Welcome to the latest technology in energy monitoring and utility control from Hanwell Instruments. Whatever utility you wish to monitor (if not all of them) from electricity, gas and water, the new innovative monitoring system; ELMO, can collect measure and display data in a compatible, user friendly software directly onto your PC. ELMO exposes areas of wasted energy and eliminates them, resulting in reduced energy bills thereafter. The immediately accessible information and simple installation can result in significant savings within weeks!

Hanwell have over 15 years of extensive knowledge in the design and development of data acquisition products, enabling users to seamlessly combine standalone dataloggers, radio telemetry and bus-based instrumentation, to assist businesses in monitoring and controlling potential ‘problem’ areas.

Extensive research and development has shaped and inspired the range of utility monitoring and data collection products. The capabilities of these products allow users to report and analyse energy consumption. Hanwell also produce a wide range of products to allows customers to record environmental parameters including temperature, RH and differential pressure, plus built-in security and audit trail generation and user dependent feature access.

A few benefits that come with ELMO include:

Wireless Energy Monitoring of a site
Real-Time and historical analysis of data
Cost effective
Low power radio or SMS
Easy Installation
Fast and reliable data transfer of energy usage
Internal memory can store up to 100,000 readings
Reliably monitors the environmental conditions of warehouses, distribution bases, laboratories and production lines in the pharmaceutical, food preparation and aeronautical industries, hospitals, shopping centers, shops, museums, galleries and many more.
Readily accessible information and simple installation can result in significant savings within weeks.

Every business is different so we’ll work with you to find out exactly what you need. Together we can either recommend a straightforward solution or develop a bespoke solution to fit your requirements.

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O2 together with ASL Holdings Ltd - SEPT 2009

As an ‘Exclusive Partner in Smart Metering’ set trials are currently being carried out by ASL Holdings Ltd on the use of Surface-mounted SIM Chip Technology in AMR; this technology removes the requirement of the plug-in SIM cards, as currently fitted to GSM data devices and mobile telephones. Once successful trials are concluded, this will have serious advantages in terms of GSM being a main runner for the communications medium for Business to Business (B to B) and Smart Metering in terms of fewer site visits, less stranded assets, increased reliability and security.

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Opus Energy wins supply contract with leading UK retailer, John Lewis - SEPT 2009

John Lewis deal part of £20m new customer growth for Opus Corporate Solutions

05 August 2009: Opus Energy, a leading independent electricity supplier to UK businesses, today announced a host of new supply agreements with leading UK corporates including John Lewis, White Stuff, DPD and Heritage Great Britain.

The customer wins form part of an additional £20m of new agreements, contracted by Opus Corporate Solutions in the last six months.
Opus Energy will supply 123 sites for one of Britain’s best loved retailers, John Lewis, in a two year deal worth £3.6m.

Bill Wright, Corporate Energy and Environment Manager at John Lewis said: “We look forward to forging a partnership with Opus Energy. As a dynamic company we need our suppliers to respond efficiently to our business’ needs. Opus Energy listened closely to our requirements during the tender process and offered a bespoke service at a competitive price.”

Steve James, Commercial Director and head of Opus Corporate Solutions for Opus Energy said, “We are delighted to be working with a number of high-profile UK corporates, including one of Britain’s best loved brands, John Lewis. These are important customer wins for Opus Energy and support our position as a leading provider in the energy retail industry. As the majority of our business is won off the back of our reputation and service delivery, our recent successes are a great testament to Opus Energy’s dedication to providing a first class package.”

Opus Corporate Solutions provided a bespoke, tailored tendering solution for the John Lewis Partnership Plc, collating its non half hourly sites into one simplified response. In addition, John Lewis will benefit from an Opus Energy tailored billing solution and levy-exempt renewable electricity supply.

Their flexible processes also appealed to John Lewis as Opus Energy were able to start supplying the retailer with electricity in a shorter time than standard industry practices.

Established in 2002, Opus Energy has grown to supply over 50,000 sites across the UK and is now an established electricity provider to large corporates. Opus Corporate Solutions has demonstrated that through dedicated resources and innovative solutions it continues to succeed in winning and retaining large corporate customers.

Opus Corporate Solutions provides a tailored service for each customer, this includes:

Levy exempt electricity supply as standard, as 60 per cent of Opus Energy’s supply comes from cleaner sources*
Free Smart Meters** offered to Opus Energy customers
A dedicated Opus Energy account manager and online account support platform
Flexible, accurate timely billing
The Opus Evolution platform which is a flexible purchasing solution that gives customers access to wholesale energy prices

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Opus Energy Launches New Business Energy Advice Website - SEPT 2009

Opus Energy urges businesses not to overlook the savings that can be made through proactive electricity management

23 June 2009: Opus Energy, a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has today launched a new website offering specialist electricity advice to businesses across the UK.

The online service http://electricityadvice.opusenergy.com/ has been specifically created by Opus Energy to provide practical advice to businesses on issues such as being more energy efficient, measuring electricity usage and how to reduce bills.

The new Opus Energy advice site is a one stop shop for businesses to learn how to:

Carry out a site energy review
Make energy saving steps in the workplace
Switch to different tariff
Lower electricity bills

The website was launched after Opus Energy completed a poll of 500 small businesses in the UK and found that only 3% of managers would review their gas or electricity tariffs in order to make business savings in the current economic downturn.

Saving by switching

Energy is a widely overlooked business service that has the potential to provide vital savings for companies who want to make more of an impact to their bottom line.

Duncan Lebbern, Financial Director of RIF Worldwide (www.rifworldwide.co.uk), a logistics service provider, reviewed the company’s overheads after his import business was affected by the economic downturn. Money saved from switching supplier to Opus Energy helped Duncan expand his company: opening three new offices in the UK this year. He said: “We all rely on electricity to power our working days whether during a downturn or otherwise. Switching supplier to Opus Energy allowed us to run the business economically, allowing us to grow our company even during these tough times.”

Saving by monitoring

As well as identifying the savings that could be made by switching supplier, the Opus Energy advice website provides information about measuring energy and smart metering. Research from the Carbon Trust shows that by simply monitoring energy use in the workplace, companies could save over 12.3% on their bills.

Steve James, Commercial Director at Opus Energy, said: “The Opus Energy advice website has been launched to help our customers and UK businesses understand how to reduce their overheads and improve efficiency at a time when every penny counts. We’re encouraging businesses to take a proactive approach. By taking control of their tariff, monitoring their usage and taking steps to be more energy efficient, UK businesses can realise substantial financial savings and make a real impact to their bottom line in this economic downturn.”

Saving by upgrading

The Opus Energy advice site also provides information for businesses wishing to apply for a Carbon Trust interest-free loan enabling them to upgrade to more energy efficient equipment. Many Carbon Trust customers find that the energy savings they make using their new efficient equipment more than covers their loan repayments. All the information businesses need to find out about the scheme is easily accessible on the Opus Energy advice site, alongside links to carbon calculators and loan application details.

From making sure your business is more energy efficient and reducing your bills, through to how to getting your hands on interest free energy loans, Opus Energy is on hand to help offer advice.

The new website from Opus Energy can be found at http://electricityadvice.opusenergy.com/.

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Ex-Or lighting control specified for flagship low carbon footprint office campus - SEPT 2009

Lighting management systems from Ex-Or were specified throughout a newly built prestigious office complex near Aberdeen, designed to be one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Scotland.

In the £120,000 deal, the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System and SceneSelect II scene-setting and dimming system are being deployed in almost all areas of the Acergy office campus at Westhill Business Park.

The bespoke multi-million pound campus covers a 17 acre area and features a 10,700 m2 office building on three levels which includes open plan and cellular offices, conference facilities, training rooms and restaurant. There is an extensive workshop and warehousing area and an archive building on the campus where Ex-Or lighting control is also in operation. In addition, Ex-Or’s lighting controls and systems have been installed in the leisure complex on the site, which incorporates squash courts, multi-purpose gym, weights room, sports hall and function suites for use by Acergy’s 650 staff and their families.

Acergy is a leading seabed-to-surface engineering and construction contractor for the global oil and gas industry. The design for their new campus was to the most stringent environmental specification possible and has achieved a high BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating.

The lighting management systems from Ex-Or ensure the lights throughout the campus only come on where and when needed by automatically taking into account occupancy and natural light levels.

The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System provides a fully integrated lighting management scheme which uses communicating presence detectors that share information on occupancy patterns in all areas of the campus. This is complemented by Ex-Or SceneSelect II which allows Acergy personnel to easily create and subsequently recall custom pre-set scenes. The ability to switch between different pre-sets at the touch of a button also helps to save energy, as lighting can be adjusted according to ambient light levels or set to automatically switch off when areas are not in use.

Solar gain has been maximised and heat loss minimised by the actual aspect and location of the campus buildings. Internal temperature is controlled through a geothermal heat source heating/cooling system making use of the Earth’s constant temperature at 100 m below the surface - the largest commercial system of its kind in Scotland. Other measures employed to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint include grey water harvesting and passive chilled beam cooling.

Said Graham Meil managing director of Acergy UK Ltd: “Our new facility is a fantastic campus and a world class engineering and operational centre for Acergy. Our commitment to building our campus to the highest environmental specification possible is demonstrated by the wide-ranging environmental measures we have taken as instanced by our choice of Ex-Or systems to eliminate the use of unnecessary lighting.”

Building work was carried out by Stewart Milne Group. Ex-Or’s lighting management systems were installed by Richard Irvin Services Ltd on behalf of chartered engineers Cameron Chisholm Dawson Partnership, all of Aberdeen.

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OPTIMA Energy Management Appoints Marketing Manager - SEPT 2009

OptimaTM, a national leader in energy management, looks to further consolidate its market position with the appointment of Jackie Rutter as Marketing Manager.

With an ongoing commitment to high standards of service and innovation, Optima has become a key player in the energy management industry. As part of the company’s strategy for growth, Optima has appointed an experienced Marketing Manager in order to establish the Optima brand as a recognised market leader in this field.

Taking on the newly created role of Marketing Manager, Jackie Rutter brings more than 10 years international experience in marketing advanced software products, consulting services and turnkey engineering projects.

"Having spent several years building our quality business platform through the Optima software product, we are now positioned and ready to realise our ambitions across a number of channels within the energy market" says Steve Wright, Managing Director for Optima. "Jackie has considerable knowledge in B2B marketing and I am very pleased that she has joined our team in order to lead this key phase of our business development strategy in what is a very exciting and growing industry."

Prior to joining Optima, Jackie has had a successful career in marketing, during which she has worked for other high-profile organisations, including Siemens, Volkswagen and Integrated Device Technology. In addition, Jackie is an active Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and has recently been elected as Vice-President of the Automated Material Handling System Association (AMHSA).

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New free cooling chillers from Walter Meier - SEPT 2009

Two new Blue Box free cooling chillers will be represented on the Walter Meier stand at the Energy Event (stand 128). The Zeta Echos FC and the Kappa Evo FC are both designed to take maximum advantage of low ambient temperatures for cooling capacities from 45kW to 1200kW.

Both ranges will introduce free cooling at outdoor temperatures below 15°C, using an increasingly smaller proportion of mechanical cooling as temperatures fall, so that 100% free cooling is achieved at 0°C. Extensive field tests indicate that in typical UK ambient temperatures this free cooling will deliver around 35% energy savings over a year in situations where chillers are operating 24 hours a day, compared to conventional air cooled chillers. As such they are ideal for applications requiring continuous cooling, such as data centres.

The Zeta Echos FC is available in nominal cooling capacities from 45kW to 144kW, using R410A refrigerant to ensure high efficiency heat transfer. These units feature a patented Free Cooling system that requires a single fan section with the condensing coil and the free cooling coil placed at opposite sides of the unit to give the highest Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) in their class.

