Sabien’s M2G boiler load optimisation controls have delivered a 12% reduction in gas costs at NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Biggart Hospital in Prestwick. The project paid for itself in just six months.
As part of its ongoing programme to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, NHS Ayrshire & Arran installed Sabien Technology’s M2G boiler load optimisation controls to increase the energy efficiency of the existing boiler plant and reduce energy costs at Biggart Hospital in Prestwick.
The 166-bed day hospital provides facilities to care for patients after discharge from acute care or directly from the community setting.
An initial measurement and verification project was initiated for three months covering five boilers.
The project ran from 20 December 2013 to 20 March 2014 and the energy savings were measured and validated in line with the principles of the International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP)*. This included the use of Degree Day data to normalise fuel consumption in relation to variation in ambient temperatures.
In addition to the M2Gs being installed, Sabien installed independent GSM monitoring equipment to collate the data and analyse the energy savings. During the three-month winter period average energy savings of 9% were achieved, with a payback period of 1.3 years and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 53 tonnes per annum.
As a result of the M&V project the M2G technology has now been rolled out to other hospitals and healthcare centres across the NHS Ayrshire & Arran estate.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran energy manager Alastair Kay recalled: “We are committed to improving our energy efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint. To that end we continually look at and evaluate technologies for saving energy, specifically those which will deliver best value. Since the initial M&V project we have continued to analyse the performance and the cost savings have increased to 12%.
“This is because dry cycling would have increased during the milder periods of the heating season, which M2G is now preventing. The project paid back in just six months. Furthermore the delivery of the project has been seamless with minimal impact on our resources.”
The initial pilot project involved installation of M2G on three Hamworthy Wimborne boilers in the main boiler room and another two Remeha Quinta boilers in the plant room serving the Urquhart Ward. Controls already in place included links to a building management system, so it was critical that the M2G units worked in parallel with the existing control strategies to achieve the additional savings.
*The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) defines a best practice framework for quantifying the results and benefits of energy efficiency investments. As such, it ensures that there is total clarity and transparency for all parties in relation to the scope of work from initial planning and measurement methodology through to the validation of results
This article originally appeared as a sponsored editorial in the October/November print issue of Water, Energy & Environment.
