Public sector purse strings have never been more tightly drawn and the dual pressures of trying to meet financial and environmental commitments are a heavy burden.
The cupboard is bare, yet there remains a responsibility on hospitals, schools, prisons and councils to comply with the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC EES) regulations introduced earlier this year.
At £12 a tonne, carbon is a valuable commodity and without significant carbon cuts the public sector faces sizeable fines.
A myriad of measures are available to reduce demand, from low energy lighting and variable speed drives to smart heating and cooling. But, it is equally important to get the fuel that powers them right too.
Due to the design of the distribution network, buildings are supplied with higher voltage than is actually needed. Voltage Power Optimisation works by optimising electrical power quality and by supplying voltage at a more efficient level (220V as opposed to the 242V UK average).
A piece of kit that sits on your main voltage input requires a level of trust in the technology. This is especially pertinent for acute sites like hospitals, prisons and data centres where outages would risk lives, security and profits – quickly consuming the financial benefits of putting in the technology in the first place.
It is an issue that Angus Robertson, CEO of powerPerfector, who introduced Voltage Power Optimisation to the UK, comes across every day: “All of our clients need to be reassured that there is no risk to their infrastructure.”
“The truth is that powerPerfector actually helps protect electrical infrastructure from spikes, it suppresses harmonics and reduces three phase imbalance in motors, all of which has the effect of lowering maintenance costs.
“We have powerPerfected the three emergency services ensuring no compromise to their 24/7 operations and, over the last 18 months, we’ve installed at acute hospitals in the UK for the first time.”
Angus Robertson continued: “We have a 100 per cent reliability record, our technology requires no maintenance and powerPerfector is the only technology in this space that’s fit for purpose. It is this record that has afforded acute sites the confidence to take us in to buildings where there is a zero tolerance to failure.”
At Cardiff prison, of obvious importance is the electronically controlled security systems, Christopher Silcox of HM PrisonsEstates Management Group said:
“Given the importance of security of supply at this critical site, we can report that the installation was professionally conducted and the working of the site has been perfect.
“For us, powerPerfector has been the single most effective energy efficiency measure we have introduced.”
About 90 per cent of commercial buildings are suitable for Voltage Power Optimisation and, when fitted, it cuts an average 13 per cent off the electricity bill instantly – with a payback of between one and five years typically.
powerPerfector
Tel: 0845 601 4723
www.powerperfector.com