Energy Saving Week; Top Tips from our Energy Team
The 17th to the 23rd January is Energy Saving week, an annual campaign backed by the UK government and thousands of organisations to raise awareness about energy efficiency and share advice on how we can all save energy, help our planet and reduce associated costs.
Energy saving is something many of us do each day in our homes, whether that be turning down the thermostat, monitoring your smart meter and turning off devices when not in use.
But does this always translate to the work environment? We’ve reached out to the Energy Team for their top tips on how to improve your onsite energy efficiency and reduce associated costs … here’s what they had to say…
Andy Gordon, Head of Electrical Services
Optimise your energy consumption and distribution. I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and see the same problems occurring on almost every site. Businesses wanting to trial cleaner energy technologies before looking at their energy consumption. If we reduce consumption and suppress peak loads it will pave the way to implementing cleaner energy technologies and ultimately help reduce energy consumption and associated costs.
And I have just the solution, an Energy Management System (EMS).
An EMS is essentially a smart distribution board that can be programmed to turn off devices when not in use. And this time of year, when heaters are on full blast, doors and windows are being left open, and water boilers left on all night, it’s the perfect time to stop and review what your biggest energy consumers are. You can take control and decide if you really need to heat empty rooms, run a water boiler when no one is on site and decide how long the heater is left on whilst the door is open!
My advice, is take control first, look to reduce and optimise your energy consumption and distribution, and you’ll fundamentally pave the way for energy savings.
Find out how our customers are making big savings with energy management Sunbelt Rentals Eco Lync Case Study | Sunbelt Rentals
Matt O’Hara, Head of Clean Energy, Sales
Hybridise your temporary power: If you need temporary power the historic way of thinking has been a ‘generator only’ solution. But this needs to change, there are far better solutions out there that will benefit both our planet and your wallet.
Every minute a generator is running it burns fuel. With many left on, running over night, powering minimal devices. But, if you hybridise your system and combine battery storage technology with a generator you will do several things.
- Your generator can run more efficiently, looking after the higher power demands, whilst it charges the battery storage unit.
- As power demands drop (typically over night and weekends), the load will be programmed to shift to the battery, turning off the generator, saving over 50% in fuel and associated costs!
- You enjoy silent, emission free power!
Want to know more about Battery Storage Units and Clean Energy Solutions? Visit Clean Energy | Sunbelt Rentals
Kyle Rogers, Clean Energy Application Manager – Film and TV
Think outside the box. With a constant mix of studio and location filming, back-up power is usually a must in the Film and TV industry, and there are many companies trialling different solutions to reduce their reliance on generators and fossil fuels.
So, the team and I are proud to have championed a ground-breaking energy solution at Sky’s flagship studios, on the outskirts of London.
In this scenario the studios had grid power, but it wasn’t enough to meet peak production demands. However, by thinking outside the box, they utilised the mains power available, storing it (in an energy storage unit) for when it was needed; thus, removing the reliance on generators (and fossil fuels), and creating a solution that not only delivered uninterrupted power, but savings too.
The solution is called a ‘power at mains parallel mode’ and to our knowledge it’s the first of its kind to be set up in the UK Film and TV industry. Essentially when power demands were low, the mains power trickle charged the Energy Storage Units. Then when demand increased, the unit could deploy the extra power needed for the various services on the set.
These are just some of the greener solutions on offer at Sunbelt Rentals UK, a range of products and services that look to renewable energies and lower carbon solutions that can benefit both our customers and our planet. To view the full range, visit Greener Solutions | Sunbelt Rentals