Physics

Automatic meter reading

Most organisations can use automatic meter reading to measure, collect and record energy information that can be transmitted to a PC or over the Internet to create reports and analysis that will help towards better energy management.

Energy Survey Data Collection

When carrying out an energy survey, data collection should include a wide range of information that can best identify how and why energy is being used.

Energy Awareness

Energy awareness is an essential step to good energy management as it ensures that all stakeholders are aware of any new energy-saving initiatives.

Half Hourly Meters

Half Hourly Meters are now in ever-increasing demand as the CRC and other energy legislation encourages half hourly meters to be installed at the earliest opportunity.

Half Hourly meters, or "00" electricity meters, have traiditonally been installed in buildings that have a peak load above 100kW. However, the benefits that are provided by these meters, means that many commercial buildings, and even homes, are now installing this technology.

Lighting

Lighting can often account for up to 40% of the total electricity bill for most companies in the UK. As a result, lighting provides one of the biggest opportunities to save energy and reduce costs. Lighting can also be one of the easiest ways to reduce energy consumption.

Controls

It may sound obvious, but one of the quickest ways to save energy is to simply switch it off lights where they are not required. Artificial lighting is often used in areas where natural daylight is already more than sufficient.

Compressed Air Heat Recovery

Compressed air heat recovery can be used to recover heat from the compressor to provide hot air or hot water in other areas of the site.

Monitoring and Targeting

Monitoring and targeting energy consumption within a building is often summed up by the simple phrase "if you can't measure it, then you can't manage it"

Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are increasingly being used in both homes and businesses as a replacement for the old incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent lamps provide lots of benefits including:
CFLs typically use less than one quarter of the energy of an equivalent incandescent light bulb. For example, an 22 watt CFL will usually produce about the same amount as light as a 100 W incandescent lightbulb
CFLs can often last as much as 10 times longer than the old incandescent light bulbs

Energy Efficient Air Conditioning

Air conditioning is often employed in building when there is a need to provide cooling, humidity control, reduce pollution, and create an internal airflow. It has the advantage of providing high levels of internal environment control and is often perceived as the best way to create higher levels of internal conflict. However air-conditioning has many disadvantages including high capital costs, substantial maintenance costs and often considerable energy consumption and costs.

Wind Energy

Wind energy is one of the most cost-effective methods of generating renewable power; with installation typically costing about £2500 to £5,000 per kWe

For building applications, wind turbines are usually available in outputs that range from 600 W to 3.6 MW

Obviously wind speed is the key factor to the success of any wind energy installation and whilst it is often said that wind turbines require a minimum wind speed of 4 m per second, ideally wind speed should be at least 7 m per second.

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