Zeta Echos FC is also available in a glycol-free version, with two physically separated hydraulic circuits, using glycol for the free cooling coil and supplying pure water to the evaporator and indoor units – thus increasing system efficiency.

The Kappa Evo FC is available in nominal cooling capacities from 327kW to 1186kW, using R134a refrigerant. The units are available in different versions and sizes and can be customised to meet specific project requirements. All units are supplied with an electronic thermostatic valve to provide high efficiency at part loads by closely matching compressor operation to cooling demands.

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HOW CAN WE MANAGE THE RISK OF ENERGY PURCHASING? - SEPT 2009

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) have outlined a six step guide to help company energy buyers along the path to successful purchasing.

Over the past few years, gas and electricity have become among the most volatile of any traded commodity, presenting something of a challenge to the energy buyer unfurnished with a resident crystal ball.

Turbulence in the energy markets has led to a significant shift away from the traditional procurement strategy of fixed price, fixed term contracts as users opt to take advantage of market-based arrangements which allow for price risk to be spread.

It is important to recognise, however, that so-called flexible solutions are not simply an automated panacea for the problem of energy price volatility.

If appropriately managed, they may indeed offer a very competitive market price but instinct alone is unlikely to consistently deliver the best purchasing strategy. Ensuring that appropriate controls are in place to both maximise opportunities and avert disaster may be a daunting prospect.

So where to start? There are some simple rules that, if applied, may help to deliver sensible buying decisions, and by using them as a guide, you may find that the path to successful procurement proves decidedly less hazardous.

1: SET CLEAR OBJECTIVES

Establishing coherent goals that can be periodically assessed and ensuring stakeholder buy-in should encourage you to remain on the right path. When markets are volatile, behavioural studies observe that individuals tend to become more active in their decision-making, which can lead to hasty and sometimes inappropriate choices. A clear set of objectives will help to limit such reactions, enabling a more dispassionate approach to purchasing.

2: KNOW YOUR LIMITS

Risk does not dictate a uniform influence; it exists in relation to the activities and objectives of your organisation. The risk of a particularly wet summer for an umbrella manufacturer will differ significantly to that for a maker of sunhats. So too, sensitivity to energy prices will diverge dependent on an organisation’s individual or industry position. The key is to determine a level of risk that you can indulge and that aims to deliver a return to meet your objectives. Remember to be realistic. It is a well known maxim that the higher the rate of anticipated return, the greater the risk.

3: GIVE YOURSELF TIME

Most successful managed strategies operate at their optimum with a sufficient unwind time. Establish a framework agreement which gives you the opportunity to operate a medium to long-term procurement strategy and be prepared to develop a tolerance for short-term losses in favour of a long term gain.

The principle of opting for a flexible solution assumes recognition of the benefits of price diversity. Whilst one must forego the unlikely event of achieving the absolute market minimum for the entire contract term, by valuing risk limits across multiple purchase points, one increases the opportunity of securing a more consistent return.

5: REVIEW REGULARLY

A flexible energy procurement strategy will expose the consumer to both market and, for the most part, volume risk. Regular position reporting is therefore essential in order to ensure that limits are being managed in line with defined objectives. Both goals and circumstances can change over time and it is critical that reviews are undertaken to ensure that, where necessary, your position is rebalanced to maintain your risk exposure at an appropriate level. Accurate and clear representation of data to the right people is crucial.

6: TAKE ADVICE

Your chance of success may be significantly improved if you take advice from people with the right level of time, expertise and resource. Adequate exposure to market prices, coupled with statistical and fundamental analysis will help to limit feelings of uncertainty, which can lead to more emotional decision making. Using a specialist, with whom you establish your objectives and define clear roles and responsibilities, should help to ensure a tactical but realistic approach to managing your risks.

Moving towards a managed solution for your energy contracts can be a daunting prospect and these simple steps are just a starting point. The most important things to establish are your objectives, the level of risk that you are willing to tolerate and to ensure that you are in a position to understand, quantify and manage this risk on an ongoing basis.

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) will be at the Energy Event on Stand 190, Britannia Suite. For more information please visit www.tebl.com.

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SAVE TIME, MONEY & REDUCE EMISSIONS WITH EASY ONLINE ENERGY REPORTING - SEPT 2009

At The Energy Event this year, The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) will be showcasing their easy-to-use online reporting tool.

Whether you use consumption data for budgeting or efficiency purposes, collating figures and monitoring usage on a site-by-site or group basis can be a very difficult, time-consuming and sometimes fruitless task.

The upcoming Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) legislation will also make emission reporting mandatory for many firms - and for some, this may be a shock to the system.

To alleviate the headaches associated with usage reporting, TEBL have developed a web portal whereby clients can access their entire half-hourly or AMR data in one location, and are able to manipulate it easily. Individual logins give access to a micro-site which is tailored to each client, presenting all their consumption data in an easily understandable format.

The unique aspect of this service is the flexibility to break the data down into many different variables, including daily, monthly, or yearly – making the monitoring of energy consumption much more straightforward and hassle-free. To complement this web provision, TEBL provide expert advice in developing strategies to reduce consumption – identifying discrepancies in usage and highlighting where efficiency-related savings can be made.

The revolutionary online web system has the following benefits:

Streamlines usage data and allowing easy management
Tailor / Bespoke your experience
Platform for CRC consumption reporting
Provides a budgeting tool
Efficiency management
Site-by-site and group consumption management
Ability to produce energy league tables

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) are the leading open-book energy procurement consultants, specialising in the commercial and industrial sector. If you are interested in getting helpful expert advice on dealing with online reporting, the CRC, energy procurement or post-contract management of utilities, come for a chat and a demonstration at the show – Stand 190, Britannia Suite.

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ENERGY MANAGEMENT MADE EASY BY SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC - SEPT 2009

At this year’s event, energy management specialist Schneider Electric will be highlighting the solutions on offer to those who want to make the most of their energy.

Experts from the Schneider Electric team will be at stand number 264, offering advice and guidance to customers about their range of energy management solutions. These include monitoring and targeting, which allow businesses to monitor energy usage and set targets for reductions. This will ensure companies are keeping costs down, while reducing their carbon footprint.

Visitors to the stand are being encouraged to bring along their energy bills for analysis by the team, and will be given hints and tips on how to make improvements. Schneider Electric’s Self Assessment Tool will also be available for use on the stand, where businesses can discover how energy efficient they are, and determine whether they are unlocking all significant energy savings by completing a quick and simple questionnaire.

The user is provided with general advice throughout the assessment, raising awareness on areas they may not have thought about before such as lighting and building controls. Once the questionnaire is completed an energy efficiency score is given to the user along with feedback on their responses, identifying solutions that are available to help their business achieve greater energy efficiency.

Anyone visiting the stand can also discuss more in-depth energy audits with the experts. Part of Schneider Electric’s four step approach to energy management – measure, fix the basics, automate and monitor and improve – these studies determine a range of information regarding a company’s energy usage. From these audits, Schneider Electric can recognise the key opportunities and recommend energy saving products, technologies and behaviours.

For more information on the energy management solutions available from Schneider Electric, visit www.schneider-electric.co.uk or call 0870 608 8 608.

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Taking control of boiler dry cycling - SEPT 2009

Stand 56

Visitors to the Sabien stand will be able to find out more about energy wastage in boiler plant caused by ‘dry cycling’ (when boilers fire to compensate for standing heat losses from the boiler without actively contributing to the building’s heating load) – even when the plant is linked to a BMS or BEMS.

Sabien Technology’s M2G intelligent boiler load optimisation is able to recognise and identify dry cycling and consistently achieves energy savings of between 10% and 25% in a wide range of old and new boilers, working in harmony with other control systems.

Crucially, the M2G - which can be quickly retrofitted to the majority of low or medium temperature boilers - also ensures the boiler’s designed set point is met, therefore preventing any impact of the building’s ambient temperature and avoiding any additional servicing and maintenance requirements. As such, the M2G is very different from simple timed delay devices that attempt to overcome dry cycling by delaying firing for a pre-set time after the system calls for heat – irrespective of whether the call for heat reflects a genuine requirement for heat in the building.

Sabien’s experienced personnel will be on hand to explain these issues further with visitors and discuss their requirements.

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Less is more - SEPT 2009

Power Efficiency is the leading energy management consultancy in the corporate commercial sector, taking care - good care - of the energy management needs of 60% of the Canary Wharf Estate and 6 out of top 10 property agents.

Our track records is based on the simple, unified, one-team approach we bring to all our customers’ energy management needs - we don’t just consult, we do.

One skilled team - handling the many complex issues that legislation and responsible energy consumption impose on your business; using fewer outside agencies saves money and minimises hassle.
Close supplier contacts - our relationships at a senior level with the big six energy suppliers facilitates your procurement needs; our knowledge of credit processes, requirements and hurdles is second to none in the industry; we actively lobby government bodies and major suppliers to develop less stringent policies.
Every service under one roof - Power Efficiency’s one specialist point of contact offers you a fast and efficient way to deal with the complexities of a ceaseless stream of legislation and new reporting procedures, take care of sustainability issues, generate huge savings* through energy procurement, sort out your EPCs and DECs and collate the data necessary for the CRC, undertake detailed audits, run efficient monitoring systems, and circumnavigate the hyper-stringent credit terms characterising the market.
Total peace of mind - all of which leaves your hands free to stay hands-on with your core business.

For one of the most comprehensive all-inclusive energy management services available in the UK come and visit Power Efficiency – more skills, less hassle.

* £6.3 million saved for one docklands business consortium.

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PERFECT CONTRAST - SEPT 2009

Small features can make a big difference to the functionality of a thermal imaging camera and the new contrast optimiser on the FLIR top-of-the-range B-Series model, the B600, is no exception. This camera and its counterpart in the FLIR P-Series plant maintenance range are the first commercial models to have this feature. It is a special algorithm that allows details in contrast-rich infrared images to be seen with greater distinction.

By optimising the adjustment of brightness and contrast all image details are enhanced equally regardless of the temperature range in which they happen to be. This means the thermal detail of a small hot object will be as clear as the detail of its cold background that represents the dominating temperature range.

The image of the cat shows this feature off well but in reality the sector to benefit the most from this capability will be building inspection. Often the cold background, such as the sky, dominates an image requiring the operator to adjust the settings manually to achieve crisper detail on the target.

Contrast optimisation does this automatically contributing to the camera’s overall ease of use. It decreases the need for manual adjustment of level and span while preserving background detail. The FLIR camera operator can therefore concentrate on the image rather than the camera control.

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Atlas Copco appoints ACL as Industrial Air compressor distributor - SEPT 2009

ACL Engineering Ltd, based in Watford, has been appointed a distributor for Atlas Copco's range of Industrial Air compressors, Quality Air products and spare parts.

“This new appointment will complement our existing national distributor and direct sales networks and provide valuable compressed air solutions to industrial users in London & the South East," said Leen Van Diggele, Managing Director of Atlas Copco Compressors, GB.

Its appointment as an Atlas Copco distributor gives ACL access to the range of GX and GA rotary compressors, including variable speed drive models, SF scrolls and L reciprocating machines. ACL will also distribute the comprehensive Atlas Copco range of air purification accessories, including dryers, filters, and oil-water separators, as well as complementary genuine Atlas Copco spare parts.

Established in 1979, ACL employs 36 people, including a team of 5 sales and 20 field service engineers. In that time, it has grown into one of the leading compressed air houses in the region with a base of clients across all industrial segments.

The company's founder and Chairman, Wyn Griffiths and his team at ACL have a wealth of knowledge and experience having been in the compressed air industry for most of their careers.

