Wednesday 14 September 2011

Energy for pools specialist Powermaster offers a solution to Redditch Borough Council’s plan to cut costs by using crematorium heat

Typical spa application
Earlier this year, Redditch Borough Council announced plans to recycle waste heat from the town crematorium, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. The local authority maintains that this would be an environmentally efficient use of energy that could save £14,000 a year at its Abbey Stadium facility. However, the plans were described as “sick and an insult to local residents" by UNISON. Geoff Renshaw of energy saving technology expert Powermaster argues that Redditch Borough Council’s decision to use excess heat from a crematorium to warm a swimming pool is environmentally laudable but needlessly controversial. Here he presents the alternative energy saving methods that could have calmed the public debate.

There are a number of effective methods for reducing the energy-spend and carbon emissions in leisure centres, swimming pools and spas, which could shrink the costs even more than re-using crematorium heat. For example, variable speed drives can be used to control water pumps, while voltage optimisers can reduce electricity costs and internal heat recovery can decrease heating expenditure.
For instance, in the case of heat recovery, some parts of a leisure centre or sports facility are not only heated, but accumulate heat that can be re-used elsewhere as part of the process in the room. Good examples are excess heat from a heating system, the bodies in a gym or process based heat from a kitchen. Rather than wasting this by expelling it from the building, there are various ways in which one can recycle and re-use the thermal energy, by redirecting it into cooler areas of the building. This excess heat can also be used to directly maintain water temperature at 30 degrees Celsius in the pool. As a result, the integral heating system can often be turned off, coming into play only when the heat recovery system requires support. As well as leading to significant cost savings, this kind of heat recovery also reduces the build-up of condensation, a perennial problem in leisure facilities.

Furthermore, Powermaster’s Integrated Water & Energy Management System (also referred to as IWEMS) can help reduce electricity consumption and the associated chemicals costs in a swimming pool or spa by up to 70%. IWEMS also provides Web based remote monitoring for optimal tuning of system parameters and accurate reporting of performance, energy saving and fault detection.

IWEMS is the first system that is able to automatically regulate pump speeds in accordance with chlorine use. This also maintains the free chlorine level in relation with the bathing load. Using the system, the motor speed in pumps and air handling units is controlled via VSDs and as a result, IWEMS can make real time adjustments to maximise energy efficiency.

Furthermore, the circulation of water using filtration pumps is crucial for safe and efficient pool water management. As a result, IWEMS also monitors a variety of functions including injecting and mixing water treatment chemicals, such as chlorine and pH correctants. This saves both electricity and chemical costs because chemical dosing and control is linked directly to pump speed. Furthermore, by monitoring the running time and temperature of the motors, IWEMS allows the pool manager to increase the time between services, reducing maintenance costs.

A VSD installation in a swimming pool will reduce energy bills by 30%. The addition of an IWEMS system can further reduce expenditure by 30% on average. The record energy reduction on a Powermaster installation is 82% overall!

In conclusion, although energy saving strategies should always be at the forefront of companies’ plans, controversial methods can be avoided. After all, cutting electricity costs should attract the public’s support, not outrage.