Staying Bright While Cutting Costs
A new voltage reduction system has been launched that cuts energy consumption of fluorescent lighting systems by up to 30%. According to Block, the manufacturer of the system, payback is typically between 20 and 30 months.
The system has already proved itself with customers in Germany. Energy consumption was reduced by around 20% for indoor lighting at a Lidl supermarket store, and a medium-sized town in Southern Germany has seen the power consumption of its street lighting cut by 25% per year after installing the new system.
German-based discount supermarket chain LIDL, which has more than 7,000 stores in 17 countries, was approached by Block’s German installation partner 4e Energiezentrale GmbH in August 2007. The regional buildings supervisor responsible was about to move to the corporate headquarters at the end of 2007. In November that year, a meeting with the project director took place at 4e’s head office.
The indoor lighting of a typical Lidl supermarket store requires around 55,000kWh of electrical energy each year. It was decided to implement a pilot SAVERGY unit in one store. This system was installed in February 2007. After an initial pilot system was delivered and installed, both parties were not convinced by the savings achieved. Therefore, a new transformer was co-developed by Block and 4e, which could be used for this specific type of electronic ballast. On 11th February, 2008, the new system went online for a four-week testing period at Lidl.
Measurements were taken in BYPASS and SAVING mode. During this test period, an 18.6% reduction in electricity consumption was achieved and has been confirmed by tests undertaken by 4e. Separate tests were carried out by Lidl, which also confirmed these savings.
Sven Holtzhausen, Sales Manager at 4e Energiezentrale GmbH comments: “In total, the consumption will be reduced by around 10,000 kWh per year. This equates to a reduction in CO2 emissions of approximately 5 tonnes per year. The installed SAVERGY units have a payback period of just over two years. Furthermore, if Lidl installs the units in 80% of its stores, annual electricity costs would be cut by around two million euros. CO2 emissions would be reduced by 11,000 tonnes per year.”
Block’s new SAVERGY range of voltage reduction systems is based on the company’s three-phase autotransformer technology, which has an efficiency of more than 97%. The system protects fluorescent lighting, including mercury vapour-based and sodium discharge lamps, from high voltages, smoothing out illumination levels at all times. The basic principle behind the system is to reduce the line voltage to a lower level according to the lighting system’s specification.
The system is suitable for any factory, public building or office that uses a significant amount of lighting for a good proportion of the day and night. Customers of SAVERGY already include supermarkets and underground car parks, as well as installers of street lighting. Other potential applications include multi-storey car parks, industrial companies, oil refineries, airports, public buildings, warehouses, office blocks and logistics companies.
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