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When it comes to energy use, many businesses don't know what they don't know. Yet various metering solutions are here
- some simple, some more complex - and further metering breakthroughs are on the cards. Chris Rowlands explains
espite several dire warnings on
energy use and the environment, it
appears that a lack of interest still
prevails in some manufacturing
companies. Take a meeting held in
September, where the major market players
met to discuss a shake-up of industry
practices. The meeting, hosted by Mark Prisk
MP, the shadow minister for enterprise,
included suppliers and intermediaries as well
as the regulator Ofgem, the watchdog
Energywatch and SME representatives. One
discussion concerned the number of
businesses switching energy suppLiers
compared to the residential market - it's
relatively low, with fewer than 10% changing
suppliers each year. Given that 78% of small
business owners consider their gas and/or
electricity bills to be overpriced, this
surprising inactivity was put down to
'inertia, tack of informed choice and the use
of supplier loopholes'. Philip Davies, director
of Ofgem, summed up by saying: "Some
businesses are getting a good deal and
others are not. Being a passive customer
means that, as the years go by, you are much
less likely to get a better deal than an active
customer."
Are you a passive customer? Surely it is
time to h'nd out more about your energy
consumption, your deal, and your bills, and
save some money? When it comes to energy
use and the dreaded c-word - carbon - this
can be an expensive lack of knowledge. Let's
consider some simple facts, courtesy of E.on:
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the energy supplier has highlighted, with
thermal imaging cameras, the impact of
leaving some standard workpLace items
switched on. It'simportantto note that it's
'standard' workplace items - we're not
talking complex machinery on the shopfloor.
Yet the results are startLing. E.on caLculates
that from a smalL group of items incLuding
one PC, a photocopier, a watercooLeranda
vending machine, the potentiaL saving from
switching them off when not in use is almost
fivetonnesofcarbon, or 1,500 per year. Put
into context. Less than one tonne of carbon
is equivaLent to the energy needed to laser
print 750,000 A4 sheets. Peter Haigh,
director of B2B retaiL at E.on, says:
"Businesses are responsibLe for around 40%
of aLL the UK's carbon emissions, and many
are now taking steps to tackLe this. But
whether yours is one of these or not, you can
StiLL do your bit by using resources carefuLly."
It's not onLy industry that's being
encouraged to get smart. In fact - as usuaL -
there is a simiLar chalLenge to us in our home
Lives, which mirrors what we need to do at
work. Speaking as he launched the
government's consultation on energy
metering and bilLing, energy minister
MaLcoLm Wicks said: "Cutting carbon
emissions is one ofthe greatest chaLLenges
we face. Smart meters provide the chance for
each one of us to pLay our part, providing
better information and more accurate
biLting. It is vitaL that we make best use of
this emerging technology that wilL not only
help cut our energy use, but reduce our bilLs,
too."
The consultation proposaLs incLude that
alL but the smaLlest businesses wiLL have
smart meters over the next five years,
aLLowing energy suppLiers to communicate
directly with customers, removing the need
for meter readings. ReaL-time display units
show not onLy how much energy is being
used, butaLso how much it costs when
something is on.
There's no doubt that smart metering is
on its way. A good first step is to meter
equipment now, and use that data to
understand consumption. InitiaLLy, a
November 2007 www.worksmanagement.co.uk
 Fadh'ties management Energy

business can speak to its suppLier about of-hours usage profiles. We made a dedsion production power costs and alLow Live cost,
metering. Take De La Rue, a commerciaL a coupLe of years back to concentrate our power and COp caLculations."
security pa pet maker and printer. Since efforts ~ and budget - on the controL and More on controL systems Later. But before
2001, the company has used ShelL Gas Direct monitoring of our compressed air system controL, the data needs to be coLLected and
to suppLy naturaL gas to its high security use, which accounts for 35% ofthe site's measured, and this is where new
paper miLLsatOverton, Hampshire and Bath. power," he adds. technoLogies are coming into their own,
"We have some compLex and sophisticated "We are currently deveLoping and Meter-Mimic, for example, was Launched by
energy needs, which require the supportive instaLling our own controL system to monitor C+G Management at the Energy Event
reLationship and LeveL of expertise that SheLt constantLy the effidency of the compressor (exhibition) in September. This new product
Gas Direct can provide," says currency house. This is Linked to our production turns aLl meters into smart meters, in a non-
procurement manager Gareth Chambers. The monitoring system, aLLowing us to attribute invasive way. Matthew MiddLeton, managing
Overton site uses a CHP pLant (combined
heat and power) and uses over seven miHion
therms of gas each year. The mains suppLy
pointattheCHPpLantismetered daiLy-so
Oe La Rue can easiLy recondLe invoices with
its own production figures. This
service is avaiLabLe to other clients
through the provision of
consumption reports.