Commenting on the appointment, Wyn Griffiths said, “Joining Atlas Copco’s distributor network is a great opportunity for ACL and our customers, with access to a wider range of energy efficient machines offering the cost and environmental savings they seek. The technical knowledge and support from Atlas Copco is second-to-none.”

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Ex-Or’s new multi-function LightSpot now controls a variety of building services - SEPT 2009

In a first for the lighting controls industry, the new Ex-Or Multi-Function LightSpot presence detector can now control not only the lights and washroom functions, but also air conditioning and emergency light testing.

By ensuring that lighting is provided only when required, LightSpot controls eliminate its unnecessary use, reducing energy consumption and cutting costs. Long established as a market leader in presence-detection control, the range is constantly being enhanced and has included the capability to control washroom urinal flushing and fan operation for some time.

Uniquely, LightSpot can now be specified to control either the air-conditioning or to carry out emergency-light testing in addition to its core lighting-control capability.

In air-conditioning control mode, once someone enters the monitored area, the lights automatically switch on, followed by the automatic switch on of the air-conditioning. The LightSpot’s hold-off timer prevents the air-conditioning coming on if someone is just paying a brief visit to the monitored area and can be set to delay switching of the air-conditioning by one, three or five minutes.

By delivering not only lighting but also air-conditioning only when needed - when the area is occupied - considerable energy cost savings are made, thanks to Ex-Or LightSpot.

Alternatively, the new MS2021P LightSpot detector can perform emergency-light testing procedures which are initiated very simply, using a hand-held controller. This function is especially useful in smaller buildings, where there is no networked testing system and individual luminaires have to be tested.

The facilities manager or caretaker merely has to point the controller at the detector to start the testing routine. There is no need for manual timing, as this is carried out automatically, so the system is convenient and easy to use. As no hard wiring is needed for the usual key switch to carry out emergency testing, significant installation cost savings are achieved.

Ex-Or LightSpot continues to deliver the traditional benefits of convenience, energy saving, safety, security, reliability and ease of installation. The new functionality offered by the new MS2021P LightSpot presence detector confirms LightSpot’s place as the industry-leading presence detection lighting control.

For more information visit www.ex-or.com

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BOILER OPTIMISER DELIVERS MAJOR ENERGY SAVINGS WITH FAST PAYBACKS - SEPT 2009

Sabien’s M2G patented boiler load optimiser is delivering significant energy savings with fast paybacks in a wide range of projects.

For instance, sites operated by Communities & Local Government (CLG) achieved an average saving of 12% with a projected payback of 1.5 years and anticipated reductions in CO2 emissions of 84 tonnes per annum. The M2G interfaced with the existing Building Management Systems (BMS).

Carmen Boscolo, MITIE’s Sustainability Manager for CLG noted: “Once we collated data from the asset log and provided contact details for facilities managers on each site, Sabien took care of all of the logistics.”

FM provider Serco installed M2G at its own headquarters to address dry cycling (something that building energy management systems do not typically address). Complementing the operation of the BEMS, the M2G system delivered energy savings of 12%, providing a payback in just 68 weeks.

“Many people think a BEMS can control every aspect of a boiler’s operation but this is not the case. The M2G interfaced very smoothly with our BEMS and the two systems now complement each other to maximise energy savings” explained Alan Taylor, Serco’s Technical Manager for Government Integrated Services.

As a result, Serco is now offering M2G to its clients. “It was important that we validated the energy savings M2G could deliver before offering it to our customers,” noted Director of Energy and Sustainability Services Graeme Cameron.

What is M2G?

M2G is an intelligent boiler optimiser retrofitted to commercial boilers regardless of age and size. M2G specifically removes dry cycling, a common problem found in most boiler houses. Dry cycling occurs when boilers stand idle, losing over 5% of their heat to the surroundings i.e. acting as giant radiator. Inevitably, the boiler will fire unnecessarily to overcome these temperature losses and not contribute to the building’s heating demand - therefore, wasting energy.

M2G eliminates dry cycling by analysing the boilers’ firing patterns, measuring and analysing both the return and flow temperatures every 10 seconds. The M2G identifies the dry cycling and prevents the boiler from firing unnecessarily. Any changes to the boilers’ set point via other controls will be picked up by the M2G resulting in no impact to the building’s ambient temperatures.

Sabien’s M2G enables significant energy and CO2 emission reductions to be achieved across multi-site estates and this is combined with end-to-end nationwide project management and hassle-free estate-wide installations.

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TEST DRIVE ERNERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AT ENERGY EVENT 2009 - SEPT 2009

Energy Metering, building management and energy analysis software specialists, t-mac Technologies Ltd, will showcase its carbon footprint reducing technology at this year’s Energy Event at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham (9-10 September).

The t-mac energy management system helps business to identify energy consumption of buildings, manage their carbon footprint and minimise energy waste, via the Internet.

Visitors to the t-mac stand (number 116) will be able to ‘test t-mac’ through a unique interactive touch-screen system. The technology showcases how the system works and demonstrates the array of custom-designed energy dashboards on offer.

Delegates will also be invited to enter a competition to win a t-mac system which can help shave up to 25 per cent off their businesses utility bills. The prize, worth up to £10,000, also includes technical support and a custom designed energy dashboard for a year.

Lisa Wilkinson from t-mac Technologies explains: "Through the application of energy management technology businesses can cut their carbon footprint and increase their green credentials significantly.

“At this year’s Energy Event we are keen to showcase the expansion of our wireless and zigbee technology and the range of energy showcasing dashboards we have on offer. Dashboards range from operation and maintenance manuals and floor plans of energy consumption, to displays used for corporate social responsibility purposes and dashboards to prove that businesses are sticking to government legislation such as Display Energy Certificates.

“By entering our competition visitors will also be in with the chance to see exactly what a t-mac system can do for them. Winning the system and support from the t-mac team for a year will allow the winner to reap the benefits of our energy management expertise and will lead to significant reduction in consumption and financial savings to match.”

The t-mac system operates by gathering energy consumption information from utilities or sources of power such as lighting and air conditioning units. By monitoring and controlling the energy consumption and emissions from these devices businesses can develop a solution for minimising waste and reducing financial outgoings.

Businesses can set criteria on the energy conditions of the chosen equipment via t-mac, for example optimum heating levels and lighting on/off times, to ensure that potential energy sapping devices stay within preset 'carbon friendly' ranges. t-mac can also alert businesses via text message or email when equipment operates outwith preset ranges.

t-mac works via the internet meaning it is fully interactive from any location 24 hours a day, seven days a week, users can log on to the t-mac webpage and turn temperatures gauges up/down, or turn on/off the lights instantly without having to go on site.

t-mac can highlight which equipment is using more energy and why and creates a plan to reduce energy consumption, improve equipment performance and gain best practice techniques.

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NEW APPOINTMENT BRINGS MORE SUPPORT TO EXPANDING BUSINESS - SEPT 2009

ASL Holdings Ltd, a market leader in Machine to Machine (M2M) communications solutions, has added to its wealth of business expertise with the appointment of Iain Warner as its General / Business Development Manager.

Iain brings with him a great deal of relevant experience from within the utility and electronics industries. His existing knowledge of ASLH’s products, applications and markets will be an advantage in driving growth for the business.

Part of Iain’s role is to focus on metering applications within the electricity, water and gas markets and in particular “Smart Metering” as the UK moves towards a likely mandate from Government that will see new technology deployed in every household over the next ten years. He will not only be continuing our existing business relationships but will be developing new partnerships and customer bases as M2M communication technology and applications continue to expand. This will further strengthen ASLH’s position in this competitive market, with its commitment to innovation, fast time to market and first class customer support.

VISIT STAND 104, MANXMAN SUITE – THE ENERGY EVENT 2009

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SABIEN’S M2G ON SHOW AT THE ENERGY EVENT

Managing agent Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is recommending Sabien Technology’s M2G intelligent boiler load optimisers for use on sites and clients’ estates it manages. The M2G will be on show at The Energy Event, stand 56.

JLL’s recommendation follows installation of M2Gs at two offices, resulting in significant energy and carbon emissions savings and a return on investment of just 21 weeks. Mark Bottriell, JLL’s Portfolio Energy Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented: “The energy savings that the M2G can deliver have been fully validated so we now have complete confidence in recommending it to our customers.”

Both buildings where the M2G was installed were already operating building management systems (BMS) but these were not controlling the dry cycling of the boilers caused by standing heat losses from the system.

“In one case the BMS is very sophisticated and it would have been technically possible to have a special program written to control the dry cycling, but it was more time-effective to use an off-the-shelf product, which has potential to integrate fully with existing BMS, particularly when contemplating new programming requirements,” Mark Bottriell observed. “The BMS at the other site, in contrast, was simpler and, in fact, even with already well-optimised boiler sequencing, achieving even further savings with this system is very impressive,” he added.

In both cases, the M2G units achieved a 6% reduction in gas consumption, saving around £21,500 per annum and reducing CO2 emissions by 96 tonnes per annum; the return on investment was just 21 weeks. However, as these measurements were taken during the coldest period for over 20 years, when the energy wastage through dry cycling would have been at a minimum, it’s likely these savings will be even greater.

Indeed, the potential for major savings was shown at another site managed by JLL, the Palm Terrace in California, where M2G units reduced gas consumption for space heating and hot water by 22%.

Another key element in the success of the UK project was the project management, undertaken by Sabien working closely with JLL. “Sabien responded quickly once we got the go-ahead for the pilot from the client and proved to be very flexible in accommodating our requirements. We will now be working in partnership with Sabien as we look to try and roll-out M2G across other candidate sites,” Mark Bottriell concluded.

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ENERGY AWARENESS TRAINING

As it is widely accepted that an era of high energy prices are here to stay, there is little argument not to support a formal policy of increased staff awareness and motivation throughout an organisation to help drive down energy usage levels and overall energy costs.

Although it is possible to automate various processes within an organisation the costs in doing so can prove prohibitive in many cases, therefore a great reliance is still placed on staff to ensure best practice housekeeping is both identified and maintained. Many companies now have a supply chain requirement to ensure their products or services comply with best practice energy management techniques either through ISO14001 agreements or published Carbon Footprints.

However, there are a growing number of UK businesses who are providing their staff with both the skills and knowledge relating to energy use purely to reap the positive financial benefits and improve overall profitability. One of the biggest wins in improving your workforces understanding is that the savings are quickly realised and sustainable with well trained staff being able to manage their own individual energy use.

In many cases, the Utility Forum’s long standing accreditation with the Carbon Trust allows for training programmes to be customised free of charge. This allows training programmes to be developed for presentation to either line staff, section leaders or top level management with no capital expenditure or consultant costs. All training programmes are structured direct to the company’s individual energy usage profile thereby providing a fully bespoke and required solution.

Visit The Utility Forum at The Energy Event 2009 to arrange a free consultation and discuss training possibilities in more detail.

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WHY CAN’T SUPPLIERS JUST SUPPLY?

On Stand 40 at The Energy Event 2009, Power Efficiency will be discussing how and why it has become increasingly difficult for industrial and commercial energy consumers to obtain trade credit.

Power Efficiency says: “In a way, you can’t blame the suppliers. We’re all operating in a ruthlessly credit-averse world. Some of the greatest names in commerce, retail and finance (plus other sectors) have vanished overnight; this has created an atmosphere of inordinate caution. Suppliers are sometimes making long-term contracts difficult and often demand deposits that cause financial strain to their customers.

Through the Energy Credit Action Group, Power Efficiency, is doing something about it.

The group draws together major UK-based companies, energy suppliers, credit insurers, credit managers and credit-rating agencies to work on solutions to overcome this very serious problem.

