ASDA reduces energy bills with powerPerfector

(14/05/2010)

90% of British businesses – from huge multinationals to hill farms in Wales – pay for more electricity than they actually need because of a little-known fact: the power they receive off the grid is usually at too high a voltage. Everything still works of course, but inefficiently.

powerPerfector has been installed at ASDA Pontefract and Clapham. Both ASDA sites had a range of loads, including refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning, fluorescent and hi-bay lighting, and a variety of electrical cooking appliances. Following a process of evaluation to confirm the level of optimisation suitable, they installed two powerPerfector units. Following installation all electrical equipment has operated normally and there have been no reports of any problems. Over time, they expect to see equipment lifecycles noticeably extended.

With independent analysis of the results provided by Energy ICT, powerPerfector produced significant savings – on top of other energy saving initiatives already in place – and ASDA have confirmed that powerPerfector will continue to be part of their retrofit energy plans going forward.

The equipment on all these sites is now being driven more efficiently by powerPerfector’s higher-quality power output, phase balancing is improved, harmonics have been reduced and voltage has been optimised. Equipment lifecycles will also be extended, giving ASDA further savings in the future.

Reduced maintenance, longer life
All electrical equipment has an optimum voltage at which it works best. A powerPerfected supply delivers that optimum and reduces the strain on your electrical equipment, leaving it to work more reliably and for longer.

Better quality power supply
Some things you may have accepted for years as product faults can turn out to be caused by a poor quality power supply. For instance, the life of incandescent light bulbs is almost doubled when the supply voltage is optimised. Now imagine that in relation to an IT network or an expensive piece of manufacturing equipment.

Missing the penalty kick
Power factor penalty charges – which are now uncapped in the UK – can be avoided if your power factor is above 0.95. If your power factor is at around 0.9 at the moment, powerPerfector could remove your exposure to these charges by improving the electrical efficiency of your site.

Lower harmonic distortion and reduced neutral currents
powerPerfectors are able to filter harmonics on the mains incomer. Harmonic distortion is on the increase and can lead to random failures of electronic equipment – particularly computers.

Protection Transients – very brief spikes in voltage from the grid – of up to 25,000V are eliminated by powerPerfector. Transients at this level can cause catastrophic damage to equipment, but smaller, more common transient events will also shorten the life expectancy of electrical equipment over time. Each installation ensures that ASDA may no longer risk electronic failure in the store from a transient that would put them out of business for days.

‘Paybacks to date have been excellent and we are currently exploring the possibility of further installation.’ commented Brad Hawkins, Energy Projects Manager, ASDA.

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