A growing number of NHS Trusts are turning to new innovative solutions like voltage optimisation to reduce energy consumption

With limited budgets and the impending launch of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), combined with new emerging healthcare policies, NHS executives are seeking reliable, proven energy saving technologies that can not only help reduce carbon emissions, but can also make significant savings on energy consumption. As a result, a growing number of NHS Trusts are turning to new innovative solutions like voltage optimisation, which can not only reduce energy consumption, but also improve life expectancy of on-site equipment and reduce carbon emissions.

MEETING TARGETS
Due to the Climate Change Act, which has set legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050 – based on 1990 levels – the UK government is keen to introduce schemes to encourage organisations to reduce carbon emissions. The CRC is the UK government’s flagship policy to help meet these challenging targets.
    
A mandatory scheme, the CRC features a range of reputational, behavioural and financial drivers that aim to encourage organisations to develop energy management strategies that promote a better understanding of energy usage.
    
The scheme was originally launched to encourage organisations across the UK, to monitor carbon dioxide emissions and for every tonne emitted they would have to surrender an ‘allowance’, which would be bought at the start of the financial year. Allowances could, under the original scheme, be sold-on to other organisations at a price determined by the buyer, should they have too many.
    
However, following the Chancellor’s spending review in October 2010 and the subsequent budget in March 2011, if an organisation doesn’t surrender enough allowances, they will now be taxed directly by central government for every tonne of carbon dioxide they don’t submit allowances for. It is therefore in the best interest of the organisation to lower energy usage, not only to save money on their electricity bills, but also to reduce their carbon emissions to ensure they are not taxed by central government.
    
Voltage optimisation is an electrical energy saving technique, in which a device is installed in series with the mains electricity supply to provide an optimum supply voltage for the site’s equipment. Interestingly, it is also proven to improve power quality by balancing phase voltages and filtering harmonics and transients from the electricity supply, leading to reduced maintenance costs as less demand is placed on electrical equipment.
    
The reason voltage optimisation can have such a significant impact on energy used is because the National Grid supplies a higher voltage than is usually required. Although the nominal voltage in the UK is 230V, the average delivered is actually 242V. This ‘over-voltage’ means that energy consumption is not only higher, but as a result, the lifespan of equipment is shortened. Voltage optimisation can therefore improve the life expectancy of equipment.

CASE STUDY
Mersey Care NHS Trust has recently had a voltage optimisation system installed across a number of sites.  
    
Working with EMSc UK Ltd, facilities management company MITIE installed the company’s solution, Powerstar, at Ashworth, Mossley and Rathbone Hospitals as well as Scott Clinic all in Merseyside.
    
Prior to making any recommendations the engineers for the facilities management company, together with EMS engineers, carried out full on site surveys at each of the locations to ascertain the electrical loading characteristics. The process involved calculating the savings that could be achieved, which is ascertained in part through data logging the on-site voltage. The surveys also identified any energy consumption where voltage optimisation could achieve zero or reduced savings (e.g. high-frequency lighting, inverter drives). By analysing the data logging information, the optimum voltage for the site was then determined.
    
It’s the site survey that determines how much of a total site’s electricity load (as a percentage) will benefit from the full reduced or zero percentage saving. When specifying the percentages it’s important to take into consideration the operating load and the operational period of the equipment.
    
By dividing the voltage drop into the original voltage figure it was possible to ascertain the voltage percentage saving. The figure was then doubled, because according to the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), on average a one per cent reduction in voltage will produce a 2.1 per cent reduction in electricity consumption. Site loads that would yield less than optimum savings were then taken into consideration and a guaranteed saving, as a percentage of kWh was calculated.

ENERGY SAVINGS
Once all the initial on-site calculations and work was completed, MITIE then commissioned bespoke Powerstar units to be manufactured to meet the specific requirements for each of the sites, ensuring the maximum level of energy savings were guaranteed.
    
A draft Project Installation Plan (PIP) was initially presented to Mersey Care NHS Trust with all the parties reviewing and agreeing the proposed plan. The progress of the PIP was tracked throughout the installation process to ensure all the timescales were met with any deviations highlighted and communicated.
    
Engineers were on site at all the locations, to ensure a smooth operation. Once the installation was finished all the respective sites were issued with the appropriate manuals, certificates and fitted drawings.
    
The solution has enabled Mersey Care NHS to reduce energy usage, therefore lowering its carbon footprint. So far total savings across the sites have reached an average 18 per cent on annual energy consumption. At Rathbone Hospital annual kWh savings are 65,796, the equivalent of £6,974, whilst Scott Clinic has benefited from annual savings of 51,573 kWh, or £5,446.
    
As the UK faces worsening power quality issues with harmonic, transient, power factor and phase balancing issues, voltage optimisation is emerging as one of the most secure, cost effective technologies for organisations to adopt as part of not only reducing costs but also saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.
    
In today’s world of spiralling energy costs, introducing high-efficiency energy saving devices is becoming a must. They not only reduce energy and maintenance costs, they also safeguard the environment.