Voltage Optimisation

Sustainable Planet brings you details of another perhaps under-utilised way of saving energy.

Typically if you want to reduce your electricity bill you would just simply turn off any electrical appliances when not in use rather than leave them on standby, opt for low energy light bulbs and perhaps even switch electrical supplier.

Realistically there is a limit to the things you can turn off, with energy costs rising and predicted to continue to grow what else can we do?

One possible solution worth looking at is Voltage optimisation which potentially offers even more savings than just reduced electricity bills.

How does it work?

Voltage optimisation is an electrical energy saving technique which is installed in series with the mains electricity supply to give an optimum supply voltage for the site's equipment, typically achived by regulating the supply voltage to 220Volts.
 

Why is it a problem?

The voltage supplied to many premises is much higher than it needs to be, by law electricity companies must supply electricity in a range from 253v to 207v, leading to excessive losses in many types of equipment.

Whilst UK electrical equipment is designed to operate within these tolerances there is no need for supplies to rise above an optimum value of 220v. As the average supply voltage in the UK is in the region of 243v single phase, on any given day some of your electrical equipment will be using much more electricity than it requires.

This is where voltage optimisation comes in....

Reduce... ENERGY CONSUMPTION : savings in the region of 15-20%

Save on... CARBON EMISSIONS : reduced in the region of 25%

Prolong... EQUIPMENT LIFE : apparently it can increased up to 90%

An illustration of the benefits of the voltage regulator is shown in the chart below:

Voltage optimisation is not suitable for all types of equipment, however voltage reduction is nevertheless a highly effective energy-saving technique that is being used very successfully on many commercial sites, and is well worth considering as part of your overall energy-reduction strategy.

Disadvantages of voltage optimisation.

• Voltage reduction does not work with all types of load.

• Variable-speed inverter drives, high-frequency lighting ballasts and switch-mode power supplies for example will generally not yield significant savings at reduced voltage.

• Temperature-controlled heating is another type of load where no energy saving will be obtained, as the heater will still need to consume the same amount of energy to perform its required function.

Negative report from Which magazine

If the load is linear, a reduction in voltage from 240 to 230 will reduce the energy consumption by 8%, while a reduction to 220 Volts will yield a saving of 16%.

Benefits of voltage optimisation.

• Average savings of 15%, however some installations are achieving much more.

• Up to 25% reduction in carbon emissions.

• Some systems offer self-adjusting intelligent controls to maximise saving.

• Average ROI /return on investment is estimated at approximately 3 years.

• Businesses may benefit from interest free funding*

• Reduces the need for maintenance and

• Extends the life of electronic and electrical equipment.

• Creates harmonisation of supply, stops harmful power spikes thereby protecting your equipment.

• Automatically improves the balance of your 3 phase supply to improve the optimum running of your equipment - particularly AC motors.

• unit is fitted with a meter and digital display so at any time you can see exactly how it is performing.

Positive report from Npower

Voltage optimisation, voltage regulation, voltage management.

Commercial

Powerstar EMSc UK Ltd.                                   http://powerstar.co.uk/ Commercial

Optipro Ltd                                                         http://www.optiprouk.com

Power Perfector Ltd:                                          http://www.powerperfector.com

SwitchFMS Ltd: Voltis unit                                 http://www.voltageoptimisationuk.com/

3-phase voltage optimisation

Domestic

VPhase plc: VPhase VX1 Voltage Optimiser    http://www.vphase.co.uk

VO4HOME                                                        http://vo4home.com

*interest free funding:
 

Sense and Sustainability

the Copenhagen Wheel, a smart phone controlled electric bike with the change of a wheel.

The batteries in the hub of the Copenhagen Wheel power the sensors that provide location and local environmental information  such as CO, NOx, noise, temperature and humidity. Cyclists can also use this information to determine the health impacts and distances traveled and for connecting with friends and other cyclists on the go.
Collected information is also useful for gaining an insight into the aggregate movements of bicycles in cities helping civil engineers and city planners to propose and build better cycle routes , work towards accommodating cyclists and assess the impact of cycling in the city SENSEable City Lab has developed a variety of applications that use the data collected by the Wheel. One example is the Green Mileage Scheme which provides incentives for cyclists when they reach a certain number of ‘green miles’. In the future such a scheme could also allow cities to enter carbon-trading schemes, by helping prove that a city is increasing the amount of ‘green miles’ being traveled.

MIT’s SENSEable City Lab and the Mayor’s office of Copenhagen have joined forces to develop a leapfrog sustainable transportation system for bicycles. The Copenhagen Wheel, which will be unveiled during the Mayor’s Summit as part of the OP15 United Nations Climate Conference is an electric ‘hybrid’ bicycle which is also a smart mobile sensing device that can map eal-time flows and environmental conditions in cities.

SENSEable City Lab