks should be repaired. Flue gas
temperatures should be recorded and checked for any increase, as this indicates a drop in boiler
efficiency. Boilers and pipework should be adequately insulated.

Choose more Condensing boilers and direct radiant heaters are more efficient than older designs of heating
efficient equipment systems. Seriously consider replacing boilers over 20 years old.
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Condensate return Returning the condensed steam to the feed water for the boiler reduces heat loss.
on steam boilers
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Boiler flue gas dampers Dampers prevent energy through air passing through the flue between the operations of the burner.
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Better control

Time switches These control the operational time of heating and are often set wrongly. They should be
reviewed regularly over the heating season. Mechanical time switches which have a coarse time
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resolution should be replaced with accurate electronic versions.

Thermostats Setting thermostats 1oC too high will increase running costs by up to 10%. Recommended
settings are 16oC for warehousing, 16oC to 18oC for manufacturing and 20oC for offices. Control
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systems should be ‘zoned’ with all radiators fitted with thermostatic radiator valves or mild
weather mixing valves.

Set-back controls Where heating has to be left on for extended periods (for instance, to prevent hardware
deterioration during the night time), set-back thermostats which provide a lower secondary
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setting should be used.

Stopping heat loss

Insulation Insulation in walls, ceiling and around pipes and boilers reduces wasteful heat loss. Install insulation
to the current building regulations or industry recommended levels. Simple fibre-based insulation
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can be used for building lofts. Cavity walls can be filled with blown fibre, injected foam or bead
insulation. Composite board insulation can be used to line solid wall buildings, and in some cases
polyurethane sprayed foam can be used.

Draught proofing Stopping draughts prevents heat loss and reduces heating costs. Draught proofing around doors
and windows is very cost-effective. Use automatic doors, plastic strip curtains or ‘air curtains’
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for heavily trafficked areas.

Mix air Warm air rises to the apex of tall buildings. Use air re-circulation to bring the warm air back to
worker level and reduce the need for heater operation.
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Water heating

Water heating may be linked to the main boiler system or through a separate system.
Efficiencies of systems can vary widely under different operational conditions.

Description How it works Category

Reduce water Water for domestic use should not be heated to temperatures above 65oC, as this leads to
temperatures high standing losses.
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Insulate Water storage cylinders, pipework, boilers and calorifiers should be well insulated.
**

Use water heating time Holding water at high temperatures for unnecessarily long periods wastes energy. Time boiler
switches operation to coincide with hot water requirements.
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Reduce water flows Flows for hand washing and shower units should be checked and limited if they are
unnecessarily high. Spray taps for hand washing help to achieve this.
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Limit pipe runs Water heaters should be placed as close as possible to the point of water use. Long pipe runs
waste both water and energy.
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Use instantaneous
heaters
Where water demand is very low, instantaneous heaters avoid long hot water pipe runs and
eliminate the need to store hot water.
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Turn the main boiler Large boilers, which are sized to deliver high winter heating requirements, should not be used to
off during the summer supply just hot water during the summer as they run very inefficiently. Use appropriately sized,
*
locally positioned boilers or immersion heater tanks for these periods.
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Office equipment

As offices have become more and more automated, they have become more energy intensive.
Savings can be made by following a few simple guidelines.

Description How it works Category

Switch off Computers, screens, photocopiers, drinks machines and so on should be switched off when they
are not required. Staff should be asked to switch off their own equipment if they are going to
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be away from their desks for a significant period - for example, attending meetings, lunchtimes
and breaks. Some types of equipment have a power saving setting that can be programmed to
come on automatically during periods of low activity.

Time switches Time switches can be fitted to major items like drink machines to ensure they are not left on
out-of-hours by mistake.

Buy energy efficient Office equipment varies in its underlying energy efficiency so, as well as looking at other
equipment performance specifications, check energy criteria before purchasing. Manufacturer’s information
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on equipment should be compared to check energy performance.
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Air conditioning and refrigeration

The cooling energy load in the UK has increased steadily as food refrigeration has become
more important and air conditioning has been adopted by more businesses.

Description How it works Category

Avoid excess cooling Overcooling, like overheating leads to excess energy use. Set thermostats at the required
temperature. For example, air conditioning is rarely needed below 24 - 26oC. For process
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applications check the correct temperature for the item being stored.

Use natural cooling

if possible
With air conditioning and near ambient temperature cooling, there are many times when
ventilation with ambient air is sufficient to achieve required temperatures. A ventilation system
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which can make use of external air needs to be available to do this. Care should be taken not to
use refrigeration/air conditioning at the same time as natural cooling. So, for instance, windows
should not be left open when air conditioning is being used.

Check controls Make sure thermostats are calibrated properly and timeswitches are set to match cooling time
with occupancy. The setting of cooling thermostats should be well above the setting of heating
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thermostats to ensure that the simultaneous operation of the two systems is avoided.

Insulate and shade Pipes carrying refrigerant and ducts carrying cold air should be insulated. Roof insulation is
important to reduce the amount of solar heat getting into a building. Use window shading.
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Keep refrigeration Efficient operation depends on the system being able to transfer energy from the heat transfer
coils clear coils efficiently. Airflow to them and through them should therefore be unimpeded by blockages
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or dirt. Filters should be cleaned regularly.

