2006 Sustainable Energy Awards

The Sustainable Energy Awards, now an All-Island initiative, are organised by SEI and sponsored by ESB Customer Supply. The awards aim to recognise excellence in energy management.

Despite the harsh reality of rising energy costs, companies in Ireland are now making notable strides in embracing a more sustainable approach to how they use energy and are, ultimately, achieving cost savings and improving their competitiveness as a result. This was the message delivered by David Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), who was speaking at the third annual Sustainable Energy Awards at the Berkeley Court Hotel, in Dublin.

This year’s awards saw a significant increase in the number of SME’s participating, emphasising how organisations - regardless of size - can benefit from sustainable energy projects. Substantial savings are also possible from low-cost measures - including energy awareness campaigns - and the quality and number of such entries received, demonstrate that more companies are fully engaging their employees and benefiting accordingly.

Some of the nominated companies achieved savings in excess of 10% - merely through educating employees about the benefits of sustainable energy and changing behaviour accordingly.

Mr. Taylor added - “The number and quality of entries from SME’s is particularly encouraging. Many companies - both large and small - now realise that energy efficiency is an important issue for businesses' performance. Those companies involved in the Awards lead their field in sustainable energy and are reaping the benefits in competitiveness and contribution to the bottom line.“

The organisation is committed to encouraging greater efficiency in the use of energy as one important part of protecting the environment for future generations. As part of this commitment, ESB Customer Supply has had in place an active program supporting the effective use of energy by customers since the 1990's - which enables businesses to get the best value for money from their electricity usage.

Padraig McManus, Chief Executive, ESB said - "ESB Customer Supply is delighted to be associated with the Sustainable Energy Awards 2006. Energy saving is the quickest, most efficient and most economic means of reducing usage and, thus, reducing energy costs. We all have a part to play in our national obligation to reduce emission levels.”

Mr. McManus confirmed ESB Customer Supply's continuing support for the Sustainable Energy Awards.

Thirteen awards in total were presented across seven categories - including renewable energy, energy management and energy awareness campaigns. This year, participating companies accounted for an annual energy expenditure in excess of €400 million and are achieving average energy savings of 7%, equating to €28 million per annum.

The seven categories included -

There were nine judges in total. Each judge was chosen for their extensive experience in the relevant category areas. Each category was reviewed by four judges and a consensus decision was arrived at. Finally, each selection was endorsed by the chairman of the judging panel, Professor Frank Convery. The judging panel included -

• Prof. Frank Convery, Director, Environmental Studies, University College Dublin
• Bob Hanna, Chief Technical Advisor (Energy), Dept. Communications, Marine & Natural Resources
• Gerry Duggan, Chair, Energy & Environment Division, Engineers Ireland
• Roeland Van Elsen MRIAI, Sustainability Task Force, Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland
• Patrick Duke, Lecturer, Dept. of Applied Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology
• Alan O’Hanlon, Electricity Programme Manager, SEI
• Chris Hughes, Public Sector Programme Manager, SEI
• Alan Ryan, Programme Manager, SEI
• Graham Brennan, Renewable Energy Research Development & Demonstration Programme Manager, SEI.

Originally launched in 1996 as the Boiler Awards - and renamed the Sustainable Energy Awards in 2004 - the awards support three crucial aspects of Sustainable Energy - Excellence in Technology, Excellence in Organisation and Excellence in People.

In 1996, 65 sites were involved in the competition - accounting for an annual energy spend on fuel of €24 million. The projects undertaken yielded energy savings of €368,000. This year, 154 nominations were received with a combined energy spend of €400 million per annum. 2006 is also the first year that entries from Northern Ireland were invited.

Compere for the evening was Mr. John Bowman and the after-dinner speaker was Karl Spain.

Awards Winners

Energy Service or Supply Company

The competition for energy-service or energy-supply is open to all companies that supply and/or maintain energy related equipment and services. The purpose of this award is to reward excellence in the provision of support for energy-efficient products and services and focuses on the supplier, rather than on a particular product.

