BeMS is a key energy management tool, but it can conceal a significant gas energy saving opportunity. Envido’s energy analysts explains why, and are offering a free diagnosis advice service that typically reduces gas consumption by up to 25%.
Your system, for technical reasons probably conceals energy waste arising boiler dry cycling – unnecessary re-firing that maintains setpoint, even in the absence of heat demand.
With 80% of commercial boilers exhibiting dry cycling, a quick diagnosis and corrective action will typically give you a gas saving of 12-25%.
Envido’s energy analysts and engineers offer a free desktop analysis, diagnose if you have a boiler dry cycling issues. As part of this service we will report the potential energy, carbon and cost savings with project ROI and payback, typically sub-2 years.
Boiler optimisation control complements BeMS. The technology, fitted to individual boilers eliminates dry cycling using intelligent technology. Easy to retrofit and with a sub-2 year payback 80% of commercial buildings will benefit from this low-cost project.
Boiler optimisation and Building Energy Management Systems (BMS/BeMS)
Individual boiler optimisation control units and Building Energy Management Systems work in synergy to reduce energy consumption.
Many energy and estates managers falsely believe that their BMS system ensures that their boilers operate at their most efficient.
Most BMS only measure and action control functions based on a common or blended flow and/or return header temperature. They do not identify nor correct boiler dry cycling, and allow persistent energy wastage.
Discreet Boiler Optimisation controls measure individual boiler load response and profile directly from the boiler flow / return connections, and correct "dry cycling" specific to the boiler.
How does boiler optimisation work?
Our qualified engineers fit a unit to the boiler plant which has digital probes that record and compare flow and return temperatures at 10 second intervals.
The unit’s intelligent, self-adapting software monitors boiler thermodynamic profile in real-time
The Envido boiler optimisation unit identifies if there is a genuine heating demand requirement or if the boiler is dry cycling.
Immediate savings generated as optimised boilers only fire in response to building heat demand, improving energy consumption, saving carbon and saving money.
Carbon Trust Standard (CTS) bearing organisations are facing an increase to their footprint scope if they need to recertify after March 31 of this year, according to Ed Brewster of Envido. The recertification requires travel, fugitive and, if applicable process emissions footprinting. Here we consider your options.
CTS Recertification will only be allowed if a Level 2 footprint is submitted. This means that you’ll need to report travel, fugitive (i.e. air-conditioning and refrigeration) and any process emissions to remain your CTS certified and maximise CRC early action metric scores and Performance League Table ranking.
Consider your options
So where does this leave you, here, our principal consultant Ed Brewster suggests your main options:
1 Press on and prepare a level 2 footprint
This will involve additional data collection and management effort as the number of emission sources required to complete your footprint has increased. One positive to draw from this is that commuting is optional for now, leaving business travel as the obligatory travel emissions element of your footprint.
If you need expert support to collect, manage or verify these additional emissions sources, book a FREE consultation with our energy and carbon advisers.
2 Seek alternative CRC complaint carbon management certification
If Level 2 footprinting is may be problematic, you do have options. CRC recognises several certification schemes. One in particular has distinct advantages to organisations that are due to be recertified, the BSI’s Kitemark Energy Reduction Verification (ERV) scheme.
Based on key elements the BS EN 16001 energy management system, ERV offers a way to verify and certify the reduction in CO2 emissions resulting from energy use.
ERV certification ensures that CRC participants retain the scoring for the early action metric without having to expand the scope of their footprint. In other words, one can avoid circumvent the need to report travel, fugitive and, if appropriate, process emissions.
Envido is a leading adviser, able to implement ERV across single sites and across major corporations such as Virgin Media.
Another consideration is value for money. CTS provides a historic, backward looking footprint record. ERV processes on the other hand are designed to guide future energy management decisions. A number of our clients consider the ERV a more practical and useful tool as opposed to an administrative burden. You may find this more suitable option for your business.
