Projects

Electricity and Energy Monitoring

Background

 

Our client, Gurit (UK) Ltd, occupies a large site on the Isle of Wight incorporating two separate production and manufacturing buildings of 5,500 and 5,000 square metres.  As manufacturers of carbon fibre, composite and chemical products their energy consumption is high and they required accurate data in order to control their usage more effectively and reduce costs.  They also take their environmental responsibilities very seriously and were keen to improve efficiency and eliminate waste in order to achieve ISO 50001 certification to add to their existing ISO 14001 accreditation.

Gurit searched for a specialist contractor with the necessary experience and skill set to undertake this project.  They already had some Rayleigh meters incorporated into their existing switchgear and, being very happy with these, contacted Rayleigh in order to find a suitable installer.  We were recommended to them and after an initial site meeting were pleased to be appointed as the contractor for this project.

 

Project requirements

 

Gurit primarily wanted accurate and meaningful data that would allow management chains to make informed decisions regarding energy usage, efficiency, spend and improvement.  They also needed their technical and maintenance teams to have access to important information regarding the performance of specific areas, circuits and even individual machines (to include essential metrics such as voltage, current and power factor).  Gurit is a multi-national company and this data would therefore need to be accessed remotely from anywhere with a secure internet connection via Cloud based technology.

Both buildings have existing large PV solar arrays fitted and Gurit were keen to emphasise their sustainability credentials by incorporating a public display in their reception area that illustrates the amount of electricity consumed versus the amount being generated at any given time.

 

Project delivery

 

After client consultation and site surveys, a programme of works was established that enabled the system to be installed with minimum disruption to site activities and production.  The project was designed to incorporate multiple meters throughout the two buildings on site, in conjunction with communication units that relayed the data recorded to a central software platform.  The system was hard-wired, although wireless GSM units are available if site circumstances make this option preferable.

At the heart of the system is the state-of-the-art software platform that:

• Delivers fully customised reports, with access controlled by the site administrator.
• Allows the on-site maintenance and technical team to see a full overview of performance including voltage, current, power factor and other key metrics.
• Provides the accounts team with real-time consumption information to produce accurate cost forecasts.
• Helps the sales team produce competitive quotes by providing in-depth historic job cost information including pre-heat, production and clean down figures.
• Can automatically generate individual billing, consumption and efficiency reports, sent at specified intervals to a nominated email address / addresses. This is particularly useful where separate cost centres occur within an organisation.
• Creates alarms and alerts that automatically inform specified staff members via SMS text or email when certain pre-determined conditions have been exceeded – excellent for managing out-of-hours activity.
• Generates information sent to a public display screen illustrating how much energy is being consumed versus what is being generated through the client’s extensive Solar PV system. This should provide great PR and is an excellent way for the client to emphasise their energy efficiency credentials.

 

For ultimate convenience and practicality, all live data and reports have been Cloud hosted and can be securely accessed via PC, laptop, mobile phone or tablet; from anywhere with an internet connection.  Secure log-ins have been created to allow the management chain to view information and historic data is retained indefinitely, allowing for comparisons and proof of effectiveness when efficiency decisions have been implemented.

 

Client feedback

 

“Encore Electrical were in all respects an excellent contractor. From the very first approach they were professional and highly competent. The lengthy and complex installation process was handled with no disruption to the site and the standards of work and working practices that Encore exhibit allow me to unreservedly recommend them to anyone.”

Simon Rhodes
Health, Safety and Environmental Manager
Gurit (UK) Ltd