We manage and procure over £500m of gas and electricity contracts in the UK; we provide a total service package for all aspects of carbon and energy management. Above all, we specialise in saving you money and taking the strain out of your business.

Hands-on and action-driven, we welcome the opportunity to meet with you and throw some light on how to keep the lights on.”

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ENERGY EFFICIENT HEATING + COOLING TECHNOLOGY FROM SPACE AIR

For the 9th year running, Space Air will again be exhibiting at The Energy Event on Stand 84, September 9th and 10th 2009 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.

Space Air will be promoting high-energy efficiency heating and cooling technologies from the market-leading manufacturer, Daikin Europe. Plus the system design assistance, comprehensive after sales support and the large range of complementary accessories exclusive to Space Air.

Space Air will highlight the practical, environmental, energy saving and exceptional efficiency benefits that the entire Daikin product range offers, with many heat pump systems achieving class A energy rated, COP’s.

Representatives on the Space Air stand will also be able to advise on the options and incentives available to enable compliance with the provisions of EU Directive 2037:2000, which bans the use of virgin HCFCs (R22 refrigerant) in A/C and heat pump equipment from the end of this year.

Daikin product development and innovation has taken another leap forward with the latest air cooled inverter heat pump 255kW - 385kW, suitable for commercial / industrial applications for heating / cooling and/or hot water in temperatures as low as -12oC offering maximum running and energy cost savings and substantially reducing CO2 emissions, an alternative to fossil fuel combustion based boilers.

Daikin products feature extensively on the Carbon Trust’s ‘Energy Technologies List’ qualifying for tax breaks in the form of Enhanced Capital Allowances.

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‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ AT THE ENERGY EVENT 2009

EIC is breaking away from the traditional seminar format at this The Energy Event this year by holding informal ‘Ask the Experts’ sessions.

The EIC experts will offer delegates the opportunity to join one-to-one meetings or mini-sessions to discuss important energy issues such as Risk Management, Procurement or Carbon Management over drinks and canapés in the Kirkmichael Suite between 1pm and 2.30pm.

Simon Butterfield, Managing Director at EIC, comments: “Many businesses today are facing tough economic conditions and the right energy advice can make the difference between profit and loss. EIC prides itself on being approachable and flexible, so rather than deliver a formal presentation to our delegates, we want to use this time to speak with as many people as possible and to help them with their individual needs and energy questions.

As I know from speaking with many of our clients, the current extreme economic and competitive conditions are placing huge pressures on UK business. Our team of experts is looking forward to offering visitors market-leading energy advice in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.”

Delegates registering for the sessions in advance of the event can specify their areas of interest, allowing EIC to ensure they have the right experts on hand. EIC energy experts will also be available to answer queries at EIC’s stand - number 238.

To register to attend the Energy Event, visit www.theenergyevent.co.uk. For more information on the “Ask the Experts” sessions please email theenergyevent@eic.co.uk. Specialising in the procurement of electricity and gas, EIC is widely recognised as the leading authority in the provision of energy market information and consultancy. EIC offers seven key services including Risk Management, Portfolio, Procurement, Market Intelligence, Carbon Management, Data Solutions and Water.

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ENCORE ‘ONE TO ONE’ BREAK OUT SESSIONS - JULY 2009

Visitors to The Energy Event will have a unique opportunity to develop their knowledge through a series of ‘one to one’ sessions provided by Encore International, the UK’s leading energy price risk management specialists.

Encore is a key sponsor of The Energy Event and will be passing on a wealth of information and guidance during focused ‘break out sessions’. These are designed to complement the seminar program by providing a ‘one to one’ environment where you can further develop the key themes that interest you.

Encore’s experts will be on hand to help you with topical issues ranging from:

• Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)
• Energy Risk Management
• Credit: The New Energy Procurement Challenge
• Diesel/Fuel Oil Risk Management
• EU-ETS Risk Management and Asset Monetisation
• Renewable Project Investment
• Metals Risk Management and Cost Reduction
• Softs Risk Management and Cost Reduction
• Water Cost Reduction
• Invoice Validation and Strategic Cost Management

Please see the more detailed explanation of the available opportunity set out below. To Book one or more 30 minute one-to-one slots, email events@encore-international.net or call 0845 259 3154, or visit: http://www.encore-international.net/form/consultationbook.html

The Energy Event takes place at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on 9th-10th September 2009

To Register for The Energy Event and a chance to win a Classic Triumph Bonneville T100 with Encore go to The Energy Event’s website at www.theenergyevent.co.uk

Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)
Establish where you are with the CRC, what your likely exposure is and discuss ways to develop methodologies, processes and best practice. Encore Carbon Services will demonstrate your business benefit for CRC clearly and concisely.

Energy Risk Management
Your specific risk management questions answered – we’ll be explaining how to structure a risk management solution within your organization. How will your organization ensure it never again has to face the extreme risk and high market prices experienced last year? See how you can apply risk management to your portfolio and discover the results it would provide.

Credit: The New Energy Procurement Challenge
It is estimated that 8 out of 10 energy tenders is suffering from problems with suppliers securing credit insurance. In a step change that is set to revolutionize the way your organization procures energy its time your organization regained control of this part of your procurement process.

Diesel/Fuel Oil Risk Management
Customer who have been managing their gas and electricity price risk with Encore for more than 18 months have taken on average more than 70% less risk than other consumers in the market and enjoyed energy costs on average more than 20% less than market. Exactly the same principles can be applied to Diesel and Fuel Oil spends.

EU-ETS Risk Management and Asset Monetisation
Manage your EU-ETS proactively. Under the EU ETS scheme you have been handed a free asset which has halved in value in the last 12 months. In order to protect the value of this asset and monetize the commercial opportunity vested within the EU ETS scheme whilst improving your organizations environmental credentials.

Renewable Project Investment
Last year renewable energy investments currently have over a 20% IRR and less than a 4 year simple payback. This year the economics look decidedly worse. Your organization is entering into sub optimal capital investments and rejecting good projects you need to change the way you think about this process. This is the single most value adding opportunity you could do for your portfolio this year; examine the opportunities in the context of your specific situation.

Metals Risk Management and Cost Reduction
Encore customers have been managing energy commodity risk for the last 7 years and are now starting to apply the same successful processes to other commodities in their businesses. Encore Metals provides risk management and corporate governance process to all traded metals.

Softs Risk Management and Cost Reduction
Encore customers have been managing energy commodity risk for the last 7 years and are now starting to apply the same successful processes to other commodities in their businesses. Encore Softs provides risk management to soft commodities such as Vegetable Oils, Cocoa, Coffee and Wheat.

Water Cost Reduction
Water is the last bastion of manual process in the utility space. It is a laborious and specialist area which requires the same diligence with respect to data management and corporate governance as every other area of your business. For dual data entry, full electronic archive of your invoices and query resolution.

Invoice Validation and Strategic Cost Management
Your energy bills are the result of an intricate set of cost calculations and not surprisingly suppliers make mistakes in their calculations. You need to make sure this process is shrouded by proper corporate governance. However more importantly this data management process also shows you where the consumption anomalies are within your portfolio and where the opportunities to influence the cost through behaviour or process improvement are.

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OFGEM GETS POWERPERFECTED - JULY 2009

Ofgem the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets protect consumers of gas and electricity by promoting competition and regulating the monopoly of companies that run the gas and electric networks.

Working on 5 themes for energy sustainability, including energy efficiency, it is Ofgem's role to shape the future of electricity and gas supply in the UK. As a result, the importance for their internal efficiency of their energy usage is paramount. Selecting the best technology in the market demonstrates their commitment to Best Practice.

Kim Pivett, Head of Building Services, Ofgem writes about the powerPerfector installations: "As part of Ofgem's continuing commitment to reducing its impact on the environment two powerPerfector units were installed at its London premises in November 2008. They have now been operating for over 6 months and, from careful analysis of electricity consumption, it is clear that an average reduction in usage of 9.1% has been achieved. This is equivalent to an annual CO2 saving of 165.7 tonnes. The savings in consumption and associated emissions are also going a long way towards helping us achieve our Sustainable Development Action Plan targets.

We are also delighted with the ancillary benefits of powerPerfector, particularly the protection it provides from transients, the extension of equipment life due to reduced strain and reduced kVA demand charges.

Quite apart from the physical positives we are very pleased with the professionalism shown by the powerPerfector team both before and after installation; their enthusiasm for the product, clear presentation of its benefits and full support during the installation itself was all gratefully received."

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ONE-2-ONE CRC ADVICE FROM ENCORE - JULY 2009

Encore International Ltd, leading Energy Risk Management organisation, has created a new part of its business which will focus solely on the Carbon Reduction Commitment. The company will be offering visitors to The Energy Event the chance to discuss the impact of the CRC in relation to their own businesses on a one to one basis.

The three primary CRC participant drivers are reducing risk, reducing cost and maximising performance. Encore will be holding Breakout Sessions set aside from the standard seminar format where visitors can talk one to one with a representative of Encore Carbon Services to discuss where their businesses are with the CRC, what their likely exposure is and how Encore can demonstrate business benefit clearly and concisely.

In addition, Encore will also be hosting a Q & A session chaired by customers with a business experience of dealing with the CRC. This will allow visitors to help develop their methodologies, processes and best practise.

To book your one-2-one session now email energyevent@encore-international.net

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HOW FIT IS YOUR COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM REALLY? - JULY 2009

On stand l38 at The Energy Event 2009, Atlas Copco Compressors will provide visitors with information about its free compressed air system examination service, Health Check. The service is the company’s latest offering in its continuing commitment to keeping energy and production costs down to a minimum.

While it is obvious that a compressed air system operating at peak efficiency saves money, not every operator is aware of exactly how healthy their installation is. Atlas Copco’s Health Check is a free service that doesn’t interfere with production processes and examines the entire air supply system highlighting every energy-consuming feature. Several of Atlas Copco’s customers have already benefited from a Health Check. For example, a uPVC windows and doors manufacturer based in the Midlands is now saving up to 35% of its energy costs thanks to implementing the changes recommended by an Atlas Copco Health Check. Visitors to The Energy Event will be able to discuss their specific needs with an expert and find out how they can benefit.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to see Atlas Copco’s latest energy efficient Variable Speed Drive (VSD) compressors, its next generation in compressor controls – Elektronikon, and find out about the remote monitoring solutions, service plans and finance schemes that the company offers.

The hardware on display at The Energy Event includes a GA VSD compressor that embodies the energy-efficient technology that is the primary feature of Atlas Copco’s family of VSD WorkPlace rotary screw compressors. The range produces air from 4 to 13 bar, 50Hz performance, offers a flow range from 5.9 to 845 l/s (13 to 1810 cfm) and means reduced energy costs and precise pressure control for the smaller compressed air user.

Also on show will be the new generation of compressor controls – the Elektronikon graphical display controller and the integrated Energy Saving (ES) Systems ES4/6i, which are significant contributors to further increasing compressed air efficiency, resulting in lower operating costs. Elektronikon also provides free online visualisation which enables remote monitoring, allowing for the anticipation of operating and maintenance needs.

Other major attractions on the stand include: AIRScan™, a highly accurate, independent airnet survey report system designed to pinpoint any energy drains and AIRConnect™, an automated 24/7 Internet-based remote monitoring system for multiple stationary compressor installations that is designed to monitor, measure and manage an entire compressed air network to help improve productivity.

Additionally available will be information on Atlas Copco’s choice of Service Plans, the latest compressed air energy-saving CD, plus attractive finance schemes that offer high quality compressor ownership without the initial capital outlay.

