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Energy plays an important part in everyone’s life and, as we have all been hearing, it also has a major effect on the environment.
Like others, this business consumes energy to operate a machine or your computer and to keep the workplace safe, warm and well lit, which obviously has to include lights in the car park and other places that may not instantly come to mind. |
Energy saving Workshop and Gangway lighting
Some would suggest that there are far less machines in the main works, so consumption should have fallen, but there are many more computers, more IT equipment, more air cooling units, more lights, and more items of personal equipment (and are these switched off when we go home)?
Where possible, lighting has been improved that gives a pleasant, even illumination using high efficiency lighting. Combined with movement sensors and timers rather than switches, you can see that consumption fell by some 350,000 kWh in 1999/00 and despite increased shift working, it has not significantly increased.
| Financial Year. |
Electricity kWh. |
Natural Gas Units. |
Gas oil Litres. |
| 1999/00 |
4,569,900 |
9,311,000 |
304,000 |
| 2000/01 |
4,524,900 |
13,680,700 |
249,000 |
| 2001/02 |
4,485,700 |
10,912,200 |
314,000 |
| 2002/03 |
4,547,100 |
14,708,600 |
248,000 |
| 2003/04 |
4,404,900 |
10,521,700 |
277,000 |
| 2004/05 |
4,478,100 |
10,160,200 |
181,500 |
| 2005/06 |
4,532,500 |
9,408,200 |
200,000 |
| 2006/07 |
4,555,300 |
8,315,100 |
180,000 |
| 2007/08 |
4,574,500 |
7,673,000 |
175,000 |
| 2008/09 |
4,775,800 |
74,381 |
180,000 |
| 2009/10 |
5,222,216 |
83,578 |
160,000 |
Natural gas use was deliberately increased in 2000/01 because it is a cleaner fuel but gas is only available on one side of the site and we are on the end of the pipe, so supply is limited, which means that we have to rely on heating oil for much of the site.
Over the last few years we have replaced boilers, air heaters, improved controls, thermostats and have replaced numerous roofs with a highly insulated composite roofs and this has saved literally thousands of litres of oil and gas, the biggest single improvement resulting from main factory roof replacement in 2004/5.
Then we were using an average of 278,000 litres of oil each year and now the average is about 187,000 litres per year, a reduction of 90,000 litres per year. If you prefer, that’s about the same as 100 diesel cars averaging 45 mpg, travelling 10,000 miles per year, being taken off the road.
Unfortunately, there is no real means of measuring compressed air use, even though this is one of the most energy intensive utilities to supply, as are water supplies, but water we can measure.
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