Book a FREE consultation with our energy and carbon advisers or call 020 199 0090.
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The Environment Agency has started carrying out CRC compliance audits and you have a 1 in 5 chance of being targeted (20% of ALL participants will be audited). Below we explain what to expect and, if you are audited we offer some top audit survival tips. Call 0207 199 0090 or request a callback to find out about Envido’s pre-audit checking service - ensure you’re prepared and fully compliant.
What to expect and how to avoid non-compliance?
How will the audit begin? Following notification, a standardised desk top audit interrogates your current Annual Report. You will pass and the audit will be closed at this stage if all issues are resolved.
However, a full audit will be carried out to resolve any outstanding issues. Full site audits are usually carried out at your site, primarily to allow access to all of your necessary access to your documentation.
If your Evidence Pack is made available online, may be possible to avoid a visit by the auditor, allowing them to complete their investigations remotely.
What to expect during your full site audit
These audits can last up to two days and are undertaken by the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency or trained contractors. They will investigate those sections of your Evidence Pack where issues were detected during the desktop audit. You will notified in advance of these issues prior to the audit.
First and foremost, be organised. Hopefully you have a good system installed regarding important contacts and documents, to reduce the overall time of the site audit.
Audit survival tips The overall aim of the audit is give the regulator confidence that your evidence pack is accurate, for example supplies do not differ by more than 5% from actual figures.
The following tips will help achieve this:- 1. Have your data collection processes well-documented. Internally it will help ensure consistency, demonstrate competence to the auditor and help identify reasons for errors and support the audit.
2. Have a hard copy and electronic copy available and familiarise yourself with the evidence pack before the audit
3. Have a copy of your Evidence Pack readily accessible online – this can help to avoid a physical site visit!
4. Never have incomplete data … NEVER!
5. Historic energy data can form part of the audit. You will have a good idea if this will need to be available as you will be notified of the issues in advance. Eitehr way make sure this information is complete, organised and accessible.
6. Conduct an internal audit. Prior to the Envidorment Agency visit, run internal checks to verify your Evidence Pack and identify and iron out issues in advance of the audit. Envido can help here with a pre-audit check.
Pre-audit support from Envido During the audit, best practices from your Evidence Pack and supporting systems will be identified. As well as this, general best practice tips will be given which may help improve your CRC compliance. If you are unsure about how prepared you are for an Environment Agency audit we can complete an external audit in advance.
Request a callback to discuss a pre-audit survey
Our pre-audit surveys will ensure you are fully compliant or prepared and able to navigate a CRC audit. Use the short form below to contact us and we will call you right back.
Disappointing CRC league table performance will leave some well-known brands not only facing a media backlash, but the loss of clients who switch to their higher ranking rivals, following publication by the Environment Agency today [November 8, 2011].
If you fare less well than expected Ed Brewster and Karimi Gitonga of carbon consultancy, Envido, outline how to minimise reputational damage and optimise your Year 2 ranking.
Firstly, lower ranking CRC participants must consider exploiting the remaining early actions, according to Mr Brewster.
“Installing automatic metering won’t be included in the Year 2 league table score. Tactically however, gaining certification through BS EN 16001 or the Carbon Trust Standard will carry a forty per cent weighting towards your CRC score. This represents the single biggest gain for those in the lower echelons of the league table.
“Communicating that your organisation has got its certification underway can also combat negative market perceptions if your competitors sit above you in the table.”
Strategically, two new metrics that will affect 2011/12 scoring should be where your longer term focus should sit, not just to minimise CRC liability, but also to maintain competitiveness, says Mr Gitonga.
The absolute and growth metrics, both of which focus on energy and carbon reduction, will account for 60% of the 2011/12 scoring, rising to 100% in year four of the scheme. League table ranking and the cost of purchasing allowances are drivers but the major real issue is cost reduction.
