News: Powerstar solves energy problem for college

A voltage optimisation system developed and manufactured by EMS in Rotherham has solved a high voltage problem for a North Lincolnshire college.

John Leggott College, an award-winning Sixth Form college in Scunthorpe was experiencing failures on many electrical devices and IT equipment in particular.

Energy specialists from Honeywell Building Solutions conducted a site survey with voltage optimisation partners, EMS. The survey revealed that because the college is located near to its electricity supplier's distribution site, the voltage entering the site averaged at 248V.

As nearly all UK equipment is EU rated and can operate on 220V, the oversupply was unnecessary and was increasing the college's power bills. Over time it would eventually reduce the lifespan of its electrical equipment.

Honeywell installed an EMS Powerstar unit to the college's electrical supply, effectively reducing the voltage to an optimum level whereby all the equipment operates correctly but consumes less power in the process.

Installation of the Powerstar system has meant a reduction in voltage level to the site down to 225V. In terms of energy consumption, this equates to an average saving of 30,000Kwh electricity per month.

Based on like-for-like usage, results show that this means monetary savings for the college in the region of £23,000 to £30,000 per annum and a reduction in carbon emissions of between 107 and 133 tonnes.

Now that the voltage level has been specifically adapted to accommodate the exact needs of the college, the potential for the electrical equipment to fail has also been drastically reduced.

Barrie Kirk, facilities manager at John Leggott College said: "Since the installation of the voltage optimisation unit, we have been delighted with the savings that we have recorded on site.

"By quickly identifying and correcting the excessive voltage problem, Honeywell have helped us to reduce the College's impact on the environment and substantially lowered our electricity bills."

EMS website

Images: powerstar.co.uk