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SIMPLIFIED CLASSROOM LIGHTING CONTROL - JULY 2009

Lighting management specialists Ex-Or have developed a truly intelligent, programmable lighting control connection centre to meet the needs of the modern school classroom.

The new CDW12U5-C CD (Connect Digital) Box takes plug-in installation – with all its time and cost-saving advantages – to a new level. Because the intelligence is in the CD Box itself, it is supremely flexible. Outputs can be ‘bound together’ in any combination of dimming and switching configurations – all via the software without any hard-wiring choices needing to be made.

Setting up the system couldn’t be simpler: a hand-held infrared programmer is all that is needed. There are even pre-set programming patterns to suit typical classroom requirements available as templates.

The classroom has become an extremely sophisticated environment in terms of delivering light. Factors such as classroom size, occupancy patterns, the increasing use of interactive whiteboards and projection equipment as teaching aids, and the balance of natural and artificial light, all need to be taken into account to ensure the most appropriate lighting control solution is provided.

Delivering this level of sophistication can be a wiring nightmare in terms of installation and pose complications to the end user who subsequently wants to reconfigure it to best suit their own classroom environment.

But by using the school classroom CD Box, it is a simple matter to configure the lighting to take into account the position of luminaires and the rows, or zones, in which the students are working in the classroom and all absence detection and presence detection needs.

For example, it can be configured to reap the maximum benefit from levels of natural light by ensuring the rows of luminaires nearest the windows automatically dim or switch off when artificial light is not necessary. Or, it can be configured so that all classroom lights are automatically dimmed or disabled except for whiteboard illumination.

As classroom layouts and configurations can change, it is a simple process to reconfigure the lighting setup at any time, again by using Ex-Or’s hand-held infrared programming technology.

• Direct connection and control of up to 12 luminaires
• Six independently switched or dimmed channels
• Digital DSI or DALI dimming outputs
• Channels can be programmably bound in any combination to make larger groups
• 5 x SELV PIR and/or microwave presence detector inputs and 5 x SELV switch inputs
• Wirelessly enabled option for 2 x 2-way batteryless wireless switches with programmable functions
• Mechanically locked luminaire plug-and-socket arrangement
• Infrared programmable directly to box or via any connected detector
• 4-wire mains input as standard for emergency test maintained live with removable link for 3-wire installations.

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EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF INFRARED - JULY 2009

FLIR’s focus is added value infrared. Its latest generation B-Series infrared cameras come with a range of new features providing easy access to new applications. And these hardware developments are complemented by the brand new Reporter™ Building software that allows energy savings to be quantified in a professional report. Reporter™ Building is a plug-in module for the industry leading Reporter™ software. It enables the user to add a wide variety of information such as energy costs, temperature and humidity data from third party equipment and process this to quantify energy loss per square metre. The module comes with a host of pre-configured templates for the production of standard air tightness test, energy declaration analysis and energy loss reports.

Panorama image building is one of these great new features. An on-screen grid allows a series of consecutive shots to be collated into a single image. What makes this so clever however is that every pixel on the image is transferred with its own radiometric data – an ability unique to FLIR. Now large buildings and complex structures can be analysed as a single entity rather than from multiple images. Panorama is also greatly superior to using a wide angle lens that can lose definition as it increases the field of view.

While the Panorama feature has been introduced in both the T and P range of cameras, unique to the 640x480 format series is the contrast optimisation function. This allows users to take advantage of the extensive image processing expertise within FLIR Systems to enhance the image and in particular the low thermal contrast images normally found in the built environment. Higher quality detail is achieved by optimising the contrast around specific features within an image, filtering out the dominant effect of high or low value signals. This ensures important features that would be lost by other cameras are clearly visible by FLIR.

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LIQUIDITY IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN IN UK ELECTRICITY MARKET - JULY 2009

Amid mounting concern over competitiveness in the UK retail energy sector, industry regulator Ofgem launched an investigation early last year into the gas and electricity supply markets. Having pinpointed the level of liquidity in the wholesale electricity market as a significant cause of contention, Ofgem recently published a follow-up report. The Energy Brokers Ltd [TEBL] outline the key assumptions put forward for consultation.

Defined as the ability to buy and sell a product quickly without causing a significant change in its price, liquidity is a vital gauge of a wholesale market’s health and with some 70 per cent of end-user electricity bills derived from wholesale costs, it also has considerable implications for the retail sector. Ultimately, a lack of liquidity acts as barrier for new suppliers to enter the market, which in the long run could have detrimental repercussions for energy consumers.

The UK’s wholesale gas market is the most liquid in Europe, with the volume of gas traded representing approximately nine times physical consumption. In contrast, electricity traded volumes are markedly lower, with contracts typically changing hands just three times before delivery.

The collapse of US firm Enron in December 2001 and the withdrawal of numerous other market participants was largely responsible for setting into motion declining liquidity in the UK power market. Vertical integration by the ‘Big Six’ suppliers has exacerbated the situation; the ability to source much of their retail energy requirement internally reduces the necessity to trade on the wholesale market, hampering liquidity. Ofgem also identified numerous other factors including current trading arrangements, a lack of interconnection with continental markets and credit issues.

Ofgem’s willingness to wait and see whether industry can make significant strides in bolstering power market liquidity reflects its desire to find a market-based solution. Thus far, existing solutions have had little impact, however, forcing the regulator to put forward a raft of its own suggestions. Ofgem has not ruled out the possibility of breaking up vertically integrated companies, but given wide-ranging effects favours alternatives such as obliging generators to auction a proportion of their output on the wholesale market.

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) are the experts in procurement and risk management for industrial and commercial energy users, contracting close to £1 billion of gas and electricity each year. If you would like to discuss how TEBL’s expertise can save your business money, visit the company on stand 190 at The Energy Event.

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FREE SMART METERS HELP OPUS CUSTOMERS REDUCE ENERGY USAGE AND COSTS - JUNE 2009

Opus Energy, a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has expanded its portfolio of smart meter providers through a new partnership with Stark. The deal will help Opus Energy continue to fulfil its commitment to its business customers by providing smart meters free of charge.

The Stark contract, along with existing IMServ and Bglobal plc (AIM: BGBL) agreements includes the delivery of electricity smart metering, remote data collection and meter operations for Opus Energy’s customers.

Opus Energy is the first energy company to make smart meters available to all its customers free of charge. Smart meters allow businesses to proactively manage their electricity consumption, by providing accurate up to date meter readings. Customers can then choose to streamline their energy usage, saving costs and reducing their carbon footprint.

Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that smart meter technology has the potential to save UK SMEs £300million every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year – equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Bristol.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director of Opus Energy said: “Our long term ambition is to ensure all our customers have smart meters installed and in order to do this we need to make sure we have the capacity at our fingertips. By expanding our portfolio of smart meter providers, we now have strengthened our ability to roll them out faster. Although we are the first company to make smart meters available to customers at no cost, we also want to make sure we maintain this competitive advantage. We anticipate the demand in smart meters will continue to increase, especially following the government’s recent support for this technology to be installed domestically throughout the UK.

Howard Stark, Managing Director at Stark said: “We recently extended our portfolio of accredited data collection services to include a smart metering service and are delighted that Opus Energy is one our first customers. We have a strong record of developing and marketing a range of innovative data management products that help organisations cut energy waste, reduce energy expenditure and meet their carbon reduction commitments. Introducing a smart metering market product was a natural step and we are excited to be rolling out our service to many of Opus Energy’s customers.”

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EX-OR MLS DIGITAL - NOW WITH PC INTERFACE - JUNE 2009

The addition of a web-based PC interface to MLS Digital, Ex-Or’s building-wide managed lighting system, offers users greater operational interactivity with the ability to monitor occupancy via a dynamic visual display.

Designed to deliver energy savings while enhancing the lit environment, MLS Digital operates via a network of communicating detectors which constantly monitor presence and levels of ambient light to provide zoned lighting tailored to the occupants’ needs.

Ex-Or have always made much of the fact that MLS Digital does not need a centralised computer and is therefore much simpler to install and more reliable in operation. No overall breakdown is possible and there is no fiddling about matching up pre-addressed components on a computerised master plan.

So is this a U-turn? “Not at all,” says Ex-Or general manager, John Forsyth. “The new PC interface just increases the functionality of MLS Digital by providing additional tools for those who need them. The system is still commissioned using the hand-held programmer and its menu of programmable features. Settings are uploaded to detectors (or downloaded for checking) just by pointing and pressing. They can be changed again whenever required – without having to access a complicated computer programme or incurring expensive re-commissioning costs.

“The introduction of the PC interface shows that we listen which is one of our strengths. Product development over the last 25 years has been driven by customer feedback, resulting in a range that delivers real-world solutions. We have found that some managers want the ability to interrogate the MLS system, to be able to see what’s going on and to use the information for simple reporting - this allows them to do just that.”

The PC interface delivers a real-time on-screen display of current lighting status. The dynamic visual display - a CAD plan of their own building which shows where individual detectors are located and what zones have been set up - can be panned and zoomed on screen. This provides an overview of occupancy on a zone-by-zone basis from which the system can generate reports so that total occupancy hours for each zone can be accumulated.

It is a web-based system; the on-screen display of occupancy can be accessed from a PC anywhere in the world.

Further enhancements to the new MLS-PC interface will shortly bring further interactivity with the ability to operate lights centrally on a zone-by-zone basis and to initiate lighting scenes remotely. It will also feature a time scheduler and will interface with a BMS running on popular protocols such as BACnet and Lonworks.

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REAL TIME THERMAL IMAGING OF POORLY INSULATED HOMES - JUNE 2009

Every lamp post, telephone box and even manhole cover in the UK has a grid reference. And it’s this level Ordnance Survey detail that has allowed the Bedford-based thermal imaging specialist Thermascan to develop a ground breaking mobile, energy-loss detection system. It will be employed to scan many of the UK’s 24 million homes, 40% of which will be eligible to free or subsidised insulation. Based on a FLIR SC620 thermal imaging camera, it determines whether the property needs loft or cavity wall insulation, or both, enabling an energy advisor to discuss the findings with the owner.

Working for the Energy Saving Partnership, Thermascan has designed the complete HeatSeekers concept. It comprises a specially adapted estate car that houses the navigation, thermal imaging and analysis systems. A fleet of these bespoke vehicles will soon be on the road, each with the ability to assess the insulation condition of more than 1,000 properties an hour. Operating at night and during the heating season, the multi-technology imaging system determines the address of each property and produces an energy efficiency verdict which is attached to a thermal image.

This cutting-edge system which is now the subject of patent registration naturally requires a high calibre thermal camera that is able to record images as the vehicle travels at between 10 – 15 mph. The FLIR SC620 is a portable uncooled camera that is primarily designed for scientific applications. “Vital to this application is the camera’s Firewire digital output enabling us to conduct real-time analysis of the property images,” explained system designer, Dave Blain. “It also has a 640 x 480 detector that provides the high resolution we need to capture as much detail as possible.”

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BEWARE THE RISKS OF DELAYING ENERGY RENEWALS - JUNE 2009

Many organisations are still unaware that they can renew gas and electricity contracts well in advance of their existing contract end dates. At present, wholesale energy prices are extremely low compared to the record highs witnessed last summer. Since a peak in July 2008, prices have fallen back by over 50 per cent, largely due to the slowdown in global economies.

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) are advising their clients that now is the right time to secure a price in order to take advantage of current market rates, especially for those with renewals due in the next 12 months or so. In fact, a large proportion of TEBL’s clients with fixed-price fixed-term contracts have already taken advantage of the current marketplace by deciding to ‘lock in’ prices now for a 2 – 3 year term.