“General economic conditions are poor so anything that can help raise the bottom line becomes attractive. Emitting a tonne of carbon can be estimated at £200. Putting in place a programme of energy efficiency to eliminate this cost makes plain business sense,” he explains.
“Having exploited early action metrics you should identify and put a cost on energy efficiency projects. Assuming smart sub-metering is coupled with an AM&T system, such as, EnSMART, energy management can target and prioritise the opportunities that save the greatest amount of carbon at the lowest cost per tonne.”
So what are the typical projects CRC participants should consider?
For those that have not been actively managing energy, Mr Gitonga advises enlisting a CIBSE qualified assessor to visit your sites. “They will be able to objectively work to identify and quantify the financial costs and benefits from changing building and plant controls. Similarly, voltage optimisation and installing variable speed drive to HVAC fans and pumps have sub-three year paybacks. Boiler replacement is often an area that, although more expensive, can deliver good financial results over the longer term.
“Social measures that engage staff through green initiatives, such as switch-off campaigns often generate further savings of 10% or more with little upfront investment and very short paybacks.”
Unlike many carbon consultancies, Envido has in-house engineers and psychologists that can deliver carbon and energy savings through installation of low carbon technologies and staff engagement projects.
“As well as identify and put a cost on opportunities we guarantee them,” adds Mr Gitonga.
If you need a solution to help boost your CRC performance and reduce carbon energy consumption, contact envido.co.uk on 0207 199 0090.
While almost all multinational companies are now addressing their own greenhouse gas emissions, two in every five are also taking steps to reduce the carbon output of their supply chain, according to a major new report released today.
Rumour has it that London tap water has passed through an average of eight other people before it comes out of the tap. This “fact” is helping to fuel the misconception that within the UK, and especially in large cities, it is safer to drink bottled water than tap water.
World Water Week ended last Friday with the development of the “Stockholm Statement”, which calls for all levels of government to commit to achieving the universal provision of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and modern energy services by 2030.
Last month saw the first reporting deadline for the CRC scheme, which required firms to provide detailed data on their carbon footprint to the Environment Agency.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is successfully persuading its drivers to adopt more efficient eco-driving techniques as part of the first carbon management plan to be deployed by an ambulance service.
A number of transport projects have been given the go-ahead across England thanks to a £155 million investment from the government in an effort to reduce carbon emissions from the UK's roads.
Large businesses in London could be paid to reduce their energy use during peak times.
A new scheme aimed at protecting London’s congested electricity networks has been proposed by the Low Carbon London (LCL) initiative. In a bid to avoid costly grid upgrades, the £30m scheme will encourage 30 large commercial and industrial businesses to enter into contracts with UK Power Networks.
The project, which is supported by £24m from Ofgem, will focus on exploring the impact of electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewable and distributed energy generation on the capital’s grid. The scheme is predicted to appeal to companies with cooling, refrigeration or standby power generation facilities.
08.07.2011
Large businesses in London could be paid to reduce their energy use during peak times.
Behavioural Insight Team and DECC to run a series of trials to identify best ways of boosting energy efficiency uptake
The government is set to launch a series of trials designed to "nudge" households and businesses towards implementing energy efficiency measures using incentives, or strategies that let people know how much energy they are using compared with their neighbours.
Owain Service, deputy director at the Cabinet Office's Behavioural Insight Team, said the team will publish a report alongside the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) next week exploring how behavioural economics can be harnessed to encourage greener actions.
The Behavioural Insight Team will base the new trials around four core tenets of the emerging field of behavioural economics: the tendency for people to discount long-term gains; be more averse to losses than they are excited by gains; stick to default settings; and attempt to adhere to social norms.
Service said each of these theories could be applied to the field of energy, noting that one of the reasons households and businesses often fail to implement energy efficiency measures that are in their interest is that "there's an upfront cost, but the rewards are in the long term".
05.07.2011
Behavioural Insight Team and DECC to run a series of trials to identify best ways of boosting energy efficiency uptake
DECC confirms its decision to slash the Feed-in-Tariffs by the beginning of August, while the Solar Trade Association says it will put jobs and investment of solar industry at risk.
