Product category:
Pumps and Compressors
News Release from: Wilo (UK) | Subject: Energy Efficiency: The Way Forward
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 16 August 2004
Energy Efficiency: The Way Forward
Key issues surrounding energy efficiency and the latest developments being introduced by pump manufacturers to improve energy consumption. Buildings are major consumers of energy.
Stuart Herritty, Managing Director of Wilo Salmson Pumps, discusses the key issues surrounding energy efficiency and the latest developments being introduced by pump manufacturers to improve energy consumption Buildings are major consumers of energy
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 17 Jan 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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According to DEFRA, around 40% of final energy consumption in the European Community is in the buildings sector.
In the UK alone, around ?50 billion a year is spent on fuel, of which 20%, the government has calculated, could be saved cost effectively by investing in energy reduction measures.
The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings became European law on the 5th January 2003, with one of the principle objectives being to promote the improvement of energy efficiency within new and existing buildings.
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The UK has been actively involved in all stages of the negotiations of the new Directive, with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister taking the lead for implementing the measures contained within the Directive.
Most of these measures will be dealt with via the Building Regulations, a major revision of which will come into effect in 2005.
Potentially, this could have a major impact on most products and systems specified for use in buildings.
These products will inevitably include all types of pumps and booster sets, which are widely used in residential, commercial and institutional premises for heating and cooling.
Over Specification One of the most significant factors that impacts directly on long term excess energy consumption is the over specification of pumps.
Typically, this is caused by lack of understanding or planning with regard to a heating or cooling system and leads to the installation of pump products that are geared to meet the maximum demand for a building, without reference to the fact that inevitably maximum demand is only rarely required.
In effect, you frequently have pumps that are running at maximum capacity for extended periods even though the system demand, in terms of heating or hot water, is typically fluctuating from almost zero to around 75% of capacity; and of course maximum pump speed uses the maximum energy.
In the case of a single small domestic installation this may not seem of importance; however, in larger buildings where there are multiple pumps or booster sets the excess energy used can be significant.
Multiply this across the country and you soon find that having large number of pumps using too much power become a major contributor to the £10 billion that the government estimates is wasted in unnecessary use of energy.
Specifiers generally select equipment with the highest performance curve, and our experience leads us to believe that the majority of pumps for heating systems are often oversized by up to 20%.
It is unfortunate that despite the resulting additional capital cost and long term operating costs, many specifiers still prioritise initial performance over life cycle costs, resulting in systems that fail to operate in the most efficient manner and which add to excess energy consumption and, indirectly, contribute to greater pollution and environmental damage.
Life Cycle Costs.
Oversized pumps have a considerable impact on life cycle costs (LCC); not only because the purchase price is higher but the associated fittings and controls will undoubtedly be more expensive.
Furthermore, maintenance and running costs will also be significantly greater, especially if the pump is operating outside its optimum efficiency range.
The main advantage of specifying new equipment in terms of its total LCC is the elimination of waste at the earliest possible opportunity.
This requires a commitment to the long-term view and also makes it necessary for specifiers and installers to consider the use of new technologies if they are to benefit from greater pump operating efficiencies.
Unfortunately, many engineers still specify pumps and pumping systems based on habit and refrain from specifying the energy saving alternatives either because they view them as an unknown quantity or because they believe, often wrongly, that the purchase cost is likely to be prohibitive.
Energy Efficiency.
Developments To address these issues, pump manufacturers are regularly developing new and innovative energy saving solutions that are often available at similar capital costs to traditional devices.
For example, the latest generation of energy efficient Wilo variable speed pumps automatically adjust their performance to meet changes in system demand, ensuring that they continuously operate within their optimised performance range; this significantly reduces energy consumption - by as much as 80%; perhaps as importantly there is no capital cost premium to pay.
An important point is the fact that the energy savings that can be achieved using this new generation of pumps are simply not possible using traditional circulators, not matter how carefully they are specified or installed.
In addition, pump manufacturers are also developing computer systems that can help specifiers select the most appropriate pump for a given application quickly and easily, helping to eliminate the problem of incorrect specification.
There are numerous types of pumps available to specifiers, so it is not difficult to see why engineers repeatedly chose the same type of pump, without considering the newer options, simply because their chosen product is a known quantity and works in most applications, provided energy consumption and life cycle costs are now part of the performance criteria.
This situation may, however, soon change as new types of intelligent domestic and light commercial pumps are being introduced that can be used in virtually all heating systems and that automatically adjust their performance curve and duty cycle to match the operating parameters.
This 'one size fits all' approach not only effectively solves any specification issues but can also significantly reduce energy consumption.
The continued investment by manufacturers such as Wilo in pump technology and the introduction of new products and systems will inevitably result in the adoption of energy efficient pumps.
Although the rate at which this occurs may be determined by forthcoming legislation and changes in building practices, the potential looks bright for a more energy efficient future, with reduced environmental damage and the opportunities for real cost savings across the building sector.
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