Background

Mike Hollister has become an expert in energy management for housing in the 35 years he has worked at the London Borough of Camden. He has been at the forefront of the Borough’s ambitions to both save money and reduce its CO2 emissions and his efforts and success is something that other housing associations and local authorities should look at with interest.

In 2005, Hollister and the Camden Housing Department undertook a review of the energy efficiency of all its residential sites and quickly realised that it could make its district heating systems more energy efficient. They then set out to identify the most efficient, economical and cost-effective boiler energy management system available.

Following research, Camden identified the eco-eclipse, which is designed, manufactured and installed by Energy & Environmental Systems Limited (E&ES), as an effective system which in early research seemed to offer the best value for money for the Borough.

Testing the System

In the initial stage, a series of tests were carried out by E&ES to prove the efficiency of the system. One of the tests was carried out on a residential block, 30 Makepeace Avenue, which is managed by Camden’s Housing Department. The site is a sheltered housing scheme of 25 one-person flats for the elderly together with some communal facilities which had an annual gas expenditure of between £11k-12k. The ‘day-on, day-off’ test showed energy savings of 30.36% against existing boiler controls.

Camden’s Housing Department then appointed an independent energy consultant to monitor the performance of eco-eclipse systems which had been installed in two different multi-storey, multi-block residential sites. Savings of 19.3% and 25.1% were recorded in a 28 day-on, day-off test without compromising residents’ comfort levels.

In addition, further testing was completed as part of an important research project, carried out by Camden, Camden Primary Care Trust and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which looked into scalding. The eco-eclipse was tested on a day-on, day-off basis against existing legacy systems in over 11 different sites and the average energy saving across the test sites exceeded 30%.

The Installation Programme

Based upon these results and their own field testing and appraisals, Camden decided to go ahead with a 5-year programme of installations into all of their suitable properties. They worked closely with Energy & Environmental Systems Ltd to plan the most efficient and effective roll-out programme. Savings and energy reduction were monitored throughout the process and the 150th eco-eclipse has recently been installed.

Through working closely together, Camden’s Housing Department also recognised that the functionality of the installed eco-eclipse systems could be used to monitor important safety features for them, including gas pressure, water pressure and flue emissions. These safety projects could all be done at a low cost as it utilised the existing eco-eclipse systems.

During the course of the installation programme Energy & Environmental Systems designed and implemented a low cost, but very effective Remote Management System which provides readily accessible information about the performance of the heating systems including fault recognition. It allows Camden to monitor all its boilers from remote computers eliminating a lot of costly on-site visits and emergency call-outs and also reduces the management workload considerably.

The Benefits

The eco-eclipse boiler energy management system has now been installed into district heating systems serving nearly 5,000 homes and current savings on heating and hot water costs through these installations are running at just under £1m per year. Over £2.5m has been saved since the beginning of the rolling installation programme and the cost of installation, according to Hollister, “is generally recovered from savings in less than 12 months”.

In these difficult economic times Camden Housing Department is pleased to have implemented an energy reduction programme which is saving their residents money and also improves the services they provide them. Mike Hollister said “it is really important to us that we are able to save our tenants’ money by reducing their fuel bills – especially as fuel costs continue to rise rapidly.”

In addition, not only has the systems provided the best value for money for the council but has also proved to reduce their CO2 emissions and meet their government obligations. Camden is now saving over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

However, it is perhaps the remote management feature of the system which has made the most difference to the way the Borough work. Hollister commented that “The eco-eclipse is invaluable for us as we are now able to remotely manage our heating systems ensuring that they function correctly. The information the Remote Management System provides is vital when dealing with tenant complaints as it allows us to show via the performance records exactly when their heating or hot water failed and for how long. This means we are more accurate with any rebate of heating charges we give to tenants and it has eased the management burden, therefore lessening our workload.”

The project will be of significant value to other local authorities and housing associations as Camden have already done the robust testing needed to prove the energy saving capability of the system. In addition, their use of the combination of different features of the system, energy saving, remote management and safety and monitoring capabilities, is unique to the sector and has set a standard for others to follow.

The Eco-eclipse Remote Management System, is an invaluable management and communications solution. Accessible from anywhere, it provides easily understandable real-time and historical graphical views and data on the heating system. This supplies reassurance of how the environment is being controlled, and allows for fast identification and management of any problems within the boiler system.

