Energy costs are rising, and if you make glass, that is bad
news. Allied Glass Containers in Leeds, for example,
spends several million pounds a year on electricity and
more on gas.
Faced with a 71% increase in energy costs which would severely
affect profitability, Allied knew that by upgrading its cooling
fan drives to variable speed drive (VSD) control, they could
get substantial savings. “We
generally run 24/7 and never turn the fans off,” says
Engineering Manager Chris Lumley. “If you only save £10
an hour per fan, it all adds up.”
Siemens’ holistic solution was not the cheapest, but
offered the best value as all associated aspects of the commercial,
technical and regulatory considerations were included. Comprehensive
return on investment calculations were completed and armed
with
this data, the Siemens solution partner (Southern & Redfern)
undertook a complete retrofit of all mechanical and electrical
equipment.
With some fi fteen units now installed, the Siemens VSD technology
has reduced electrical energy consumption on some of the
fan units by
up to 40% depending on fan load requirements.
This has saved several hundred thousands pounds, cut annual
carbon emissions from the plant by almost 2,000 tonnes – and
achieved the forecast 10 month payback.
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