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Heating and air conditioning
Lighting
Kitchen
Computers and office equipment
Industrial
Motors
Making it happen
We all have a role to play
As New Zealand’s largest electricity generator, we take our responsibilities to New Zealand and the environment very seriously. We generate all our electricity using renewable resources – water (hydro) and wind. Using our resources wisely and efficiently today protects our environment and helps make sure we’ll have ongoing supplies of energy for generations to come.
Whatever business you’re in, you have the potential to save money in running costs through careful energy management. By implementing some simple energy saving measures, you could reduce your energy usage by up to 15%. And by saving energy, you’ll save money and also help protect the environment.
We work closely with government agency the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Jointly, we’ve put together these simple and cost effective ways for you to save energy and money in your business.
Hot water and insulation
Hot water
 Check the hot water temperature – older cylinder thermostats are not that accurate so you need to find the tap nearest to the cylinder and run it for at least 30 seconds before measuring the temperature. The temperature at the tap should be 55˚C (not less than 60˚C at the thermostat). If it isn’t, then the thermostat needs adjusting. In most cases, you will need to get an electrician to do this. Re-check the temperature on the next day after changing the thermostat.
Regularly inspect the water heat pressure relief valve to ensure there is no excessive water overflow.
Repair any dripping hot water taps – they waste water and energy.
 Insulation – if your hot water cylinder is warm to touch, install a hot water cylinder wrap and fit lagging on pipes. Alternatively consider installing an ‘A’ grade hot water cylinder.
Choose a hot water system that best suits your business needs. And turn it off if your business is going to be closed for more than two weeks.
Reduce demand for hot water. If you have showers in the workplace, install water saving shower heads.
 A permanently plumbed in, well-insulated hot water boiler running cost is more cost effective than continually boiling a kettle.
Insulation
Check all windows and doors to see if any draughts need to be sealed.
Automatic door closures – doors that open to the outside, for example, the main entrance, reception, car parks and delivery areas, let in a lot of cold air. Fitting automatic door closures will help reduce heating and air conditioning costs by reducing air movement between different areas.
Refurbishing – this is the ideal time to examine ways of saving energy. A draught lobby prevents entrance ways and reception areas opening directly to the outside elements.
Clear space – check heating and air conditioning equipment isn't obstructed by furniture or stock. This reduces energy efficiency, increases running costs and may also be unsafe.
Portable heaters – avoid the use of portable heaters if your office is centrally heated. If they're needed in certain areas or at certain times, look at why and implement a system to control their use.
Reduce heat loss – close windows and exterior doors when you're using air conditioning or heating to avoid unnecessary heat loss. Check seals on window and door frames, and block unused openings in walls or the roof.
Turn off any unnecessary lighting to reduce the heat load.
Heat the spaces that you are actually using, and shut doors and curtains to keep the heat in.
Don’t have the temperature higher than you need it – aim for between 18°C and 22°C while you are using a space.
Ask your team not to adjust the settings (or lock your thermostat) and check the settings regularly – there is a large increase in energy consumption for each small increase in temperature.
Stop simultaneous heating and cooling. Set air conditioning and heating controls so they don't conflict with each other.
Sensors – avoid placing thermostats near heat sources such as photocopiers, vending machines, refrigerators, factory machinery, display lighting, sunlight and heaters. If an air-conditioning sensor is over a heat source, the system will operate longer and use more energy than necessary.
Insulation – insulate your heating and air conditioning pipes and ducts against heat loss and gain. Add roof insulation if necessary.
High ceilings – rooms with high ceilings will have warmer temperatures at ceiling level than at floor level. Use a fan to push the air down. If possible, install false ceilings to reduce heating costs.
Time controls – use time controls for your office heating and air conditioning. For example, start air conditioning 30 minutes before staff arrive at work and stop it 30 minutes after they leave.
Mechanical ventilation and extraction fans can consume a lot of energy, so look for ways to reduce airflow rates. You could consider replacing existing fans with high efficiency fans. Check they are switched off when not required. Also check the correct operation of time clocks, and their timer settings.
Clean and replace air filters regularly.
Install shades and awnings to prevent overheating and glare from sunlight.
Arrange regular maintenance checks of your air conditioning system.
