Energy Efficiency Made Easy
Let us be your guide to saving energy
www.esb.ie/business
Contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Energy Efficiency Tips
2
Lighting
3
Heating
5
Air-Conditioning/Ventilation
6
Compressed Air
7
Motors
8
Catering
9
Refrigeration
10
Office Equipment
11
1
Introduction
Welcome to Energy Efficiency Made Easy – a comprehensive range of energy
efficiency tips to help you implement cost saving measures around your business.
Have a look at the approximate breakdown of how electricity is used in a typical
business premises and see where you can begin to make savings.
We hope you find the information
useful and of benefit to your
business. If you’d like to find
out more about energy
efficiency visit our website
at www.esb.ie/business,
call our Business Centre at
1850 372 787 or email us
at [email protected]
Office Equipment
Heat/Cook/
Hot Water
Cooking
3%
5%
19%
Miscellaneous
3%
Refrigeration
Lighting
8%
37%
Ventilation
11%
Cooling
14%
PS: Remember, simply by cutting energy costs by
20% can have the same bottom-line benefit as
a 5% increase in sales in your business.
2
Energy Efficiency Tips - Lighting
Did you know?
A 100 watt tungsten lamp left on 24 hours a
day will cost €139.50 per year to run,
whereas a 20 watt CFL energy saver lamp
will only cost €28 per year to run.
●
Install occupancy sensors to avoid lights
being left on unnecessarily, this can
provide savings between 10% and 80%,
as the chart below indicates:
●
Why not change to Low Energy Lamps
these give the same light output but
consume 80% less electricity and last 10
times longer – look at the savings below:
●
Annual running costs for standard office
fluorescent lighting.
No of tubes
per fitting
Four
Tube length
& wattage
Running cost
per year
1.2 meters (4ft); 36 watts
€57.46
Three
1.2 meters (4ft); 36 watts
€42.89
Energy Savings
Two
1.2 meters (4ft); 36 watts
€28.73
Private Office
10 – 50%
Two
1.2 meters (5ft); 58 watts
€46.29
Open Plan Office
20 – 28%
Conference Room
22 – 65%
Rest Rooms
30 – 90%
Corridors
30 – 80%
Storage area/closet
45 – 80%
Type of Room
Occupancy sensors are most cost-effective in areas that are not
routinely occupied and that are served by inefficient lighting.
Costs based on an electricity cost of 15.95 cent per unit (General
Purpose tariff) and a running time of 2,500 hours per year.
●
Plan a complete lamp replacement
programme. Standard fluorescent lamps
should be replaced after 8,000 hours of
use. Old lamps give about 30% of
full output.
3
Energy Efficiency Tips - Lighting cont.
●
Use individual task lighting in preference to increasing
illumination over a large area.
●
Reflectors and louvers which are not cleaned on
a regular basis will reduce light output by 20%.
●
Remember switch off interior and exterior lights
when not in use!
Lifespan
Energy Consumption
Ordinary 100W GLS Lightbulb
Energy Saver Equivalent 20W CFL
1000 x 8 bulbs
= 8000 hours
8760 hours
800 kWh
175 kWh
€127
€28
Bulb Cost
64c x 8 = €5
€7
Total Cost
€132
€36
Running Cost
Costs based on an electricity cost of 15.95 cent per unit (General Purpose tariff)
4
Energy Efficiency Tips - Heating
●
If pre-heating large areas, switch off any
unnecessary ventilation first to avoid
unnecessary heat loss.
●
Insulation can reduce the heat loss through
an un-insulated ceiling by up to 90%. The
insulation of floors is just as important.
●
Consider using a setback sensor to control
heating in areas such as meeting or
conference rooms. These controls cost as
little as €30.
●
A poorly positioned sensor can increase
energy costs. If a sensor is located over a
heating source, then the air-conditioning will
operate longer and use more energy than
necessary. Consult your systems engineer
to ensure controls are positioned correctly.
Did you know?
Reducing the heat setting by 1°C saves
up to 8% on energy costs.
●
Ensure frost protection thermostats are not
set too high.
●
Use electronic thermostats in preference to
mechanical ones as they provide a faster
response to changing temperatures.
●
Ensure only occupied areas are heated,
and that heating is reduced during nonworking hours (bank holidays or
weekends).
5
Energy Efficiency Tips Air-conditioning / Ventilation
Did you know?
●
Set air-conditioning and heating controls so
that they do not conflict with each other
and waste energy. Ideally, set heating at
19°C and air-conditioning at 24°C.
●
Locate heat-generating equipment such as
photocopiers, vending machines, factory
machinery and display lighting, away from
air-conditioned spaces. Alternatively, try
isolating them using a curtain or other
barrier or fit an extractor fan.
Heating costs rise by about 8% for each
1ºC of overheating. Check thermostat
settings on a regular basis.
6
●
If overheating occurs turn down the
heating. Do not open the windows.
●
Check air-flow rates - fans can consume a
large amount of energy, so you need to
look for ways to reduce air-flow.
●
It costs nothing to switch equipment off.