The finalists in this category were -

• Eirdata Environmental Service Ltd.
• Fingleton White & Co.
• Gerkros Heating Technology
• PowerTherm Solutions Ltd. and White Young Green

The company has developed 8 independent Build, Own, Operate and Maintain, energy & waste management facilities throughout Ireland - working in partnership with Irish industry to provide for their energy needs at reduced energy costs and related emissions. This service is carried out while ensuring customer satisfaction through regular feedback and communication on an ongoing basis.

Fingleton White & Co. Ltd. provides a range of value added services, such as energy studies, energy procurement, plant operation and energy costs saving scheme participation, which help customers minimise energy usage and so cut costs further.

Excellence in Design or Specification

The objective of this award is to underline the importance of getting things right from the start. The finalists were -

• Karl Becker
• Kildare County Council
• Svendborg The Marina.

The bulk of the elevations for this building face East-West and a combination of strategies were used. The building is primarily naturally ventilated, uses exposed slab soffits and controlled glazing areas - together with shading to ensure that summertime conditions remain comfortable.

Night ventilation is required to maintain these conditions. This is achieved through high-level motorised window openings, controlled via Building Energy Management System to provide the night cooling.

Energy Awareness Campaign

For energy management to be really effective, it has to address three interconnected aspects:

1. The technical solution
2. The organisational aspect, such as procedures and systems - and
3. the people element.

Energy Awareness Campaigns target the people element and, in a lot of situations, they have the biggest impact on energy consumption.

The finalists in this category were -

• Health Services Executive - West
• Merck Sharp and Dohme
• Microsoft Ireland
• University of Limerick
• Wellman International.

As part of the comprehensive energy management system, which has been adopted to manage the energy reduction programme, they have engaged with staff through an energy awareness campaign which revolves around the ‘Save-A-Watt-Wednesday’ programme. All employees are encouraged to reduce energy use in their working environment and to focus on energy – ‘turn it off, use it wisely, take it home’.

Suggestions on energy saving opportunities are invited from staff as part of the programme, with over 100 suggestions received so far. This programme, in association with the larger Energy Management Programme, has achieved savings of over 9.8% in 2005 with projections for 2006 also very impressive.

Electrical and/or Thermal Energy Project

This category provides an opportunity to recognise the efforts of organisations that significantly reduced energy use through a single energy saving project. There are four equal winners in this category.

The finalists were -

ABB contacted their electricity supplier - ESB Customer Supply - to discuss and identify opportunities to deliver greater efficiency with the use of energy. As a result - and with help from ESB Customer Supply - the company arranged for - (i) Lighting audit and (ii) a total (comprehensive) electrical energy audit to help focus attention on areas that reduce energy consumption and emissions to best effect.

A total refit of lighting (which contributed 30% of total electrical load) has been completed. In addition, an existing air compressor (which contributed 22% of the total electrical load) has been replaced by a more efficient model, incorporating variable speed drive technology.

For this reason, a thorough thermodynamic examination of all production processes was undertaken - with all heating and cooling processes integrated into a single heat exchanger network.

Through installation of a series of heat exchangers, pipe work and buffer tanks, it was then possible - by maximising regeneration across the whole site - to significantly reduce the use of all utilities, including steam, refrigeration and electricity. Though the capital costs of installation of the system were significant, the payback on the project was in the order of one year, delivering impressive ongoing savings for the site.

A Building energy management system was installed to improve plant monitoring and control. Annual savings of 40% for natural gas were measured and verified in 2005.

This project provides an ideal example of upgrading an old public sector plant room with a limited budget and building modification constraints. Total cost savings are €38,000 per year providing an excellent payback period of three years for this type of project.

Any choice of lighting retrofit technology was assessed against lamp and lumen longevity. The project consisted of the removal of 690 no. 400W metal halide high bay fittings and 431 twin 5ft. corrosive proof fittings. The new installation includes 388 no. Patina AS400 series fittings incorporating daylight sensing.