Service the cooling Periodic checks on refrigerant levels and internal control system operation will ensure that
system the peak performance is maintained. Have defrost cycles checked as under or over
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defrosting wastes energy.

Air distribution Effective distribution of air in the cooled area will ensure that best use is made of the
refrigeration or air conditioning system.
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Shade external coils Outside refrigerant coils need cool air or water to operate effectively. Keep them out of the
and keep them cool sun and consider evaporative cooling of the coils with water. 1oC excess temperature can
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raise running costs by 2% to 4%.

Stop air leakage Seal buildings well and avoid outside air entering the cooled area.
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Motors

Electric motors are used everywhere and are the major electrical load in commerce and industry.
Motive power accounts for almost half of the total electrical energy used in the UK and for nearly
two-thirds of industrial electricity use.

Description How it works Category

Switch off Many motive power systems - conveyors and fan pumps for example - are left running
unnecessarily. Staff should be reminded to switch systems off whenever possible. On some
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systems this can be done automatically through load sensing.

Match motor to load Many motors are over-specified for the job they do. Close matching of motor and load will
ensure the most efficient operation.
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Replace or rewind? If a motor fails and rewinding is an option, it may be more economical to replace the motor with
a high efficiency type, as the process of rewinding will cause the efficiency of the motor to drop
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by 2% or 3%.

Use high efficiency Newer motor designs are available which provide slightly higher efficiencies than standard
motors motors and at no price premium. As motors consume many times their own value in electricity
*
over their life, installing a motor that is only fractionally more efficient than another can be a
cost-effective exercise.

Use variable speed Variable speed drives (VSD) provide an electronically controlled frequency and voltage to the
drives motor which optimises power input and saves energy. VSD’s are an energy efficient alternative
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to using dampers, restrictors or re-circulation systems to control output.
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Compressed air

Compressed air systems offer a convenient and flexible way of distributing power in industrial
applications. However, their operation is considerably less efficient than a directly powered device
doing the same job. It costs 10 times more to power a compressed air tool than an electrically
powered equivalent. 90% of the energy used to compress air is rejected as waste heat.

Description How it works Category

Use compressed air Direct electrically driven tools are much more efficient. Low pressure air can commonly be
only when necessary used for other lower powered tasks - air knives and cleaning for example.
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Repair leaks Leaks commonly lead to up to 40% of the air generated being lost. Listen for leaks and
repair them.
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Maintain systems Blocked filters cause inefficiency. These should be cleaned or replaced.
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Fit zone isolation By pressurising only the parts of the air distribution system that are required for current use,
valves incidental leaks can be minimised.
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Switch off Systems can consume 60% of their full load power when simply idling. Switch off systems
when they are not required and fit controls to give the correct output and pressure.
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Compress cold air Compressing outside cold air will improve the performance of systems compared with
compressing warm building air. Decreasing air inlet temperature by 6oC will increase output by 2%.
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Process plant

Process plant covers a diverse range of equipment, including dryers, furnaces, baking ovens, mixers
and blenders, crushers and grinders, tanks and vats, treatment booths, and many others used for
specialist jobs in industry.

Process plant is often overlooked with regard to energy efficiency because it is seen as too specialist.
Also product quality comes first and there is often a great reluctance to change anything in case the
product is affected. Specialist help may well be needed, but frequently savings can be made through
switching off plant when it is not doing anything or altering production schedules to better utilise
plant when it is operating.

Description How it works Category

Increase plant Fully utilised plant makes most efficient use of energy inputs.
utilisation
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Switch off Switch off equipment when it is not required - often process plant is left running through
breaks and shutdown periods.
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Improve monitoring Many process plant systems are not monitored adequately so energy performance cannot be
and control of system effectively tracked. Using process and energy monitoring will highlight drops in efficiency and
changes in throughput. Advanced control systems can be used in conjunction with monitoring
to optimise the performance of processes.

Select energy efficient Consider and build-in energy efficiency opportunities when procuring and installing new
equipment process plant.
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Maintain systems Regular maintenance ensures that equipment continues to operate at peak efficiency.
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Recover heat Where a process produces reject heat, consider if there are any opportunities for using it
elsewhere. For example, space heating or water heating.
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Combined heat and power (CHP)

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is the simultaneous generation of heat and power, usually
electricity, in a single process. Compared with the centralised generation of electricity, where
the waste heat produced from the generation process is generally discarded, CHP systems can
be significantly more efficient and yield substantial financial savings for the user.

CHP is a key technology in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and the Government has set
a target of 10,000 MegaWatts of good quality CHP electrical capacity by 2010. Fuel inputs to
and electricity outputs from good quality CHP are exempt from the Climate Change levy.

Good application of CHP

• Where a site has simultaneous demands for heat and electricity for more than 4,500 hours per year, it is worth considering the CHP
option. The grade of heat required is an important consideration. A cooling demand may also be served through the use of absorption
chillers, which are driven by heat, rather than electricity.

• Most CHP plants run on natural gas, and the economics of a scheme are sensitive to the relative difference between gas and electricity
prices.

• CHP plant is capital intensive, but in the right circumstances, energy services arrangements are available whereby a third party will finance
the plant.

• When examining the economics of a prospective CHP system, it is important not to overlook the costs of maintenance, additional gas
supply and connection to the electricity network.

Investment in CHP tends to be a capital intensive long term issue and therefore requires careful planning.
CHP schemes are covered by the Government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme mentioned.