The Remote Management System is innovative because it combines a single integrated heating management solution with an instant monitoring and fault finding capability. This supplements the energy saving aspects of the eco-eclipse Boiler Management System– at a very small additional cost to a client. No one else provides an equivalent commercial and technical solution at such a competitive rate.

The eco-eclipse Remote Management System will:

• sustain the savings being achieved by the eco-eclipse and helps ensure they continue
• increase the efficiency of the maintenance team as it will diagnose problems offsite and prevent unnecessary call-outs
• provide fault recognition as standard with warning alerts so that any problems can be responded to immediately
• give unique control over the boiler systems and ensuring they are functioning at top capacity at all times
• reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint as well as ensuring clients comply with relevant health and safety guidelines
• supply reassurance on how the environment is being controlled
• enables new software downloads and changes in settings to be done remotely.

This is also a vital service when the system is being used to monitor health and safety as it can also provide warnings when there are problems with gas pressure, flue gases or cold water temperature

Public and private sector organisations are under increasing pressure to lower carbon emissions and focus on lessening their impact on the environment. 47% of all carbon emissions in England are caused by heating energy, so an effective boiler energy management solution can make a big difference to an organisation’s fuel expenditure and carbon footprint.

The eco-eclipse Boiler Management System controls boiler firing patterns through a combination of information supplied by temperature sensors and sophisticated software, significantly reducing fuel costs and carbon emissions without compromising comfort. The Remote Management System then further ensures that the boiler is constantly working at optimum efficiency and maximises these reductions in fuel and carbon emissions so that these savings continue well into the future.

Energy & Environmental Systems ran a series of tests in various buildings to prove the environmental benefits of the system. We ran a series of 14-day ‘day-on, day-off’ test in eleven of the London Borough of Camden’s blocks of flats, some of which include sheltered housing. All of these blocks have central boiler houses, which provide district heating. The result of these tests was an overall fuel saving of 31.6%.

The product combines the needs of the modern world – saving fuel and energy and the same time as allowing technology to give people real time information on the performance of their systems. The pricing of the system makes this technology accessible to everyone.

It has also recently been shortlisted for the Heating and Ventilation Awards Industrial/Commercial Heating Product of the Year. Find out more about the eco-eclipse Remote Management System by watching our short video here

Energy and Environmental Services Ltd (E&ES) are delighted to be working with Sainsbury’s to help implement energy saving solutions in their stores and have now been appointed as their approved supplier of boiler management systems.

Sainsbury’s successfully trialled E&ES’s unique eco-eclipse boiler energy management system in two stores, prior to rolling out the system through its Store Improvement Programme. The month long tests, authenticated by Sainsbury’s assigned managing contractor Energyexcel, achieved savings in excess of 50% in the London Colney store and of over 32% in the Muswell Hill store.

In addition to supplying energy savings to Sainsbury’s, E&ES will also be providing their remote fault reporting service and technical assessments of how the company can make further improvements in their heating and hot water systems. The E&ES remote PC communications system allows remote monitoring of temperature levels and boiler firing patterns, therefore showing in real time the sophistication of the algorithms and the energy saving for each store in which the system is installed.

Each year the Sainsbury’s Store Improvement Programme targets 240 stores and includes a £20m annual budget for energy saving solutions. David Innes, Chairman of Energy and Environmental Systems Ltd said

‘It is commendable that Sainsbury’s have made this commitment to energy saving and environmental sustainability. We are delighted to be working with them to help achieve their goals”

Commenting on the programme of installations, Jeremy Waters, Energy Manager for Sainsbury’s, said:

“The trials that E&ES ran have proved that the eco-eclipse boiler management system will significantly reduce the levels of gas used to heat our stores. This is absolutely in keeping with our commitment to reduce our impact on the environment and become leaders in the UK for environmental innovation.”

We have already been given the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of our achievements in reducing carbon emissions from our supermarkets. We have also committed to reducing our CO2 emissions per m2 by 25% by 2012 and so we are delighted that E&ES and the eco-eclipse are on board to help us achieve these targets.”

Leading boiler energy management systems specialist Energy & Environmental Systems Limited (E&ES) is urging the hotel industry to take up the interest-free loans available from the Carbon Trust to help them reduce their carbon emissions and save money on their fuel bills.