Mechanical ventilation and extraction can
add significantly to your electricity bill, not
only in running costs, but also in airconditioning and heating costs.
Energy Efficiency Tips Compressed Air
Did you know?
Leaks account for 40% of all energy losses,
e.g. losses through a hole of 5mm can be as
much as 80c an hour. This can add up to
€2,250 a year.
●
●
Review compressed air applications
throughout the plant and consider
alternatives for some applications.
Air power tools, for instance, can be up
to 10 times more expensive to run than
their electric equivalents.
●
Replace or clean dirty filters to keep the
system running efficiently.
●
Ensure air treatment such as drying
and filtering is kept to a minimum
acceptable level.
●
Air intake should be from a cold location
preferably outside the building. A 5°C drop
in air intake temperature equates to a
2% drop in running costs.
●
Switch the system off when it is
not required.
Reduce the pressure generation to the
minimum acceptable level. A reduction of
1 bar in pressure can cut running costs by
5%, in most cases, with little or no impact
on operations.
7
Energy Efficiency Tips - Motors
Did you know?
Electricity costs can be over 100 times
capital costs of motor equipment.
●
Optimise motor sizing. Make sure that the
motor is the correct rating for the task, so
as to save both capital and running costs.
●
Reduce part loading. Motors are most
efficient when running at their design load.
●
Fit automatic controls to remove the need
for manual operation. Control options
available include; time switches,
load-sensors, thermostats, pressure
switches, etc.
●
Rewind a motor as a last resort, because
efficiency is always reduced afterwards.
Typically, there will be a reduction of
between 2% and 5% in efficiency after
each rewind.
●
Implement a planned maintenance
programme to ensure ongoing savings.
●
Switch off motors when not required for
instance, during tea breaks, lunchtime,
weekends, etc. Ensure everything is
switched off at close of business.
100
80
60
Capital cost
40
Maintenance
20
Electricity
0
Motor
Refrigeration
Light Fitting
Pump
Air compressor
Life-cycle: Electricity costs can be over 100 times capital costs.
●
8
An energy efficient motor makes sound
business sense. High efficiency motors are
labelled ‘EFF 1’. To meet this standard an
11kw motor must be at least 91% efficient
compared to 88% for a standard motor.
Annual consumption and running costs
based on a 10c/kwh for a motor operating
at full load eight hours per day, five days a
week will be:
High efficiency motor 25,143 kWh €2,828
Standard motor
26,000 kWh €2,925
This represents a saving of €968 over a ten-year life cycle.
Energy Efficiency Tips - Catering
Did you know?
The greatest waste of energy in cooking is
leaving equipment idling at operating
temperatures. When possible, turn off
equipment and save energy.
●
●
●
Use the correct size of equipment for
specific cooking operations.
Ensure equipment is pre-heated for only
the minimum time.
Check door seals for a potential loss
of heat from ovens and loss of cold
from fridges.
●
Periodically check timers, timing devices
and thermostats to ensure their proper
operation.
●
Boil only the minimum amount of water and
use tight-fitting lids.
●
Switch off extractor fans when not in use.
●
Ensure equipment is turned off during
slack periods.
●
Encourage staff to be more energy
efficient.
9
Energy Efficiency Tips - Refrigeration
Did you know?
A 1°C difference in temperature can
save/cost up to 5% on running costs.
10
●
Keep refrigerator/cold room doors closed
as much as possible. Check door seals
and insulation for defects.
●
Determine whether the product can be precooled before going into a fridge or freezer.
●
Do not stack product directly in front of
evaporators.
●
Observe ‘load lines’ when stacking
products on shelves.
●
Keep condensers clean and ensure an
adequate supply of clean cold air. The
colder the air, the better for efficiency.
●
Check refrigerant sight glass for bubbles,
indicating gas leakage. An undercharged
system will cost more to run and may not
maintain consistent temperature.
●
Minimise other heat loads in the general
area of your refrigeration unit.
Energy Efficiency Tips - Office Equipment
Did you know?
10 computers in a small business, switched
on all the time, can cost €1,012 a year to
run. Costs can be cut to €241 a year just by
switching them off at the end of each day.
Printers and Fax Machines
●
Double sided printing is good for the
environment. Investigate whether printers
have a double-sided (duplex) mode and
activate this if available, preferably by
setting double-sided printing as the default.
Otherwise encourage staff to select
double-sided printing each time they
print a document.
●
Activate energy saving mode, which will
allow the machine to automatically power
down after a set time period.
Photocopiers
●
The average photocopier will cost you
36c a night to leave on standby. That’s
approximately €123 a year you could save
by turning the photocopier off at night.
●
Leaving a photocopier on at night uses
enough energy to print over 1,500
A4 copies.
Computers
●
A typical computer will use approx. €146 a
year in energy if you leave it on all the time.
Turning it off at night cuts energy usage by
25%, using a ‘sleep’ mode will reduce this
by another 25%.
Vending Machines and Water Coolers
●
Vending machines often run 24/7. Install
7-day time controls to ensure that the
machines are powered off when not in
use. Ensure the water cooler is placed
in a suitable location (e.g. not at a sunny
window) for maximum efficiency.
11
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