Heat recovery options – heat wasted through ventilation, catering, cleaning or industrial processes can sometimes be reused t o lower energy usage. There are a wide variety of methods available to recover heat waste – seek professional advice to assess the viability of any system.
Use a combined thermostat/timer/occupancy sensor to control heating and air conditioning in areas that aren't used often, such as meeting or conference rooms.
Lighting systems can use up to 50% of the energy in office buildings.
Check that full lighting is not being used unnecessarily outside normal business hours.
Regularly clean lights and light fittings. Dirt and dust can reduce light output significantly.
Display lighting is energy intensive and is often over-used. Ensure it's switched off when it's not required or install a timer or motion sensor. For example, consider shop fronts that can be illuminated only when triggered by passers-by.
Install motion sensors on your outside lights and in areas that aren't used all the time, such as meeting rooms, bathrooms and storage rooms.
Light tubes – where possible, replace tungsten, halogen and incandescent lamps with more efficient options such as linear and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). They use up to 80% less electricity and can last up to 10 times longer.
Switching – break up large areas of lights that are on a single switch into separately controlled areas, particularly areas near windows and partitioned off rooms. This enables lights to be switched off when they're not needed.
Replace lights before they lose their effectiveness. The light output of a fluorescent light tube decreases near the end of its life, but it still uses the same amount of energy.
Fluorescent lighting – replace all 36 watt and 58 watt fluorescent light fittings with newly available 32 watt and 51 watt high efficiency tubes. It pays to get a professional lighting consultant to check your lighting requirements.
Have lighting levels measured to check whether any areas are over-lit. In rooms that receive a lot of natural light, consider using light sensitive sensors to cut down on artificial lighting.
External and security lighting – Outside lighting should be controlled by a timer to automatically turn lights on at dusk and off at dawn. Use low energy light bulbs.
Appliances
Encourage staff to use the microwave rather than the stovetop or oven.
Make sure oven, fridge and freezer seals are kept clean, are properly fitted and are replaced when they're not working properly.
Ensure there's adequate ventilation at the top and back of refrigeration equipment – check the manufacturer's specifications on minimum clearance.
Set the fridge temperature to between 2°C and 4°C, and the freezer to -18°C.
Defrost the fridge/freezer at least twice a year to keep it running efficiently. If it frosts up quickly, check the door seal.
Avoid placing your fridge or freezer next to your oven or in direct sunlight.
Wait until the dishwasher is full before turning it on.
Always use the economy cycle on your dishwasher – if your dishwasher’s able to heat its own water, use this function – it’s more economical than drawing water from the hot water cylinder. Try and fill the dishwasher to its maximum – small washes are an inefficient use of electricity and water.
Old fridges are inefficient fridges – they waste a lot of energy and money, and they’re not good for the environment.
Food preparation
Encourage staff to defrost food naturally instead of using the microwave.
Keep food covered to reduce moisture build-up on the inside of the fridge. And make sure containers and bottles are moisture free before placing them in the fridge.
Switch it off – the quickest and easiest way to save energy is to apply the simple rule 'if it doesn't need to be on, switch it off'. Encourage staff to be proactive in turning off electronic equipment.
Unplug mobile phone chargers when you're not using them.
Computers
You can save up to $100 per year if your computer is turned off overnight and during the weekends.
Switch off monitors when you’re not using them.
Check whether your IT equipment has any energy saving modes that can be enabled. For example, if enabled, most new PC monitors will power down when the computer’s not in use.
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
UPS is designed to maintain constant power to equipment if the electricity fails. If you have UPS installed, check that it's sized accurately, as excess capacity will increase running costs.
Energy efficient office equipment
If you are replacing appliances in your business, purchase the most efficient appliances you can: Look for ENERGY STAR® – the global mark of energy efficiency. Only the best products that use the least energy can carry the ENERGY STAR® rating.
The yellow and red star rating label tells you how much energy an appliance will consume. For a quick estimate of the annual running costs for new appliances, cover the last digit of the ‘energy consumption’ number on the ‘star rating’ label, double it, and turn the remaining figure into dollars.
And remember to ask your appliance retailer to take away your old appliance – many are recyclable, which is not only safer but better for the environment.
The industrial energy savings process
Many different electrical processes are used in modern industry, including heating by:
• direct and indirect resistance
• short, medium, and long-wave infra-red radiation
• induction processes
• dielectric, microwave, and ultra-violet means.
