Efficiency Direct Ltd - Energy solutions provider

Whatever the size of your organisation, everyone stands to gain from being more energy efficient. Our range of services endeavour to identify, evaluate and implement measures to save energy with financial savings being the priority.

Our energy services include:-

* quantifying your energy consumption and cost
* identifying specific energy savings measures with the best financial case
* reducing energy costs
* Energy reporting
* Metering, advise and installation (smart metering, AMR, sub-metering etc)
* benchmark your energy use against similar organisations
* energy audit with identified savings
* procurement of electricity, gas and water
* energy surveys
* infrared thermal surveys
* help with the Carbon Reduction Commitment legislation
* project management
* building management systems
* All technical aspects of building operation and maintenance
 

Business energy surveying from a company with expertise knowledge

Efficiency Direct Consultants carry out a variety of energy surveys on behalf of the Carbon Trust, fully funded for eligible businesses.

The Carbon Trust is the Government’s main driver in reducing carbon emissions in the UK. Businesses who have an annual energy spend of over £50,000 can apply.

Our Energy Consultants can also offer an independent survey for those organisations not eligible for a Carbon Trust survey or who require a more detailed audit, which may also include water.

In addition, all our survey reports include capital cost and payback periods, an analysis of all utility data and a range of pictorial records.

Business energy surveying from a company with expertise knowledge

Efficiency Direct Consultants carry out a variety of energy surveys on behalf of the Carbon Trust, fully funded for eligible businesses.

The Carbon Trust is the Government’s main driver in reducing carbon emissions in the UK. Businesses who have an annual energy spend of over £50,000 can apply.

Our Energy Consultants can also offer an independent survey for those organisations not eligible for a Carbon Trust survey or who require a more detailed audit, which may also include water.

In addition, all our survey reports include capital cost and payback periods, an analysis of all utility data and a range of pictorial records.

Managing carbon for businesses

Carbon Management makes sound business sense, by identifying and implementing any potential carbon emission reduction opportunities.

The impact of rising energy costs on your organisation can be minimised, as it is commonly believed that most businesses are wasting between 15-20% of their energy consumption. Efficiency Direct Ltd will help you to identify and reduce or eliminate this wastage.

Our team of experienced mechanical, electrical and building services engineers will help you to devise initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of your organisation. These measures will usually provide both financial and operational benefits to your organisation. Initiatives might include:

* Carbon Footprinting.
* Gaining the Carbon Trust Standard
* BMS control system alterations/improvements
* Low energy lighting strategies and controls
* Building fabric improvements
* Operational analysis to reduce energy use
* Heating/Air conditioning system improvements and modifications
* CHP, Biomass, Solar and wind power viability studies
* Staff awareness training
* IT Strategy for energy consumption reduction
 

Energy Procurement

The integrated approach to energy matters is Efficiency Direct’s unique selling point where we aim to provide clients with a complete energy package.

In recent years, gas and electricity tariff rates have been very volatile increasing by almost threefold in a very short time. Utility budgets have consequently rocketed making effective procurement an essential part of the energy package.

The first part of the Efficiency Direct system is:

* to review supply, contract details and tariffs
* to ascertain the contractual obligations that are in force
* Contractual start/finish dates.
* Obtain data for supplies

Thereafter the system aims to procure energy effectively whereby unit rates are tuned to each client’s usage pattern with the best prevailing market rates. Efficiency Direct can then assist the client to:

* verify monthly bills for accuracy
* provide reporting on usage patterns
* Tenant utility charge-backs through metering and sub-metering systems

The goal is to provide a combination of optimum supply rates and lower usage which will both reduce costs and carbon impacts.

Energy Reporting

Energy reporting or, monitoring and targeting as it is also known, is a key part of energy management.

If half hourly energy data is available (see metering services) it can be used to provide a variety of reports analysing utility usage. Improved utility practices can then provide the potential for economies through proactive utility management.

Reports can be customised to a client’s requirements but will typically include:

 

* Utility consumption – gas, water electricity, oil or any other source
* Base load information
* Maximum demand
* CO2 emissions

 

Analysis of the above data is included in the report and can highlight possible problems and offer solutions. It is also a splendid management tool for settings targets and controlling usage thereby controlling costs.

Tenant Billing

For clients with multi-let properties, we offer a tenant utility apportionment service. The property will need a sub-metering system installed (see metering services). Each sub meter will give accurate consumption figures for individual tenants which then translate into costs. Our monitoring and targeting software will also calculate share of all standing charges and landlord’s service charges. Experience shows that once a tenant is responsible for their energy usage, energy costs can be cut significantly.