The Carbon Trust interest-free loan scheme has been developed to help organisations install energy-saving equipment and systems. Repayments are directly related to the savings generated by the energy savings achieved. E&ES’ innovative eco-eclipse system is available through a Carbon Trust interest-free loan and it saves, on average, between 20% - 40% on fuel used, energy costs and carbon emissions in each installation.

Commenting on the loan scheme ending, Chairman David Innes said: “The Carbon Trust Loan Scheme is a great way for businesses to reduce carbon emissions and their fuel bills with minimal financial risk. We are delighted to be working alongside the Carbon Trust to make our energy-saving, CO2 emission-reducing systems available to as large a number of organisations as possible. It is imperative that we take the responsibility to reduce carbon emissions very seriously, and the Carbon Trust loans make this a reality for businesses. At the moment our clients are finding the eco-eclipse’s significant and immediate guaranteed energy and cost saving capabilities mean that the loan is being repaid swiftly, and then generating a positive cash flow for the business.”

The single-module eco-eclipse boiler energy management system manages boiler firing patterns so they fire only as and when required to maintain a consistently comfortable temperature for hotel guests. It includes remote management of boiler systems through its PC Communications system as standard, making it the best value system of its kind available.

The Carbon Trust interest free loan scheme is available to SMEs and larger companies who do not qualify for the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Schemes. E&ES is an Active Supplier to the Carbon Trust and as an example in February concluded over £130,000 of loans for the care home industry alone. It could do the same for the hotel industry.

Leonard Cheshire Disability, the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of services to disabled people, has commissioned leading boiler energy management specialists Energy & Environmental Systems Limited to install its eco-eclipse boiler energy management system into a total of 17 of the charity’s residential services nationwide.

In the residential services in which it is installed, eco-eclipse systems are expected to save Leonard Cheshire Disability an average of 20% in fuel costs and carbon emissions.

The contract follows a successful month-long trial of the eco-eclipse at the charity’s Heatherley service near Crawley in Sussex, where the system recorded energy savings of 25.3%. 

Commenting on the installation, Roy Fairbairn, Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Building Services & Energy Conservation Manager said: “At Leonard Cheshire Disability we have formed a team committed to identifying ways to save energy across our property portfolio. 

“Through the trial at Heatherley, the eco-eclipse has proven its ability to reduce our fuel usage significantly and therefore noticeably reduce our carbon footprint.  Thanks to E&ES’s experience in this field they have been able to identify other residential services in our portfolio that will significantly benefit from eco-eclipse installation.  We are very pleased to be able to extend the system’s fuel, money and energy saving benefits to these services, and we are confident that we will see a very quick payback on our investment in the product.” 

The cutting-edge eco-eclipse boiler energy management system is proven to reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions without compromising comfort.  E&ES’s blue-chip clients include Barchester Healthcare, Tesco and the London Borough of Camden, amongst others. 

Easily installed and unobtrusive, the eco-eclipse unquestionably offers the best value for money in comparison to conventional systems.  It is unique because it combines guaranteed energy saving with innovative remote PC communications and management, all for one very low price. 

About Leonard Cheshire Disability

Leonard Cheshire Disability supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries. We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way.

Energy & Environmental Systems Limited (E&ES) have installed their Universal Data Transmitter (UDT) into an initial tranche of 50 of the London Borough of Camden’s residential blocks of flats. The UDT works alongside E&ES’s eco-eclipse boiler energy management system and its unique PC Communications software. Together they enable Camden to reduce the amount of heating energy used by 20% or more, and provide monitoring and metering services.

The immediate objectives are to monitor gas usage; monitor and log the incoming gas pressure so as to comply with statutory requirements as a bulk gas supplier / transporter; ensure that the boilers are working at their correct gas pressure; and detect any leaks and replace any water treatment that is lost due to drain down works on the system.

This illustrates the capability of the eco-eclipse to perform monitoring, metering and management functions whilst at the same time saving substantial amounts of heating energy. The eco-eclipse and UDT provide Camden with a very cost effective solution to boiler energy management and aid the Borough in its drive to reduce carbon emissions.

Camden Primary Care Trust, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the London Borough of Camden are together conducting a randomised controlled trial of boiler management systems in the project Social Housing in Camden: An Assessment of Health, Environmental and Economic Outcomes.

