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Switching pumps – saving energy. And reducing cost
Story
Wilo delivering savings for the NHS and other public sector users
There’s a company here in the UK that is helping its customers to significantly cut the cost of energy used by their pumps and pumping systems. In the current climate, by up to 80%.
Wilo (U.K.) is part of the German based Wilo AG Group, one of the world’s top 6 pump manufacturers with annual sales approaching £700m. Throughout its history the Wilo group has been at the forefront of developing energy saving products through increased hydraulic efficiency, electronics and innovative motor design. These advances in product development have lead to the latest ranges of Wilo pumps qualifying for the top band ‘A’ energy rating.
In real terms the latest range of Wilo pumps are up to 80% more efficient than a standard fixed speed pump. With rising energy costs this can represent a huge saving on energy bills. There is not a huge awareness of the amount of energy pumps can use. In the same way that in simple terms the value of heating controls in a home is to turn off or turn down the heat and energy use when its not needed, if you can install pumps that only operate and consume energy when they are needed, you can make a huge saving on your energy bills.
Of course, this saving has to be balanced against the cost of purchasing a new pump.
It’s easy to bandy around impressive looking statistics. But what about in real life. Can these claims be substantiated? Let’s take a closer look at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
Early in 2006, Wilo made contact with Norman Spiller based at Derriford Hospital. Responsible for the maintenance of all plant on the site, Norman was concerned that the pumps installed were aging and that that could be part of the reason why the hospital had a £1m+ per annum electricity bill. Wilo was invited to survey the pumps in all of the 12 plant rooms within the hospital. The purpose of the survey was to catalogue all of the pumps on site and suggest an equivalent pump from the Wilo energy efficient range.
Dan Wild from Wilo takes up the story: “Upon inspection, we found the pumps on site ranged from 20 years old down to pumps that had been installed for only a couple of years.
“When the pumps had been catalogued and new equivalents selected, we calculated the energy costs of the old and the new. It was found that significant savings could be made by installing the new Wilo high efficiency pumps. This saving obviously had to be offset against the capital outlay required to purchase the new pumps. As you would expect, the most significant saving could be made on the older pumps and not surprisingly the pumps with larger motor sizes.”
Payback periods for the pumps ranged from 4 months up to several years with savings of up to £6,300 per annum available for an outlay of just £4,340. Over the 12 plant rooms surveyed, Wilo was able to produce savings in excess of £70,000 per annum.
With payback periods of over a few months, Derriford Hospital was able to make the decision to replace the first pumps immediately as they would show a saving in that financial year. Derriford Hospital has also programmed the replacement of all pumps in the hospital as funding becomes available. This plan will result in the hospital having huge energy savings year on year together with new pumps which will render reduced running costs when compared to many of the older pumps which required increasingly more frequent maintenance.
By standardising on a single manufacturer of pumps on the site, the hospital is now in a position where it can standardise any spare parts which it may decide to carry in the event of pump failures. The hospital has also negotiated with a local pump distributor to hold stock of spares and replacement pumps.
Wilo has agreed to train the hospitals training staff in the installation and maintenance of all the pumps installed and this training has taken place both at the hospital and at the Wilo headquarters in Burton on Trent.
As a result of this kind of exercise, Wilo is now working on a number of government sites, particularly within the military sector, to help them drive down their energy costs. A free site survey and energy comparison service is the gateway to any establishment saving significantly on their annual energy costs.
Anyone can contact Wilo UK to arrange a free, no obligation site survey and energy comparison. They’ll show you in simple terms what your current set up is costing and what you can save by switching to Wilo energy saving pumps. It costs you nothing and could save you a lot. Call them now on 01283 523 000 or visit them first at www.wilo.co.uk to get a feel for what they do – and how they do it.