Catalyst for change

It's not onLy the energy providers
that are spurring change. The
Energy Effidency Accreditation
Scheme (EEAS), for exampLe, is an
awards programme run by the
Energy Institute (El) to promote
and recognise energy effidency.
Sarah Beacock, the El's
professionaL affairs director,
explains: "In working towards a
secure and sustainabLe economy,
more organisations need to
implement energy-effident practices
and become leaders in their fieLds
through accreditation of their work.
The El is keen to promote
professionaLism within energy and the
EEAS offers a fundamentaL way in
which prove your organisation pays
more than just tip service to redudng
its energy consumption."
One such organisation accredited
to EEAS is TeLford-based office
equipment manufacturer Ricoh UK
Products. "Although we have considered site-
wide smart metering in the past, currently Live compressed
we onLy have eLectronic metering instaLLed to air costs to each
our mains power, gas and water meters," production run. The next director of C+G Management, says:
says Andy Smith, the site's manufacturing step is to integrate the "We have been deveLoping the Meter-
support engineer. "The haLf-hourLy data is running power of each Mimic system for three years and are
used to monitor total consumption and out- individuaL plant to provide total delighted to be abLe to offer this technoLogy

www.worksmanagement.co.uk November 2007 63


at a time when energy and water
conservation are becoming critical issues."
He adds that the system "solves the
fundamental problem of reading any type of
existing utility meter". It does this without
any physical connection -using 'advanced
ferro-magnetic technology' to read the
meters, before transferring the data by GPRS
modem as an emaiL
Elsewhere, another organisation argues
that there is an alternative to installing new
meters - use what is already there. Steve
Barker is an energy management consultant
at Siemens Automation & Drives and he says:
"Many factories and facilities already use
programmable logic controllers (PLCs) as a
fundamental element of their machine or
factory control. Such systems often include
data collection... These characteristics make
PLC systems ideally suited to monitoring and
controlling many devices relevant to energy
saving, such as variable speed drives,
intelligent low voltage control gear, heating
controllers, and motors and pumps."
Barker says that it is perfectly feasible to
integrate energy monitoring and control
capabilities without engaging expensive
additional energy management equipment
such as bespoke energy management
systems and special metering devices.
"Adding intelligence to minimise
unnecessary energy consumption into the
equipment control philosophy provides an
elegant and low-cost solution," he says.
"Furthermore, cheaper tariff energy costs
are available at certain times ofthe day and
manufacturing fadlities should use these
periods to make significant energy savings.
Again, toad shedding must be done to avoid
process issues, product deterioration or
equipment damage, and the intelligent
www.worksmanagement.co.uk November 2007
control system is well placed to implement
this."
Once the monitoring and control fadlities
are developed, it's relatively easy for the PLC
to interchange data with other control and
monitoring layers. And Barkeraddsthatthe
old adage 'if you can't monitor it, you can't
manageit'is truer today than ever. Unking
effidency improvements with process
enhancements can provide lowest cost
operation, improved overall effectiveness
and optimum asset utilisation.
Once the data is captured, whether
through a daily reading, a consumption
report, a smart meter, or a PLC, the question
arises of how best to analyse it to turn it into
relevant managementinformation. Again,
new systems are being taunched to help
businesses perform this task. One such
example is Optima Energy Management,
which has launched software that allows any
building or industrial process to be
modelled, to highlight problems and
understand what affects energy costs. The
crudal promise here - which should be music
to the ears of all manufacturers - is that the
system uses 'calculated Key Performance
Indicators (KPls) based on parameters
defined by the user'. It can produce standard
reportsincluding tariff analysis, emissions
monitoring and bill validation.
Another system on the market is Virtual
Fadlities management Energy
Energy Manager from Ener-g Efficiency,
which links automatic meter reading with a
building energy management system. It is
seen as a management tool, giving users
total control of energy and helping to quickly
evaluate carbon footprints using dashboard
displays. The company guarantees energy
savings of around 30%-indeed, the
company offers users money back should
consumption reduction not reach agreed
effidency targets.
The tool combines an internet portal,
automatic meter reading and building energy
management system, and can detail actual
consumption by the hour. It also provides
reports on financial performance, the carbon
footprint, and it can raise alarms to report
issues as they occur.
Paul 0' Brien, MD of Ener-g Effidency,
says: "The need to manage energy and
reduce carbon emissions is increasing... The
need for high quality, accurate energy data
and effective energy management is clear.
Virtual Energy Manager is designed for
everyday use and will quickly tell users the
status of their site and their performance
against target. Within a few seconds, the
energy dashboard provides easy-to-
understand information at a glance.
Interactive maps help identify and locate
sites needing attention and simple icons
quickly highlight actual performance."
And he adds: "Knowledgeis powerand
empowering managers is a key feature of
Virtual Energy Manager - customers can
choose who has access [to the system].
Experience shows that waste can be driven
out more effectively by providing knowledge
about energy use to managers throughout
the organisation, from directors to shift
supervisors. But when it comes to managing
energy, people are interested in different
things. Some need to know finandal data,
others want more technical detail."
It's clear that new technologies can
monitor and manage energy use - from
simple devices through to sophisticated,
multi-site systems. Power requires
knowledge; knowledge requires visibility.
Look and learn - and save money.
For facilities/plant management, go to
www.worksmanagement.co.uk/fin-plant
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