Our client has two of the most state-of-the-art hospitals in the country, and for the thousands who rely on these NHS Trust facilities each year, it is imperative that the hospital equipment can be trusted to run without a hitch. For the Trust, efficient application of budgets and reduced environmental impact in line with Department of Health targets are also key.
We have played a crucial role in this process through the commissioning of more than 70 individual high efficiency electric motors. These will:
- Improve the reliability of the equipment
- Reduce energy consumption
- Provide considerable cost savings
- The reduced energy costs resulting from this equipment will cover the cost of the installation within two years
Energy Efficiency
Reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions is a high priority for our client, and it has developed a programme of actions in partnership with the Carbon Trust. Our client and us have worked closely together to deliver these actions with a bespoke solution in place that focuses on overcoming challenges and adding value through long-term quality, reliability and energy efficiency.We carried out an initial site survey and identified opportunities for energy saving on fixed speed fans and pumps serving heating, ventilation and air-conditioning plant throughout the sites. They then specified high efficiency EFF1 motors and CFW09 variable speed drives from WEG to provide combined energy savings of up to 25%.
A challenging environment
Conducting this work without any disruption to the hospital environment was critical in maintaining standards of patient care. Drawing on its extensive experience within the healthcare sector and with a true understanding of its pressures and priorities, we worked closely with the estates management team to complete the work within precisely co-ordinated time windows, avoiding disruption. They also minimised disturbance by largely building panels off-site while completing the power and control cabling on-site, working alongside the existing installations during the day.
With equipment varying in size from small 5.5kW pump motors through to 75kW units for the main air movement fans, the logistics of the project were challenging with some equipment needing to be lowered into place using a small crane following the removal of roof panels. We managed the process meticulously to ensure that the normal operation of the hospital was not adversely affected.
A reliable, long term solution
The project was completed on schedule, and Luton branch manager Mike Smith believes the firm’s experience and reliability have been key to the success of the project:
“We have extensive experience in this field and were able to talk to the estates management team about every detail of the project. Our cost was competitive and there is the added reassurance that the WEG motors and drives we installed are designed to work together for maximum reliability and efficiency, and are supported by a full 3 year guarantee.”
With ongoing pressures on public sector budgets, long-term cost efficiency needed to remain a high priority. The Trust’s facilities teams have complete visibility of the performance of the new equipment through control and power management panels. These are controlled via a Trend Building Management System (BMS) using SCADA style PC visualisation. The integration went very smoothly with a simple plug-in connection to the BMS system, allowing finely tuneable and efficient, and variable speed control – helping the Trust to see the maximum benefit from the equipment in terms of performance, carbon reduction and cost savings.