Predictions as to when global economies will pick up are still extremely uncertain; however, once clear signs of a recovery emerge, prices are expected to rise swiftly in anticipation of increased demand. Production cuts by OPEC have so far prevented prices falling even further, and once confidence in the global markets improves, energy prices have the potential to move back towards the high levels seen in the summer of 2008.

Although some companies continue to delay the renewal of energy contracts in the hope of further price falls, gas and electricity prices have hit a fairly steady floor over the last 2 months; in fact there are signs that energy values may start to pick up soon. Historically speaking, leaving energy renewals until the last minute has rarely proved beneficial in terms of achieving the ‘best’ price.

The months ahead will already be tough for businesses battling recession, and therefore TEBL’s advice would be to look to review energy contracts as a matter of priority, as delaying could be a riskier option than taking advantage of the current wholesale market.

The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL) are experienced in procurement and risk management for industrial and commercial energy users, contracting close to £1 billion of gas and electricity each year. If you would like to discuss how TEBL’s expertise can save your business money, visit the company on stand 190 at The Energy Event.

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WALTER MEIER LAUNCHES ‘PHASE OUT’ ADVISORY SERVICE -June 2009

Walter Meier (Climate UK) has launched a comprehensive service to help building operators identify the most appropriate and cost-effective solution to the challenge of the imminent HCFC phase out in line with EC Regulation 2037/2000.

"Owners of chillers using HCFC refrigerants such as R22 or R123 will need to decide very soon whether they are going to replace those chillers or retrofit an alternative refrigerant,” notes Walter Meier managing director Mike Slattery. “This is a complex area that will depend on many parameters – and will benefit from our specialist knowledge of supplying, upgrading and maintaining chillers. And because we offer all of these services we can provide impartial advice with no hidden agenda," he continues.

Use of virgin HCFCs will be banned from the 1st January 2010 and this ban will be extended to recycled HCFCs by 2015. There are concerns that there may be a shortage of recycled HCFCs during this period.

"If building operators leave this decision too long they are in danger of making a hasty, and possibly inappropriate, decision that doesn’t deliver best value to their organisation and could lead to unplanned capital expenditure. Consequently we are urging end users with HCFC chillers to contact us now for a no-obligation assessment of their chiller plant, which will address the immediate phase out concerns and their ongoing obligations under the F-Gas Regulations," adds Mike Slattery.

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CHECK THE SMALL PRINT, URGES ENERGY CONSULTANCY EIC - JUNE 2009

EIC, an energy consultancy, is advising businesses to check their energy contracts as two recession-led trends emerge. Tighter credit controls are being used by energy suppliers to assess the financial stability of customers and a clause known as Take or Pay is being enforced by energy suppliers to compensate for the reduced demand seen as a consequence of the economic downturn.

In the current recession credit ratings are being more closely monitored than ever before. It is important for companies to be aware that suppliers may now undertake a series of checks in the run up to contract renewals. In fact, some suppliers now consider entire sectors high risk, such as the automotive industry, which automatically lowers an organisation’s credit score. In extreme circumstances a low credit rating may result in a supplier terminating the contract.

For businesses experiencing financial difficulty, EIC can negotiate with a supplier to help ease the situation. For example, a signed guarantee from a parent company or a security deposit equivalent to between two and three months of supply revenue may offer an acceptable solution. Suppliers may also be amenable to weekly rather than monthly payments, enabling them to identify payment problems more quickly. EIC recommends that organisations keep their energy suppliers informed of any changes that may affect their credit score so that all possible solutions can be explored.

Take or Pay is a previously overlooked clause found in the terms and conditions of some energy supply contracts and serves to secure a commitment to an annual minimum/maximum consumption level, typically 80-120% of anticipated demand. Essentially, this means that companies experiencing a significant drop in gas consumption during the term of their agreement may still be charged for the volume agreed in their contract, even if it has not been used.

To avoid any penalty, organisations with Take or Pay in the terms of their contract should maintain regular communication with their supplier so they can be informed of any changes to projected gas consumption. There are still some suppliers that do not currently include a Take or Pay clause in their contracts so any business concerned about the term is advised to investigate an alternative provider at renewal.

If you would like to find out more about how EIC can help your business, please visit them at The Energy Event in September.

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RETROFIT ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING SAVES PUBLIC SECTOR £1MILLION

Energy-efficient lighting specialist, Energys Ltd, has helped public sector organisations to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions on a massive scale – slashing their electricity bills by more than £1million.

Latest figures from Energys, an exhibitor at this year’s The Energy Event, have revealed that the public sector is on target to make considerable cost savings, due to improved energy efficiency in its fluorescent lighting. Energys has helped a wide range of organisations – from police constabularies to NHS hospitals – to make the switch to low-energy lighting. Since the use of its retrofit e-ballast, ‘Save It Easy®’, allows new-generation lamps to be used with the existing light fittings, the capital costs have been lowered, allowing for greater financial savings.

Installation of new-generation triphosphor lighting, using Save It Easy, reduces energy use on lamps by between 34% and 56% (depending on the size of lamp being used). By installing low-energy lighting with Save It Easy, Alder Hey Children’s Trust – just one of the organisations that Energys has worked with – will achieve a projected £567,383 total energy saving, with carbon savings of 4,090 tonnes.

For hospitals like Alder Hey, limiting the disruption of service users and upholding sustainability practises are of paramount importance. Because Save It Easy allows the existing fittings to remain in use, dust and disturbance is lessened, since there is no need to rip out and replace fittings, and a significant amount of plastic and metal is diverted from landfill.

Aidan Salter, Managing Director of Energys, comments: “We will be exhibiting at stand 74 at the Energy Event in Birmingham, which is an important opportunity to help organisations understand the benefits of energy efficiency. Not only is it a sound cost-cutting strategy, but it also reduces an organisation’s carbon footprint. I hope other organisations with be inspired by the public sector’s £1million savings and investigate their options for energy-efficient lighting.”

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QUANTIFY ENERGY SAVINGS IN PROFESSIONAL REPORT

Infrared is the ideal tool for pinpointing energy loss. It’s quick, easy, safe and highly cost-effective. With the launch of the new FLIR Reporter™ Building software FLIR now adds considerable value to its proven infrared camera package.

The FLIR Reporter™ Building works as a plug-in to the existing FLIR Reporter™ 8.3 software. It provides advanced analysis of building applications and is therefore aimed at professional thermographers in this sector. In addition to extended energy audit/declaration analysis and analysis & reporting of air tightness and insulation deficiency, this software quickly provides cost estimation of energy loss.

Together the software packages allow the infrared camera to visualise building problems such as air infiltration, insulation defects, thermal bridges and moisture build-up and present the findings in a comprehensive report. New and unique features enable energy loss over time to be quantified and potential savings to be estimated in an instant.

Product highlights include the new image grid/area quantifying function that gathers measurement data within a highlighted area and sensor/data logging tools.

The new panorama feature stitches images together to present a large structure as a single image or to increase resolution. All radiometric data is retained as the composite image is created.

Image selection on this new release is also faster and more efficient and a range of image editing options is provided.

FLIR Reporter™ Building introduces 12 professional report templates to speed up the process of report generation. These include Energy Cost that calculates thermal index, R/U-value and total heat transfer, Humidity Inspection for dew points and Air Tightness for thermal insulation. The software also allows pages from different templates to be called into a tailored report.

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REDUCE YOUR UTILITY BILLS WITH MCKINNON & CLARKE

McKinnon & Clarke, an independent consultancy which advises companies on reducing their utility bills and carbon footprint, will be exhibiting at The Energy Event taking place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on 9th-10th September. One of the largest purchasers of energy in the UK, M&C believes that many companies underestimate the complexity of energy purchasing and this could leave industry and public sector bodies exposed to spiralling prices.

M&C’s Chairman, Simon Northrop, said: “The era of cheap energy is over and energy purchasing is under spotlight. Responsible businesses understand the complexities and risks associated with purchasing energy and are turning to experts, like ourselves, to mitigate costs.

“Energy is a global business which is why we have market analysts in over twenty countries providing local and regional market expertise. This, combined with close monitoring of the markets, allows us make informed decisions. It is unrealistic to expect an in-house team to have access to this level of information. “Energy is a dynamic market. New participants, such as banks, hedge funds and speculators, have created more competition and we have seen a raft of new financial products emerge – some better than others - which adds to the complexity.

“Traditional risks, such as weather, capacity margins, storage, geopolitical factors and taxation policy affect both volatility and price movements. Increasingly, however, companies face greater financial risks such as price, credit, liquidity risk and regulatory risk as they seek ways to manage their exposures and contain costs.”

By scrutinising the complex energy and utilities markets, recovering over-payments and identifying ways of reducing energy consumption, M&C believes the vast majority of UK companies could make significant cuts to both energy prices and carbon emissions.

Simon Northrop: “Energy is one market where scale makes a difference. We buy energy in bulk at the very best market prices available. This means our clients benefit from savings, greater efficiency and profitability.”

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SIMPLE ENERGY SAVING WITH DANLERS TIME LAG SWITCHES

A range of indoor and outdoor electronic time lag switches will be among the many products on display from UK manufacturer DANLERS Ltd at The Energy Event in September.

Time lag switches are ideal for saving energy in stairwells, store rooms, student accommodation, smoking shelters and many other public spaces. They work like a normal switch, turning the load on when the button is pressed. However, the load is automatically turned off after a time period has elapsed, thus saving energy by ensuring lighting, or other loads, are not left on unnecessarily.

The time lag settings are adjustable, and being electronic, are consistent and reliable. The switches are easy to install, using the existing wiring and can be used with any lighting or heating loads up to 1500W.

The range of time lag switches available from DANLERS includes; indoor switches which are available with or without an illuminated push button, smaller modular versions suitable for MK Grid Plus, Crabtree grids or Eurodata plates and outdoor switches with an IP rating of 54.

Other DANLERS products being exhibited at The Energy Event will include; PIR Occupancy switches, Photocell switches, Daylight linked dimmers, Dimmer switches. Security switches, HVAC controls and Radio remote controls.

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NEW CONTROLS CAN REDUCE COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY COSTS BY 30%

Atlas Copco Compressors has introduced the next generation in compressor controls across its oil-injected screw compressors range 11-90 kW GA/GA+/GA VSD. The new Elektronikon graphical display controller and the integrated Energy Saving (ES) Systems ES4/6i, are significant contributors to further increasing compressed air efficiency, resulting in lower operating costs. In addition, free online visualisation enables remote monitoring, allowing for anticipation of operating and maintenance needs.

Atlas Copco has combined its expertise and knowledge to launch the fifth generation Elektronikon graphical display controller (installed as standard on the GA+/GA VSD) while expanding the Energy Saving (ES) System to control, with the ES6i, up to six variable speed drive or fixed speed compressors simultaneously.

The Elektronikon graphical display controller is a colour display, housed on the compressor, that shows several compressor and dryer parameters while built-in algorithms automatically implement energy saving cycles for both fan and dryer. Additional features such as dual pressure band and timer-based controls enable Atlas Copco to maximize energy savings by matching the operating pressure to air demand.

The optionally integrated Energy Saving Control System, ES6i, is capable of regulating and sequencing up to six variable or fixed speed compressors; while optimising the customer’s installation by reducing the overall working pressure band of each compressor to meet the varying air demand. The possibility to manage up to six variable speed compressors with one integrated controller (up to four compressors with the ES4i) reduces installation costs while minimising energy and maintenance costs through reduced pressure band. Depending on the compressor configuration and air demand, the improved ES control system can reduce yearly running costs up to 30%.

Developing the fifth generation Elektronikon Graphical display controller, Atlas Copco’s engineers focused on the importance of a user friendly interface. Clear and easy communication keeps the user informed about the operating condition of the unit therefore reducing operation and maintenance cost.