Sustainability spending could double in 2013 from current levels, as companies see the business value of investing in enterprise-wide sustainability programs.
New report claims businesses can achieve significant energy savings by implementing different key strategies in day to day operations where no large upfront spend is required.
New survey reveals that sustainability strategies deliver wider commercial and operational benefits for businesses, but requires meaningful benchmarks.
Speaking at the first UN climate talks session of the year in Bangkok, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres asked to address shortfalls in climate action.
New guidance for data centres will incorporate new metrics covering water usage, energy recovery and the energy efficiency of operation of computing resources.
After its success in the UK, the Carbon Trust is now looking to expand in the US while attracting partnership and investment from the US for start-up companies in Britain.
Telecommunications giant achieves 44 million dollars energy savings in 2010 thanks to energy management project implanted by the first energy director.
An increased need to act on energy management issues has put a priority on aM&T systems for any company wanting to monitor their energy use effectively.
CarbonTrack™ is the first - and only - tool to measure carbon emissions from the advertising industry, which is thought to produce an estimated 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
With all the eyes focused on carbon emissions prior to Cancun, it’s vital not to lose sight of the need to combine carbon reduction with energy efficiency.
Unilever launched yesterday the Sustainable Living Plan that focuses on its supply chain and aims, over ten years, to cut its environmental impact in half.
Mitsubishi joins Siemens, General Electric and Gamesa in their plans to opening new UK wind turbine factories following the announcement of £60m funding.
UK energy and climate change secretary promises fully functioning green investment bank, carbon capture and storage (CCS) project and revival in offshore wind.
The new carbon and energy management software enables companies to effectively monitor and manage their carbon emissions, as a crucial indicator of business performance.
Coalition government announced that CRC scheme will no longer return revenue to participants, but will encourage them to improve their energy efficiency.
David Huhne will provide clarity on energy policy today after revealing a carbon floor price that is expected to boost low carbon renewable, nuclear and CCS projects.
New report from the Institute of Environment Management and Assessment argues that forced reporting on carbon emissions will benefit business and UK economy.
Transport Scotland is to tighten its travel policy to reverse a substantial increase in carbon emissions arising from the organisation’s business travel.
The EU has approved reforms that will free up €115m stimulus cash to be reallocated for energy efficiency projects with an impact on economic recovery.
Social networking website faces campaign to switch to renewable energy after announcing intentions to run new data centre mainly on coal-powered electricity.
German solar specialist launches a UK subsidiary after CREG announced this week a £50m fund to help businesses take advantage of the feed-in tariffs (FIT) programme.
"Plugged-in places" electric cars recharging infrastructure expects to survive the government's upcoming spending review and continue growing across the UK.
The UK government will allow the public to track Whitehall employees’ energy use after installing real time energy meters across 18 Whitehall headquarters.
Discrepancies between poorer nations and the US increase at climate change talks in Bonn this week and turn attention to next meeting point in Tianjin, China.
Larger firms based in England will no longer receive free carbon-cutting advisory services in an attempt to expand paid-for services from the Carbon Trust.
New report informs climate change negotiators in Bonn that pledged carbon emission targets remain well short of what is required for limiting temperature rises to less than 2ºC.
Envido today announced the release of EnSMART v. 1.1 online energy management tool. This release is a major update to Envido’s previous energy management system, used to facilitate the collection, reporting and analysis of environmental, utility and energy data.
The response to the setting up of a new Green Investment Bank has raised questions over the future of the Carbon Trust, but everyone seems happy - even the Carbon Trust. Here are what some people think:
A survey done to more than 750 top Chief Executives reveals that 93% of them regard sustainability as a critical issue to their company's future success, reports Envido.
Labour announces intention to impose renewable energy targets on local authorities in an attempt to overcome Tory wind farm opposition, reports Envido.
