In this article originally published in Electrical Times Magazine, Richard Hipkiss of Schneider Electric’s Transparent Building Integrated Systems offer explains why reducing utility bills is only the tip of an iceberg of potential savings:
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| Richard Hipkiss |
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utility bills continue to rise and government pressure to reduce carbon emission steps up, monitoring a building's utilities becomes an ever more demanding requirement. Intelligent energy management starts with the application of logic. Those responsible for a building's energy consumption rightly realise that wastage needs to be prevented.
However, what is less obvious is that monitoring utilities is not just about measuring kilowatt-hours. In actual fact, reducing utility bills can be a minor part of the commercial advantage of intelligent monitoring, because a greater proportion of the potential for savings is, like an iceberg, out of view.
With the reported 30% increases in electricity bills, energy and facilities managers are being forced to explore new ways of saving energy. Beneath the surface are opportunities to make further savings on the building's running costs. Moreover, the investment in doing so does not have to break the bank. In fact, a recent study by the Energy Savings Trust reveals that metering and monitoring energy consumption has an average payback period of less than six months and an average return on investment of 200%.
Negotiator:
Water and gas are also increasingly expensive and cost saving decisions have to take this into account. Those responsible for a building's utilities may find their roles changing from that of an engineer to that of a negotiator.
However, even the cheapest suppliers are still costly. Some facilities managers resort to constantly turning the heat down and the lights off when not required, as the simplest way to expedite savings. However, for large, commercial buildings, these efforts make limited impact.
This is where technology can make things easier as well as more efficient. It is now possible for a single system to monitor gas, electricity, water, air and steam. All these utilities can be tracked and monthly reports automatically generated, providing all the information needed, whenever it is needed. The days of filling in missing data points due to network errors are over.
Data sharing further enhances convenience. It is now possible to access an organisation's utility information via a web browser, making data accessible to anyone, whether they be the facilities manager or the financial controller. Advanced technology enables utilities expenditure to be forecast as far as six months in advance. People can therefore gain vital insight into the building's consumption, empowering them to make decisions from facts and drive accountability in every level of the organisation.
Without effective power monitoring, it is impossible to achieve the best rates from utilities consumed. Empirical studies of metering solutions show an average of 5% reductions in utility bills in a diverse range of buildings. But the financial rewards do not stop here. Savings in the region of 2-5% can be achieved by better equipment utilisation and as much as 10% savings potential can be reached by improving systems reliability.
Critical needs:
As one facilities manager recently explained, electricity no longer seems that expensive when the building is forced to run without it, if only for a few seconds. Lost production, scrap, clean up and idle resources quickly stack up to a massive financial loss; while the frustration and pressure make for a miserable environment.
It is vital to know what causes problems with the electricity supply and monitor for quality or continuity problems to prevent loss or damage.
With the ability to capture events it is possible to determine if a power quality problem lies with the utility supplier or within the building. Such a system could also determine whether suppliers have provided equipment that adheres to specified rates. Transients, which can damage electronic equipment, can be pinpointed and power quality issues highlighted.
In factories, hospitals, data centres and so forth, electrical disruptions can lead to unexpected financial loss and can even compromise safety.
Momentary voltage disturbances are an increasing concern because modern power equipment used in these facilities tends to be more sensitive to voltage sags, swells and momentary interruptions.
To take corrective action, diagnosis of equipment problems must be carried out to identify areas of vulnerability. Using a thorough power management system can fulfil this task.
Over a building's lifetime, millions of pounds may be invested in equipment and the energy that runs it. Determining where excess equipment capacity exists, where it is being overstressed and where to balance loads on substations, MCCBs and other power equipment, is tricky and often left to guess work.
Where validation is expected, this is clearly not enough. Energy efficiencies must be compared between departments and capacity in systems identified. Technology can accurately do this better than humans.
By effectively monitoring electrical and piped utilities, equipment life can be increased and trend information can be utilised for further cost saving advantages.
Saving energy is laudable, but to maximise cost reduction an intelligent and convergent approach to power management enables prolonged equipment life, increased uptime, minimised outages and greater all-round efficiency.
The picture shows Richard Hipkiss.
This article was originally published in Electrical Times magazine (May 2005) by Highbury Fulfilment Services - a Voltimum UK Media Partner.
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