The hardware innovations include a new human machine interface with durable keyboard and a user-friendly navigation system. The Elektronikon® graphical display controller has a high quality 3,5” colour display. The built-in web-server technology is a standard feature with no additional cost providing, through Ethernet communication, instant online compressor status visualisation. The graphic visualisation provides service intervals in real time and displays a graphical service plan assisting in preventive maintenance. Customers can select one of 32 languages while all registered data is stored for later use. The optional AIRConnect allows for remote or local monitoring (through the phone or wireless internet connection) for additional on- or offline readings.

The Atlas Copco oil-injected screw compressor with its highly efficient components (compressor element, coolers, motor), provides premium performance both in free air delivery and specific energy requirement. Coupled with superior controls, overall efficiency is increased further by complete system optimisation which results in reduced operating costs.

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MORE BUSINESSES NOW AFFECTED FOLLOWING CRC UPDATE

The Department of Energy and Climate Change [DECC] and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [DEFRA], responsible for overseeing the Carbon Reduction Commitment [CRC] have recently published a Draft Order and User Guide, which are effectively an update on the legislative details of the CRC. TheEnergyBrokers Ltd [TEBL] explain the most important changes below.

Aside from the directive’s start date, which has moved from January to April 2010 to coincide with the financial year, the most prominent development we saw from the government’s recent draft regulations is that more firms than previously envisaged will in some way be affected by the CRC. Essentially, any firm with at least one half-hourly meter [HHM] settled on the half-hourly market, but whose electricity consumption falls below the 6,000 megawatt hours [MWh] per year threshold, will be required to make a web-based ‘information disclosure’ listing all HHMs to the Environment Agency during the registration period. Moreover, businesses that exceed 3,000 MWh per year in the 2008 qualification period are also obliged to disclose their total annual electricity from HHMs. It has also emerged that, in addition to the broad spectrum of businesses already encompassed by the CRC, all schools and universities will now be covered by the scheme.

Businesses must budget well ahead for ‘double sale’ of carbon allowances Critically, there will be no sale of carbon allowances in 2010, the first year of the scheme. Instead, a double sale will take place in April 2011 with companies required to purchase allowances retrospectively to cover the preceding Financial Year 2010/2011 and for projected emissions for the financial year ahead. Revenue will eventually be recycled back to participants – plus or minus a bonus/penalty – come October 2011, but this double sale clearly raises cash flow implications for UK firms. Under DEFRA’s rolling average conversion rate, participants that consume the minimum 6,000 MWh/y for CRC qualification would, for instance, be required to purchase CO2 allowances totalling some £77,000 in this first auction phase. TEBL’s advice to all businesses affected by the CRC is therefore to plan and budget ahead for this as much as possible to ensure they are not subject to the financial penalties imposed for missing the key deadlines.

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WALTER MEIER INTRODUCES WOLF AIR HANDLING RANGE

Represented on the Walter Meier stand at the Energy Event will be the innovative Wolf KG Top range of air handling units in the UK.

The KG/KGW Top range is completely new to the market and has been specifically designed to address the increasingly stringent energy performance requirements for building services plant.

Across its 16 sizes, ranging from 2,100 m3/h to 100,000 m3/h, Wolf KG/KGW units combine high performance and low energy consumption with sensible pricing and low cost of ownership. As such, they go far beyond the need to comply with standards and directives to encompass every detail of a project, from maximising design flexibility and optimising component sizes – right through to remarkable ease of installation and maintenance.

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DANLERS TECHNOLOGY SAVES ENERGY SIMPLY

Passive infra-red (PIR) occupancy switches detect the movement of people within their vicinity and the lighting is switched on and off accordingly. Each model in DANLERS’ range includes a passive infra-red quad person detector, an adjustable time lag before switch off, an adjustable photocell override and a relay for switching up to 6 amps (1500W) of any type of load, including fluorescent lights and fans. The time lag and photocell settings have straightforward spindle adjustments.

The range of passive infra-red occupancy switches available from DANLERS includes: ceiling flush mounted PIR’s, which are designed to fit into false or plasterboard ceilings; surface mounted PIR’s, which are suitable for solid ceilings, wall mounted PIR’s; ideal for smaller rooms and offices and long range directional PIR’s, which are suitable for installation in corridors or in the aisles of storage facilities.

DANLERS manufacture a comprehensive range of passive infra-red occupancy switches for automatic lighting control. The products are easy to install, using the existing wiring in a building. They are ideal for energy saving in offices, factories, warehouses, hospitals, schools, leisure centres, corridors, toilets, etc.

Other DANLERS products being exhibited at the Energy Event include; Photocell switches, Daylight linked dimmers, Time lag switches, Dimmer switches. Security switches, HVAC controls and Radio remote controls.

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TAKING CONTROL OF BOILER DRY CYCLING

It is a well accepted fact that many boilers used for space heating and hot water undergo ‘dry cycling’ – where they fire to compensate for standing heat losses from the boiler without actively contributing to the building’s heating and hot water demand. And this can occur even when a BMS or BEMS is in place.

Sabien Technology’s M2G intelligent boiler load optimiser, which will be on show at the Energy Event, is able to recognise and identify dry cycling by monitoring the boiler’s thermal response to changing loads every 10 seconds. Two digital temperature probes measure and monitor the boiler flow and return temperatures. The onboard software calculates the temperature gradient over time and determines when the boiler should fire for true building/heating demand and when it should remove/inhibit unnecessary boiler firing and energy consumption.

Sabien’s work in this area shows that intelligent boiler optimisation control will deliver typical energy and carbon savings of 10% to 25% (depending on site conditions and applications) to give a payback of between six months and two years. For example, at Norwich Union the M2G delivered savings of up to 17%, while for O2 the same technology saved up to 27% on boiler energy consumption. These savings are over and above those achieved by other systems such as BMS/BEMS or weather compensation controllers.

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EVERY PIXEL TELLS A STORY

Building up a series of thermal images into a single composite is a great way of seeing energy loss from a big object such as a process vessel or indeed an industrial site. It’s certainly been an ability of FLIR cameras for many years but now those clever people in Sweden have taken this application several steps further and chalked up another industry first.

Panorama moves the concept of image building from being a software feature to one embedded in the hardware. And it is easier, slicker and more intelligent than its forerunner.

An on-screen grid allows images to be dragged, dropped and automatically overlayed into a composite image. What makes this so clever however is that every pixel on the image is transferred with its own radiometric data. This is a unique ability for FLIR cameras. So, regardless of the eventual image size, accurate temperature measurement is assured and the enlarged image retains its JPEG format.

This naturally opens up opportunities for new applications that can be accommodated without the need to invest in a wide angle lens. However, for applications that are best served by a wide-angle lens this is also available on FLIR energy management infrared cameras.

FLIR is still the only infrared manufacturer to develop and turn its own lenses. These products are not model specific and therefore the company is able to pass on the cost benefit of volume production to its customers.

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EIC WARNS BUSINESSES: ‘THE ROLLERCOASTER RIDE ISN’T OVER - APRIL 2009

For businesses still recovering from the intense energy market volatility of 2008, the effects of one of the worst recessions in memory have served as a double blow. With economic uncertainty set to continue, leading energy consultancy EIC is warning businesses to be prepared for further shockwaves in the energy market.

The recession continues to play a major part in determining energy prices, supply and stability. Oil markets are inextricably linked to the global stock market and, with gas and power prices closely mirroring oil, a ripple effect is felt throughout the energy sector each time the stock market fluctuates.

The economic downturn has also affected investment, particularly in the oil and gas sectors. As the worldwide fall in demand for energy reduces the urgency for investment in plant equipment and pipelines, many exploration projects have either been postponed or cancelled. Failure to invest now could mean we see prices rocket as soon as economic recovery takes effect, as suppliers struggle to meet the renewed demand without the necessary infrastructure to deliver. Without investment, we could see severe shortages – and soaring prices – within five years.

OPEC’s attempt to battle the recession and boost weak oil prices by reducing output has had little effect so far. With demand falling faster than the cartel can cut production, the race is on to get all member countries to comply with the latest round of cuts before another can be implemented, yet this is unlikely to happen before the next OPEC meeting in May. Only time will tell if OPEC or the recession prove to be the stronger force.

Looking further ahead, the main event for the energy sector in 2009 will be the Copenhagen Environmental Summit in November/December, when major powers will come together to discuss an international emissions reduction treaty. The future of the world’s low carbon economy and energy sector will be irrevocably shaped by the outcome of the meeting. With no global framework in place to succeed the Kyoto Protocol post-2012, the pressure is on to agree targets now. But this will be no mean feat, particularly as representatives will be acutely aware of the impact that emission reduction targets will have on the ability of their industries to recover quickly post-recession.

It’s clear that, until the global economy stabilises, energy will continue to be one of the most volatile commodity markets in the world. In this environment it pays to be prepared and businesses that develop coordinated procurement and risk management strategies will be shielded from the worst of the storm.

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LUNCHING AND LEARNING ABOUT COMPRESSED AIR - APRIL 2009

Atlas Copco Compressors is furthering in-depth understanding of compressed air through its innovative ‘lunch and learn’ series of events. Engineers, technicians and energy managers can gain a valuable insight into every aspect of a compressed air system, such as energy-saving techniques, by attending one of the events which are held at their own organisation’s site.

A typical example of a ‘lunch and learn’ event was held recently at the Sellafield Visitor Centre in Cumbria. It saw nearly fifty process and site services engineers from British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) attend the morning and afternoon seminar sessions and enjoy a complimentary buffet lunch with the chance to speak, in detail, with specialists from Atlas Copco.

Delegates on this occasion were introduced to the benefits of compressed air system energy audits and leak detection, the savings made possible with variable speed drive equipment, the contribution of optimised control systems, and the utility of on-site nitrogen generation.

Speaking about the events, John Forman, Communications Manager from Atlas Copco said, “The on-site location of the lunch and learn events makes them particularly effective. Attendees can make very efficient use of time as our compressed air specialists are able to provide application-specific information.”

If you would be interested in a lunch and learn event please contact: john.forman@uk.atlascopco.com

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OPUS SIGNS HALFORDS AS 50,000th SITE - APRIL 2009

Opus Energy, the independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has recently signed Halfords (HFD), bringing the total number of UK business sites it supplies up to 50,000.

Now the largest electricity supplier to UK businesses outside the Big Six, Opus Energy has expanded further in the last 12 months:

• Electricity supplied to an extra 10,000 UK business sites in the last 12 months
• 26% year on year growth

Halfords has entered into a two year contract with Opus Energy, with the supply starting in April 2009. Opus Energy will provide 52GWh to the bicycle and motoring specialist chain, across 440 sites.

Opus Energy is attracting a growing number of large corporate customers through the development of a unique wholesale purchasing platform, Opus Evolution.

Opus Evolution gives companies control of their energy purchasing strategies, enabling them to choose how much energy they purchase and when. For example, in a volatile market companies using Opus Evolution have the flexibility to purchase a smaller percentage of their total energy demand over a number of purchases rather than being restricted to one buying opportunity per year. Opus Evolution offers an alternative to a fixed price contract for the first time to this sector,

Andy Taylor, Commercial Manager at Halfords said: “Opus Evolution will be a very useful tool for us. We can control our energy purchasing across the whole portfolio, but also monitor the consumption levels at each site using the online reporting tool. This is really key for us as a retail company with a large number of active sites to manage.”