The organisations have chosen the eco-eclipse, with its unique algorithms, and the universal data transmitter (UDT) to facilitate this important study which covers:

• Scalds: a leading cause of injury in childhood
• Reducing CO2 emissions and cost savings
• Managing the risk of Legionnaire’s disease

Camden’s Housing Manager Mike Hollister said “We have saved over £1million in fuel since we installed the eco-eclipse units into our properties, and it has been a great success for us in helping us to understand and manage our energy requirements. E&ES have also provided us with a consistent after-sales service, helping our teams to get the most out of the system. Therefore it was the logical choice for us to choose the eco-eclipse and the UDT to facilitate the study we are conducting along with our partners.”

Following a successful test in two of its care homes, as part of the Group's commitment to energy efficiency, Sanctuary Care has installed the Eco-Eclipse heating control system in a total of 35 homes. The installation programme will be completed by mid-April 2009.

The product test proved that the heating systems were much better managed and provided savings of 34.8% and 33.0%, without any loss of comfort. As a result, Sanctuary Care entered into a programme to install the systems into 33 more homes making a total of 35 homes.

It is calculated the system will save Sanctuary over £150,000 per annum and reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 1,000 tonnes per annum.

Jason Till, National Compliance Manager of Sanctuary Group said: “During the tests that E&ES conducted, we saw considerable savings on our heating bill and therefore we have rolled out this installation into other suitable homes.”

As part of the Sanctuary Group’s commitment to energy efficiency, Sanctuary Care has tested the eco-eclipse in two of its homes, which proved that the heating systems were much better managed and provided savings of 34.8% and 33.0% respectively, without loss of comfort. As a result, Sanctuary Care has entered into a programme to install the systems into 33 more homes making a total of 35 homes. This programme should be completed by 31 December 2008 and it is calculated will save Sanctuary over £150,000 per annum and reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 1,000 tonnes per annum.

Energy & Environmental Systems has formed a new division to specialise in Care Homes. This follows the development of its own copyright software (Energy & Environmental Systems Limited 2004-7 © ) for their  range of systems – which has been specifically designed to meet the requirements of Care Homes.

These systems have enjoyed success with many Care Home Groups including those managed by Barchester Healthcare, London Borough of Camden, Keychange Charity, Sanctuary Care, ExtraCare, St Christopher’s Hospice, Somerset Care, Brendoncare and Central & Cecil.

The   systems provide a comprehensive range of heating and hot water energy reduction measures which typically achieve over 20% savings in both fuel and CO2 and sometimes exceed 35% – without any loss of performance or comfort.

For Care Homes they will:

• Efficiently manage both their heating and hot water systems.
• Assist care homes in meeting their obligations to prevent Legionnaires’ disease by constantly monitoring the cold water and hot water temperatures.
• Enable the performance of the systems to be viewed and checked on the system’s own LCD monitor or on an offsite computer through its remote PC communications system and software.
• Address the specific requirements of residents of Care Homes.
• Make a major contribution to the requirements necessary to be able to certify an acceptable energy performance of public buildings.

The  systems are very competitively priced for Care Homes and provide a fast payback from energy savings at a well above average return on capital.

Climate expert says he underestimated threat

“he under-estimated the threat from global warming in a major report 18 months ago when he compared the economic risk to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Latest climate science showed global emissions of planet-heating gases were rising faster and upsetting the climate more than previously thought.

For example, evidence was growing that the planet's oceans -- an important "sink" -- were increasingly saturated and couldn't absorb as much as previously of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2).

Emissions are growing much faster than we'd thought, the absorptive capacity of the planet is less than we'd thought, the risks of greenhouse gases are potentially bigger than more cautious estimates, and the speed of climate change seems to be faster."

London Borough of Camden is major owners and operators of social and sheltered housing. They are also accredited gas suppliers.

Energy & Environmental System’s have installed their innovative eco-eclipse boiler energy management system in over 50 of Camden’s blocks of flats and aim to install them in another 80 blocks. 

They have engaged by Camden to utilise the eco-eclipse plus its Automatic Meter Reading capability to:

• Monitor gas pressures.
• Daily gas pressure drop test.
• Meter gas usage.
• Meter water usage in their heating systems.
• Thermally disinfect hot water systems.

