Voltage Optimisation – how, why, what, when, & who?

Voltage optimisation is an increasingly popular and proven way of significantly reducing electricity bills at commercial and industrial operations. It is not a new concept but technological developments have seen a raft of new and more effective systems become available.

Voltage optimisation – the basics

Voltage optimisation deals with the problem that the UK National Grid typically supplies electricity at around 242 volts yet our electrical and electronic equipment is perfectly capable of running at a supply of around 220 volts.

Under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, electricity suppliers must supply voltage at between 216V and 253V. In the UK it is supplied at the higher end. The majority of Europe and the rest of the world receive electricity at around 220V, so electrical product manufacturers design their products to work within this wide voltage supply range, but typically the products achieve maximum efficiency at around 220V. Equipment fed electricity at a higher voltage level is over supplied. It deals with the excess power by generating more heat or vibration. This wasted energy costs money and causes equipment to wear out faster than it should.

Voltage optimisation deals with this over supply and brings incoming mains supply into line with what equipment needs to run at its most efficient, saving money, lowering carbon emissions, helping equipment last longer and reducing maintenance costs.

How does it work?

Fundamentally the voltage is reduced via transformers but there are differences in how this can be achieved and the level of savings that can be realised. Traditional voltage optimisation is a basic step down method reducing incoming mains by a fixed amount. This is generally fine unless mains levels drop – the fixed method continues to drop it further, which could cause electrical equipment problems.

There is a solution to this problem. Modern VO systems use logic controlled 'intelligence' to monitor incoming mains supply so they can watch what is happening with mains voltage and, in some cases, react accordingly to protect your supply.

An even more sophisticated enhancement is automatic bypass, which allows the VO unit to switch itself into bypass mode should it detect a mains supply issue. This mean the unit will not continue to drop the voltage further, it will just sit in bypass and continue to monitor mains levels. When it sees that mains has returned to a stable and suitable level it will automatically switch back into operational mode.

What other benefits can I expect a VO system to deliver?

Research suggests that an over supply in voltage of 10% (ie 220V to 242V) will reduce the life of electrical/electronic equipment by up to 90%. In addition some systems, including Voltis, reduce harmonic distortion, balancing the phases and reducing the power factor to lower maximum demand.

How much money will a VO system save me?

It is possible to achieve savings of around 25%, however, this is more the exception than the norm. Generally voltage optimisers will deliver between 8% to 16% savings. This is determined by two main factors:

1. What type of optimiser you use, as explained above.
2. Your site. Every site is different – you could have a high mains voltage which gives a greater saving potential or equipment that is highly suited to voltage optimisation technology. All electrical and electronic equipment should work with VO but not all will generate the same level of savings, so getting a site survey is recommended to enable these factors to be determined and allowed for.

What is important to consider in your financial evaluation of this technology:

1. The predicted continued rise in the cost of energy.
2. Continued introduction of legislation to reduce carbon emissions which will add further to the cost of energy.
3. It may be difficult to put an exact figure on the reduced maintenance required and the reduced requirement to replace existing equipment, but this should be factored in when considering savings.
4. The benefits of higher quality electricity supply to your equipment.

Can savings be guaranteed?

It is extremely difficult to accurately establish savings before installing voltage optimisation technology simply because electrical usage is never the same two days in a row. Mains voltage levels fluctuate, weather changes can mean air conditioning or heating is switched on or off, lights are used at different times etc. However, VO units with built-in metering and bypass functions give good indications of savings over time and trends can be established.

Do voltage optimisation systems require maintenance?

No technology should be considered 'fit and forget'. British Standards and Wiring Regulations BS7671 require all electrical equipment to be inspected on a regular basis, therefore this type of technology should be inspected properly and regularly as recommended by the manufacturer. Regular servicing will not only ensure compliance with regulations, it will enable system upgrades and improvements to be made. VO suppliers who suggest their products are 'fit and forget' and require no servicing usually do so because their systems have no bypass function and cannot be serviced without shutting down power to the entire site they serve. It is also worth considering that maintenance may be a requirement of site insurance.

Conclusion

Voltage optimisation is an established and proven science dedicated to matching power demands to the needs of electrical equipment. It is straightforward, cost-effective and results-driven.

Visit www.marshalltufflexenergy.com for more info.