We all know about how saving maximum energy and being super energy efficient is probably now the single most important area of concern in all our home, and of course, workplace activities.
This is especially more so for the plumbing, electrical and gas install, repair and maintenance industries. Responsible trade skills training centres, like AbleSkills, are ensuring that their students will receive sound knowledge and understanding in order that they can both advise their customers and install the most reliable and energy efficient equipment and systems.
One recent example of a straightforward, practical energy saving solution that all electricians should be aware of, is a system that aims to cut 10 per cent off electricity bills for the average household. The device, which stabilises domestic voltage to a lower level (usually 220V in the UK and EU), regardless of the fluctations in the incoming supply voltage, has been commercially available since 2008.
A 'compact' stand-alone technology, it neatly fits inside a plastic unit half the size of a standard domestic fuse box that it will be sitting alongside, and to which, it will also be directly wired. Future plans are for the unit to be integrated inside the fuse box itself. The device incorporates a two-winding transformer, small printed circuit board and switching components.
The system operates by a circuit, which was developed to enable the voltage at a property to be held at a fixed level regardless of the incoming supply voltage and fluctuations, by generating anti-phase components of the voltage.
The transformer converts the voltage when there is, for example, 250V being delivered to the house and you only want 230V , which means you need to get rid of 20V. This unwanted 20V is thus created in anti-phase and is effectively subtracted from the incoming voltage to the property. The printed circuit board has been designed to maintain consistency even when incoming power fluctuates.
If the voltage to the property starts to fluctuate, say it drops to 245V, but you still want to achieve 230V, the anti-phase component reduces to 15V so you still maintain the desired output at the property. It is designed to handle 2kW of continuous power, but it is able to run for short durations into an overload capability. If the overload continues or if the loading goes even higher, then the system will bypass the device for a short period of time.
Most electrical devices in UK homes are designed to operate in the 216 to 253V range and test results demonstrate that volts above 216V do not necessarily give additional performance. High voltage levels often cause surplus energy to be wasted in the form of heat. For example a fridge does not get colder with a higher voltage supply. Tests also showed that light bulbs operating with higher voltage burn out sooner than those operating with lower voltage. This gave further proof that, for the majority of appliances, high voltage wastes energy and can shorten the operating life.
After testing, it was found that the device consumes about one per cent of the household power load. The net saving is 10 per cent and it is expected to deliver a payback in three years for the average UK home.
While voltage control reduction and stabilisation for energy efficiency is not a new idea, the intention now is to determine suitability for the device to be part of the UK Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme, and is the first time this technology will be available at a low cost.