The company also used dynamic occupancy sensing - thus optimising the lighting energy efficiency profile. The project has since been used as a benchmark for all future site and lighting retrofit programmes.

Renewable Energy Project

This category provides an opportunity to recognise innovative examples of highly integrated renewable energy systems in small and medium enterprises and public sector buildings.

The finalists in this category were -

• Dundalk Institute of Technology
• Musgrave Group Ltd.
• United Hospital Trust.

In addition, all supply and service contractors were to be made aware of the sustainability aims of the building and that both the equipment supplied and its installation works would need to have the lowest environmental impact.

Coordinated Energy Management Programme

Very often the challenge for organisations is to remain focused on effective energy management in the face of changing personnel and shifting priorities. This award recognises those firms that have taken a holistic approach to energy management and have integrated it into their overall business practices, touching on the key elements already identified - technical, organisational and people. There were three winners in this category - Commercial, Small Industrial and Large Industrial.

The finalists in this category were -

These firms represent the very highest standard of energy management in the country and all deserve recognition for the quality of their work and commitment to sustainable energy practices.

The 35,000m² complex, located in Dublin, consists of two adjoining hotel blocks. The main hotel comprises 303 bedrooms, two restaurants, two bars and 14 function rooms, in addition to a ballroom/cabaret room which can seat up to 700 people.

Other facilities include a leisure centre with heated outdoor swimming pool, a business centre and a hair salon. The separate Towers building contains a further 100 bedrooms.

Through the establishment of the programme, the most outstanding factor was the level of commitment from all levels of the organisation.

The results and savings are impressive - but the success of the programme is in the sound organisational base which has been created. This reflects on a daily basis on the ground, where there are numerous suggestions from all staff on various ways to improve energy efficiency. These suggestions range from putting in 1 and 2MW wind turbines to run the plant to telling where lights are never turned off at night time. Everybody contributes in Silver Hill.

The energy conservation programme is an ongoing effort with further projects identified and in progress. The projects are tracked on a live document - “Energy Savings Monitoring” - which details project description, energy, monitory and CO2 savings.

A comprehensive M&T; system is operational throughout the plant. This system has in excess of 70 meters covering electricity, natural gas, mains water, chilled water, nitrogen, compressed air and waste water. This is a key tool used in the day-to-day monitoring of the site's energy usage and facilitates monthly reports on consumption. The system also facilitates in the identification of energy initiatives.

Energy Achievement Award

This year the judges have introduced an additional award to recognise the achievement of an individual or organisation that makes an outstanding contribution in the arena of energy management.

The system was installed and, in October 2004, AAL became the first plant outside Denmark certified as being compliant with the standard.

The system requires a review of existing energy usage, setting of challenging targets and the implementation of a program to achieve them. The targets are based on the equipment design and not on past performance. AAL estimate that work to-date has reduced steam usage by about 1.5% and a further 1.5% will be achieved when the program is complete.

The system also facilitated the resolution of other problems with energy usage - identifying areas where maintenance was required and so contributing to the overall energy efficiency of the site.

AAL now recognise the benefit the standard has given to the competitiveness of the site and, so, have continued to be audited on their compliance with the system on an ongoing basis.

Energy Manager of the Year

An energy manager’s role is to manage both the company’s current energy needs and its future energy strategy. He or she should be able to focus both on the technical aspects of their work and on issues of communication and involvement. All of the finalists in this category are at the peak of their profession and have demonstrated both excellence and passion in their work, resulting in significant savings for their respective organisations.

Finalists in this category were -

• Kevin Geoghegan - Intel
• Richard Smith - DIT Bolton Street
• Dr Heather Thompson - Ballymena Borough Council.

This involves the design and implementation of a strategic programme of on-site energy and emissions auditing and profiling - including reviews of plant and equipment, on-going monitoring of energy use and improving staff awareness on energy issues.

Energy consumption for all fuels across all sites was reduced by 11%, compared to consumption prior to energy management implementation.