CHEP makes a smaller footprint with Elcomponent Loggers  |  2010-26-08

CHEP, the global leader in pallet and container pooling services, has implemented a Sustainability programme to reduce the environmental impact of its plant operations. CHEP is now using Elcomponent SPCPro portable three-phase energy data loggers to monitor the energy use of individual plant and processes across Europe.

CHEP selected SPCPro for this application because it is easy and safe to use, it requires no special knowledge of electrical systems to operate and because of its compact and lightweight, yet robust, construction.

The SPCPro energy data loggers are playing a key role in CHEP's 'Measure to Manage' programme, which the company has implemented to provide accurate and detailed information about the energy consumed by machines and equipment in its service centres in the UK, Ireland, Benelux and Spain.

The information produced by the data loggers is carefully analysed, using the 'PowerPackPro' software package supplied as part of the SPCPro kit, to reveal areas of high consumption and to identify opportunities for improving energy management so as to reduce both the company's expenditure on energy and its carbon footprint.

Since CHEP has so many sites and so much equipment, portable instruments were the logical (and very cost-effective) choice for this application. Many portable three-phase energy data loggers, however, require specialist knowledge to use safely since they require voltage connections to be made to all three phases, usually with some form of temporary connector such as a crocodile clip. While this is no problem for a properly trained technician, it is certainly not a task that should be attempted by anyone who does not have the appropriate skills.

By contrast, the SPCPro requires only one voltage input and this is easily and safely obtained by plugging the instrument in to the nearest wall socket - a job which anyone can do safely. The instrument's current transformers are fully insulated flexible loop types and are, therefore, equally safe and easy to use.

Elcomponent's innovative and highly acclaimed 'PowerPackPro' software which is used to analyse the data from the instrument ensures that despite the use of only one voltage input, accurate and dependable information about real energy use is obtained. These factors, along with the very competitive price of the SPCPro, were decisive for CHEP in its choice of instruments.

CHEP has already made extensive use of the SPCPro, and has found that it fully lives up to the claims made . The data provided is proving invaluable to CHEP in its efforts to reduce its costs and its environmental impact, and the instruments are delivering a healthy carbon saving to capital expenditure ratio.

University of Bath  |  2009-01-05

A combination of technology, information and people make big savings!

3 West North (3WN) is one of the newest buildings on the campus, built in 2005 to house a number of research laboratories as part of the Department of Physics. It includes drawing towers for making photonic crystal fibres, a 200-seater lecture theatre and two general teaching classrooms for 100 and 30 people, as well as various labs with equipment including lasers, lathes and furnaces. This vital research, however, is energy intensive, and the building has an annual electricity bill of £70,000.

Within the Department of Estates, significant investment has been made in improving the energy monitoring of buildings such as this, and through the Our Big Energy Challenge project, a departmental energy champion has been trained and now acts as a point of contact for the Energy & Environment team.

This champion, technician Harry Bone, together with Alan George, the Technical Manager for the department, helped organise the key people to get together and examine the energy information for the building. An action plan was put together and certain key changes to the operating regime were made, without risking the integrity of the research conditions.

The very positive results of this exercise can be seen in the graphs below showing the weekly electricity usage pattern before, during and after the changes were made.

Before:

The week the changes were made...

And the following week (and every week after that...)

And so, thanks to the efforts of Harry, Alan and the team in Estates we have saved:
380,000 kWh every year
£35,000 every year
160 tonnes CO2 every year