Steve James, Commercial Director for Opus Energy said: “We’ve drawn on extensive retail sector experience to provide a tailored solution for Halfords. Opus Evolution will give Halfords control over their energy needs and projected spend, but we as a team can also help them on a day to day basis. They will benefit from a single point of contact at Opus to simplify account management, and as Halfords are a growing company we can help by quickly connecting new sites to their expanding portfolio.”

On the news that Opus Energy is now supplying 50,000 business sites across the UK, Charlie Crossley Cooke, MD and founder of Opus Energy said: “It’s fantastic to reach this landmark. Customers are our core business and we re-sign a very high number of our accounts as a result of a focus on excellent customer service. We’ve grown the Opus Energy business by listening to our customers’ needs and finding solutions. The Opus Evolution product is a great example of this - a unique answer to a market wide problem. It is this type of innovation which will help us continue to expand into 2009.”

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EX-OR HELPS UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX MEET ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS - APRIL 2009

Lighting management specialists Ex-Or are helping the University of Essex not only to make significant energy-cost savings but also to meet one of its core objectives, environmental sustainability.

Ex-Or, part of Honeywell, has supplied and installed LightSpot detectors in all corridors and kitchens within the 700-bed student accommodation complex in Colchester.

The Quays is the newest of the residential developments at the University and has won the Colchester 2020 and Royal Institute of Architects award for best new contemporary building. The project follows similar Ex-Or installations at other key locations on the University of Essex campus.

Richard Frost, University of Essex energy manager, said: “Before the Ex-Or installation, lights in the communal areas of The Quays burned endlessly because of the human factor - quite simply, no one switched them off. But now the lights only come on when required, then automatically switch off after use.”

This is because Ex-Or LightSpot presence detectors respond to the movements that occur when corridor and kitchen areas are in use. Anyone entering a controlled area automatically activates the lighting and subsequently sustains it by even the smallest movements they make. When they leave, the lights automatically switch off. The LightSpot detectors also incorporate photocell control which dims or brightens the luminaires according to levels of natural light.

By measuring kilowatt hours usage before and after the installation, the University has confirmed it has cut its total energy bill by 5 per cent. But further savings have also been made, thanks to the Ex-Or installation. Because lights are no longer on 24 hours a day, there are fewer lamp and control gear failures and, as a result, lower maintenance and replacement costs. This is saving the University a further £2,000 a year on its maintenance bill for The Quays development.

“One of our core values is environmental sustainability, and we look at this in its widest sense,” said Frost. “Reducing unnecessary energy use obviously helps us cut our carbon footprint. But we are also keen on specifying products made in this country rather than imported from overseas. This increases employment opportunities for domestic workers, cuts imports and reduces international transport - all of which actively promote environmental sustainability.

“Ex-Or’s equipment is made in this country and that is one reason why we are keen to specify it by name. On a practical level, when we need spare parts, or new equipment is needed to enhance the systems we have in place, we do not have to wait for it to be shipped in from overseas. This helps us reduce our carbon footprint, so helping us meet our core value of environmental sustainability.”

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CHP SLASHES SHELTERED HOUSING FUEL BILL - APRIL 2009

A DACHS CHP unit is helping a sheltered housing complex near Newcastle cut its annual fuel bill by 30 per cent. The CHP system, supplied by Baxi-SenerTec UK, was installed alongside Potterton MB Series modular boilers that have replaced the ageing district heating system at the 32-flat Lincoln Court building in Hebburn.

Design engineer Michael Cockram of South Tyneside Council, said he and the residents were delighted with the change.

“We are closely monitoring the performance of the DACHS and it is working 24/7 with a single stop / start per day,” he said. “Power output is 5.5kW and thermal output is about 15.5kW and that is good news. Everything appears to be nicely balanced.”

Lincoln Court is using the electricity produced by the CHP to supplement the landlord supplies to the corridors, common areas and the social lounge. It is also being used for security lighting, lifts and pre-heating of hot water supplies to washing machines. This has significantly reduced the amount of electricity drawn from the Grid.

Serving the mostly single occupancy flats and warden’s accommodation, the DACHS is in constant demand. Each flat has a typical average trickle demand of about 200 to 500W of heat so, even during the summer; there is a need for thermal energy from the CHP, which means it can continue providing electricity all year round.

The unit acts as lead boiler to displace some of the new gas condensing boiler heat load. Each flat is fitted with an indirect Elson tank and direct acting valves are fitted to the primary LTHW mains to control the tanks. These operate around the clock. Mr Cockram explained: “We are using them as a heat sink to export the thermal output from the CHP.”

The new boiler plant is fitted with direct weather compensation that can be used for off peak heating periods.

The council is currently reading the gas meters on a monthly basis to identify operational costs and possible savings.

“Central power stations operate at around 35 per cent efficiency and conventional heating at around 80 per cent,” said Mr Cockram. “The DACHS burns approximately 30 per cent less fuel than independent production of heat and electricity, reducing both carbon emissions and costs, but still produces the same total output.”

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SMALL BUSINESSES ARE MISSING A MONEY AND ENERGY SAVING TRICK - MARCH 2009

According to Opus Energy, nearly 40% of Britain’s small businesses are planning to cut their budgets for advertising and business travel (37%) in order to weather the recession, a new survey has found. However, only 3% of small businesses said they would review their gas or electricity tariffs as a way of making savings despite the fact that, according to the Carbon Trust, savings of over 12% are possible just by monitoring energy efficiency.

The YouGov survey, commissioned by independent electricity supplier Opus Energy, polled over 500 small business owners and managers to discover where they would be cutting back during the current economic downturn. Business travel and advertising spend were top of the list for budget cuts in nearly one in five small businesses (19 and 18% respectively). The survey also found that the larger the company, the more likely it is that staff will face cuts to their bonuses. Indeed, a third (33%) of the largest companies surveyed (employing up to 50 people) said that employee bonuses would be the first area they would rein in.

Andy Nash, Operations Director at Opus Energy said, “While some value can be had from trimming excess spending on business travel and advertising budgets, it is surprising that a review of utility bills does not appear higher up the list. Only 3% of small businesses said they would review their gas or electricity tariffs in order to make business savings. This widely overlooked area can provide vital savings for companies and make more of an impact on their bottom line than other areas. Indeed, Carbon Trust research shows that simply monitoring energy efficiency in the workplace could help companies save over 12% on their bills."

Interestingly, when asked which areas cutbacks were the least likely during recession, a quarter of small businesses (25%) were adamant they would not reduce spending on IT. Employees can also rest assured that day to day staff perks were the second least likely area to face cutbacks during difficult times. 16% of managers vowed not to reduce spending on extras for employees such as biscuits, tea and coffee and entertainment, which can help maintain vital staff morale particularly in a gloomy economic climate.

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REDUCE MAINTENANCE AND ENERGY COSTS WITH TAPWORKS WATER SOFTENERS - MARCH 2009

Tapworks, supplier of domestic and commercial water softeners, is once again exhibiting at The Energy Event this year. As an exhibitor at the event for the past three years, Tapworks has helped a number of visitors solve problems associated with hard water areas.

Typical of the type of enquiry the company has received at The Energy Event was one from a specifier for a hotel project in a hard water area of the UK looking for an answer to the problems associated with limescale in bathrooms - where you can see it - and in heating systems, where you can’t.

Tapworks has recently installed a new water softener at the four star Royal Adelaide Hotel in Windsor which has reduced its maintenance costs and cleaning bills through the installation of the system in its basement, with clogged up showerheads and limescale stains in the attractive en-suite bathrooms and toilets a thing of the past.

Like much of the South East, London and East Anglia in particular, Windsor suffers from hard water coming into properties through the water mains and the introduction of a water softener close to the water main allows the water to have the calcium and magnesium hardness crystals removed from it – stopping the limescale problems associated with hard water before they make their way around the hotel into the guests’ rooms.

Tapworks is the UK arm of the world’s largest manufacturer of water softeners, and is seeing increasing demand for its products as more and more businesses in the UK recognise the value of softened water in their business premises. The company has developed a range of electronic water softeners - domestic and commercial - that offer a soft option to hard water problems. With more than 60% of the country in designated hard water areas and suffering from the inconvenience and the costs associated with hard water, there’s plenty of scope for businesses that rely on their water supply to improve its quality and take action that will banish limescale build up, reduce maintenance costs and reduce fuel costs.

The Royal Adelaide’s maintenance manager is Robert Houlihan: “This new softener is an excellent unit. It’s very reliable which is key for us and the electronics act as the unit’s brain. We had a short power cut here a while back and I came down to the basement to get it going again and it had started up on its own, re-set the time correctly and was doing its job without any help from me! The softened water in the hotel certainly reduces the need for maintenance in the showers and bathrooms here and has a positive effect in the kitchens too, particularly in the dishwashers and glass washers. It’s an excellent investment in my view and takes a major headache out of the equation for me.”

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NEW FUNDING SCHEME ENABLES SWITCH TO ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING - MARCH 2009

Energys Group, exhibitor at The Energy Event in September, has launched a new finance scheme called 'Budget from Savings'. The new scheme enables businesses to finance energy-efficient lighting installations by using some of the money saved on electricity bills to pay for the installation, rental and maintenance costs.

To provide this scheme, Energys Group has teamed up with Sunrise Global Finance. A rental option for its low-energy lighting products and the associated implementation and maintenance costs has been developed, so that with one single quarterly payment the client can enjoy a fully-managed service as a way to save costs.

Installation of new-generation triphosphor lighting, using the popular retrofit e-ballast 'Save It Easy®', reduces energy use on lamps by between 34% and 56% (depending on the size of lamp being used). This means that savings accrued from the move to energy-efficient lighting can more than cover the combined rental and maintenance costs for the new products.

The project is cash-positive right from the start and there is no need for a capital budget approval process. The client pays a quarterly charge for a minimum commitment period – usually from 3 to 5 years. The accounting treatment is "off balance sheet", with the payments coming out of the same operating budget that is benefiting from the savings.

At the end of the initial committed rental period (or, if appropriate, before then) by entering into a new rental agreement, the client can refresh the system elements with the latest technology then available to maximise the ongoing energy savings. Conversely, if the existing products are still suitable, the rental can be continued at a reduced "fair market value" payment.

Aidan Salter, Managing Director of Energys, comments: "The user value of a 'Budget from Savings' operating lease derives from the two major benefits offered by the product – high energy savings and low cost relative to the high capital demands of luminaire replacement. Both benefits combine to give payback levels and timescales offering a healthy surplus on operating lease arrangements."

He adds: "The most crucial point is that the arrangement will be profitable for the client from the outset. The extent and timing of energy, cost and carbon savings for the project are clearly predicted by Energys beforehand, and an operating lease will only be offered if calculations show clear and substantial profit for the client."

Visit Energys on Stand X27 at The Energy Event to find out more

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR ENERGY PERFORMANCE RATINGS FOR CARBON REDUCTION - MARCH 2009

Enercom are to expand the already successful range of Data loggers with two new members joining the Multilog family. The G3t is due for release in the spring and the G4 is planned for release later in 2009. Multilog is proven technology in understanding and evaluating energy use within a commercial building. Enercom aM&T technology provides day plus one consumption profiles demonstrating where energy is being used and where wastage can be minimised.

With the release of the G3t the Multilog aM&T systems will now have the added advantage of a remote temperature data collection feature, giving the system the additional function of being able to record real time external or internal temperature. The new G4 will have smart meter capabilities but contain G3 technology and will have additional multi utility meter inputs.

To enhance the performance of its data collection hardware Enercom is also introducing its new Enercom MC Web Software solution providing a user-friendly aM&T interface with colour coded profiles showing low to high energy usage. MC Web has the capability to create individual data collection accounts for complete energy consumption profiling, also with the additional import/export function for all aM&T requirements.

Visit Enercom at The Energy Event this year to find out more.

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