Energy & Environmental Systems can provide these facilities very economically because they utilise the eco-eclipse which is paid for out in energy saving in 12 to 18 months. This commission also illustrates the eco-eclipse’s ability to combine energy saving with automatic meter reading capability.

The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Oppositions are competing as to whom has the most efficient energy saving system. The time to recoup the investment by Mr Brown and Mr Cameron respectively is 100 years and 60 years.

An investment in eco-eclipse Boiler Energy Management Systems, which have been proven with blue chip clients – and which will reduce your CO2 emissions and the cost of heating your buildings without loss of comfort - has, in over 700 installations, been as low 6 months and at the most 3 years.

Energy & Environmental Systems would like to wish our clients success and prosperity in the New Year and, at the same time, remind them about our state of the art eco-eclipse Boiler Energy Management Systems.

These systems, which have been proven with a host of blue chip clients, help clients to significantly reduce their heating costs and CO2 emissions – and at the same time provide a very good return on capital employed. Start the New Year with a resolution to make a difference. 

Over the last 6 months the London Borough of Camden has undertaken a review of all its residential sites as part of a substantial capital investment project. Camden not only wish to increase the Borough’s energy saving capabilities, but as a gas supplier has asked Energy & Environmental Systems to provide a remote management and monitoring system which increases the level of safety reporting within its many boiler houses.

Part of this review included a re-assessment of the actual level of savings being achieved by our eco-eclipse boiler management systems. Camden appointed an independent energy consultant to monitor the performance of an eco-eclipse system installed in a multi-story, multi-block residential site and savings of 25.1% were recorded over a 28 day period, without compromising resident’s comfort levels. The attractive level of savings achieved by the eco-eclipse, coupled with the ability of our systems to provide a comprehensive remote, GSM based, management and safety reporting service, has now lead to further orders from Camden.

The application for our latest eco-eclipse system to the Inland Revenue’s Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (ECA) has been accepted. It is also included in the UK government’s Carbon Trust Energy Technology List (ETL).

Prices of wholesale gas have almost doubled during the past week, prompting fears about winter supplies to the UK. Prices hit an eight month high of 80p a therm, sharply higher than last week’s price of 43p. Experts fear the UK is about to face its coldest winter in 10 years and tight supplies had triggered the rise. The UK is also facing the prospect of becoming a new importer of gas as supplies from the North Sea dwindle.

It is clear that gas prices will continue to increase. Eco-eclipse energy systems not only provide high returns on capital, but their savings potential can also mitigate against increases such as these.

The Government has summoned industrialists and generating companies to an emergency meeting next month amid fears of an energy crisis if Britain suffers a harsh winter.

Controversial plans to name and shame commercial buildings that are not energy efficient could knock millions of pounds off their values and make them less appealing to blue chip companies as spaces to rent, according to experts, due to the European Union Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which aims to cut emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol.

Energy & Environmental Systems Limited has been awarded a forth programme to install its systems into a further 150 Tesco Stores.

Energy & Environmental Systems complete the installation of 80 systems into residential housing blocks owned by the London Borough of Camden. The systems provide Camden with savings of between 15% & 20% and in addition, a remote communications and management diagnostic capability whose functions include monitoring, diagnostic checks, fault finding and system upgrades.

Energy & Environmental Systems Limited has been awarded a third programme to install its systems into a further 110 Tesco Stores. On completion of this programme E & E will have installed systems into nearly 430 Tesco Stores which should be saving their client over £800,000 per annum in fuel costs.

Energy & Environmental Systems Limited has just completed the installation of its energy saving boiler management systems into the boiler rooms of 111 Tesco Stores and is now starting a new programme to install these systems into a further 73 stores.

Energy & Environmental Systems installed a TEC 200 at the Somerfield Store in Tulse Hill, South London, and our controlled test demonstrated a saving of 32%.

Energy & Environmental Systems installed a TEC 500 in one of ICL/Fujitsu’s office buildings in Staines. Our controlled test demonstrated savings of over 30%.

Energy & Environmental Systems installed and tested a TEC 500 in a major office building in the heart of the City of London. The test ran for 64 days and showed savings of 29%. The building was owned by Scottish Widows and was management by Jones Laing La Salle.

These two tests demonstrate the efficacy and cost saving benefits of the Energy & Environmental’s systems in major office buildings.