Pumps are at the very heart of any facility and day in and day out, they are central to supporting operational systems as well as maintaining the internal climate and water supply demands that helps to keep businesses running optimally. 

In terms of the costs associated with this, when you view the whole life cycle cost relating to a pump or pumping system, the purchase price is a much smaller part of the equation than you would think.  In fact, by far the most significant factor relating to the pumps is associated with their operational costs.

What this means is that in reality, 85% of the total life cycle cost of any pump system is attributable to the energy that is required to run the pumps. However, on a positive note, this does mean that that pump systems can offer great opportunities to save money, especially those that are over 5 years old or where there has been any change in usage since the original system was specified.   

In order to establish the current operation of any pump system Grundfos Pumps can undertake an Energy Check. This is a quick and effective way to establish current use, which is then reported back via a comprehensive feedback system that will allow companies to assess their options. These checks will register information on pump types, age, flow, head and power usage. The inspection requires no down time and will offer the opportunity to identify where significant savings can be achieved.  

Looking at the wider picture in terms of the benefits that an Energy Check can deliver, these fall into three categories:

 

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

These checks will typically demonstrate savings of between 30-50% in energy costs that can be achieved through changing or upgrading some/all pumps.  With older systems, or where there has been a significant change in use, savings can be much higher. This therefore means that there is frequently a short pay-back time, typically this is between 1-5 years. 

Another of the benefits is that there is a reduced risk to a business in terms of offering some protection from increasing energy prices.  Plus with a more efficient system with newer equipment, there is reduced operational and maintenance costs.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Many companies today have set themselves environmental goals.  Therefore the typical 30% reduction of CO2 emissions that can be achieved from a pump upgrade.  This will help to impact on the achievement of corporate environmental goals and support a greener corporate image.

Fitting new generation energy efficient pumps such as members of the Grundfos MAGNA3 family, helps a company to comply with number of the energy regulations that exist as well as counting towards a range of other measures e.g. BREEAM rating.

 

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS

The third benefit is possibly less obvious, but new and upgraded pumps contribute towards the overall reliable operation of a facility.  This is something that is important but in certain operational instances, can be vital as better pump means a low failure rate, which means reduced down-time and reduced repair costs.

Another operational benefit is a reduced risk of obsolescence, which can be a very important consideration when the pumps form part of a manufacturing process, for example.

 

The Energy Check report

Post Energy Check, a comprehensive report that will show hard facts about the current installation and current operational costs will be produced.  This will include an overview on the potential savings that could be reached through upgrading all or some of the system to a new energy-efficient solution. 

The report will include details such as:

  • electricity savings (kWh/yr)
  • savings on the electricity bill
  • other savings, maintenance, repairs, etc.
  • cost of new pump investment
  • pay-back time (years)
  • CO2 emission reductions (tonnes/year)
  • life cycle analysis of pump installation.

 

Besides these specific points, the report will also contain additional recommendations that will be specific to the Energy Check and a step-by-step implementation plan.

Here are a few examples on how Energy Checks have worked in practice:

A 700+ bed hospital in the North West of the England wanted to establish their current pump set-up.  An Energy Check showed that if a number of end suction and in-line pumps were exchanged for more efficient models, a huge saving of 429,645 kWh per year was indicated.  The ROI in this instance was 1.5 years

Grundfos undertook an Energy Check survey on a large hotel in the south of England. The results indicated that there were substantial savings of approx. 787,572.80kWh/year could be achieved with a payback period of 2 years by replacing the existing pumps with variable speed efficient options.

 

To find out how Grundfos could help you, either email uk-info@grundfos.com or to find out more, visit www.grundfos.co.uk