Bill Verification

With accurate consumption data, estimated bills become a thing of the past (see metering services).

Supplier’s bills can be verified, month on month, helping companies’ budgeting and forecasting. Every aspect of the bill will be checked – correct tariff rates, standing charges and consumption.

This is necessary because, unfortunately, computer generated bills often contain errors and these can be swiftly resolved.

Metering Services

Efficiency Direct specialise in utility metering as a part of our “If you can measure it you can manage it” motto, including:

* Individual tenant billing within multi-tenanted sites
* Establishing the landlords energy usage and apportioning it back to tenants
* Cost centres within a large organisation to apportion running costs.
* Developing specific energy requirements for specific operations
* Verifying utility bills

These systems provide the data to allow us to provide our Monitoring and Targeting services (see Energy Reporting) for clients to suit their individual needs, these include sub/tenant metering and smart metering systems.
Tenant billing/Sub-metering

On some sites landlords include utility usage costs within the rent or lease but in multi-tenanted sites this is a very inaccurate way of apportioning usage as inevitably some tenants use more power than others.

Efficiency Direct operate several sub-metering and tenant billing systems, the largest example is a multi-tenanted 100,000 sq.ft complex with about 30 meters that:

* Replicate main tariff meters for bill verification
* measure the actual usage at each individual supply point/tenant
* generate monthly billing schedules for landlord charge-backs
* review usage patterns and report upon them

The site systems are remotely accessed by GSM or internet links to collect, collate the data and then to generate a billing schedule; this is usually a monthly service but can be bespoke to each application.
Smart Metering / Automated Meter Reading (AMR)

A Smart meter is:

* an advanced utility meter ideal for smaller sites just under the 100kW threshold for half-hourly meters
* can be extended beyond electricity to include gas and water
* it communicates its information via GSM technology
* a central server collects/collates the data for analysis and billing.

The benefits of AMR include:

* Accurate and timely billing.
* No more estimated bills.
* Operational / Consumption Savings
* Improved Budget and Accrual
* Energy Monitoring and targeting becomes a useful management tool.
* Information can be used to raise awareness amongst building occupants and to produce league tables etc.

Building Management System (BMS)

A Building Management System (BMS) is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors mechanical and electrical plant; this includes heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems and security systems.

The core function of a BMS is to manage the environmental conditions within a building as energy efficiently as possible by operating the heating and cooling and systems. As a general comment, the BMS system is often either your best friend or worst enemy; if it works well it performs well, if it works poorly it is likely to waste energy and not deliver the correct environmental conditions. We do :-

* system integrity checks
* functionality improvement
* control strategy improvement
* design changes

Also, BMS was traditionally known as BEMS showing that Energy is a key facet; the addition of sub meters (see Metering Services) can monitor energy consumption in various areas of the building to analyse the energy usage. Efficiency Direct Ltd has a lot of experience and expertise in BMS systems using qualified engineers to ensure that your system is working at its optimum level, controlling environmental plant correctly and providing the optimum energy efficiency.

Thermal Imaging
Thermal image surveys

Although the use of thermal imaging to detect a host of electrical problems is widely known, there are many other less well known, but equally useful, services that our cameras can provide to help you become more energy efficient and save money. These include:

1. Mechanical Equipment Checks

Designed to highlight mechanical problems in equipment such as overheating motors, blockages in radiators, valve integrity, misaligned pulleys, hot bearings, fluid leaks, malfunctioning steam traps etc.

2. Building Services

A building contains a huge array of equipment that can have problems diagnosed by thermal imaging. These range from identifying damp spots in fabric insulation, breakdowns in the insulation or thermal barriers, location of under floor/in ceiling heating pipe runs and fluid level detection in closed vessels. Cold air leaks into buildings through doors and windows are also easily identified.

3. Electrical Faults

As mentioned, many faults like hot cables, components, loose busbar connections, faulty UPS batteries, poor quality crimps, earth leakage and a range of other electrical faults are readily identified.
The Range of Services We Can Provide

* Detecting heat and energy losses including insulation defects, thermal defects and missing insulation.
* Moisture detection including central heating leaks, areas of damp, fabric breakdown.
* Industrial surveys detailing areas of the building that require attention to bring them up to standard, and minimise heat losses.