It's a good idea to get expert advice about energy efficiency for your business.
You could recover the cost to upgrade or install new, more energy efficient equipment through:
• reduced operating costs
• increased productivity
• better quality products
• fewer rejected end-products
• lower energy costs.
Look at the overall cost-effectiveness of each scheme carefully before you install new equipment. Further savings can be achieved with the equipment you already have, often at a low cost, by fitting devices such as timers, thermostats and photo-electric cells. These save electricity by making sure equipment is only used when you need it, or by accurately controlling temperatures.
Set appropriate operating temperatures for part load operations to avoid long ‘soak’ or overheating. This action can save up to 10% of current energy use.
Saving energy using motor power needs to be done carefully to ensure that the actions taken will result in real energy savings, especially when changing an electric motor. Make sure the motor is the correct rating and duty for the task, and consider the following:
Install timers, level sensors, material sensors or other controls for automatic operation and/or to shut off equipment as required.
Replace oversized motors with properly sized energy efficient motors. Motors consume the least amount of energy when they operate at their highest efficiency.
Replace throttle controls with a solid-state variable system drive control and fan discharges with inlet vane controls.
High-efficiency motors
When choosing new motors, select high efficiency models. Any additional purchase price is rapidly paid back through energy savings. Ensure a professional engineer helps you optimise your motor drive systems.
Ventilation
Keep the motor clean and ensure airflow is free of rubbish or stored material.
Filters
Clean any filters on the motor or driver equipment regularly, especially in food production or spray shop establishments.
Drive type
It may be possible to change the method of drive to reduce energy usage. Altering gear ratios and the type of lubrication used may also be beneficial.
Regular maintenance
Check belts and chain tensions regularly, as well as the motor itself.
Phase balancing
Motor efficiency can be impaired if one phase of the supply suffers a voltage drop due to a badly balanced load.
Reduce motor loads
Reducing the distance between the motor and the application can reduce load. Increasing duct sizes or pipe diameters and reducing the number of bends and restrictions will also affect motor loads, reducing them and power usage.
The bulk of savings available from motor drives is achieved by better matching the drive to the load (usually by using a variable speed drive) and by improving the efficiency of the driven load. The annual electricity cost for running an electric motor can be up to 10 times more than the cost of the motor.
Reduce motor idle time
Determine any processes that have motors running but not producing product for any length of time. As well as using electricity this has the effect of running plant unnecessarily and using up the life of the equipment, bearings, conveyor rollers etc, resulting in earlier maintenance periods for overhauls, and repairs.
A plant walk-through after production hours can also determine if motors are left running.
Making it happen – managing your usage
It's important to manage your energy usage effectively. Identify your business's peak time and higher charge periods. Then adjust your energy usage accordingly, or implement measures to control it.
Set energy targets for your staff and, using the meter reading information, post progress charts in staff rooms to show them that their efforts are making a real difference. Tell them how much these savings mean in financial terms. Consider offering them an incentive for helping to improve efficiency.
Regular meter checks
While Meridian Energy reads your meter regularly, we also suggest you carry out your own regular meter readings. Keep records in graphic or visual form, so you can easily see any differences in energy usage. If usage levels suddenly increase for no apparent reason, you should investigate immediately. It may be something as simple as a timer having been overridden. If your only source of data is your bill (which may be estimated) energy wastage could go undetected for longer than necessary.
Monitor staff comments
Monitor all staff comments about comfort levels relating to heating, air conditioning and hot water. If the number of incidents increases, investigate further. There may be a fault or the system may need to be replaced.
Staff energy awareness campaigns
Run energy awareness campaigns to encourage your staff to switch off equipment or lights when not in use. And make them aware of any other energy saving measures you decide to implement through team meetings and training. Listen to any suggestions or comments: they may raise issues you hadn't considered.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Meridian is committed to helping your business save energy and money. If you’d like to receive more information about energy savings for your business, please contact our dedicated Business Team.
Phone: 0800 496 777
Fax: 0800 497 498
Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, between 7:30am and 7:30pm.
Email: business@meridianenergy.co.nz
EECA
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) offers information, advice and, in some cases, funding, to help businesses become more energy efficient and save money. For information on how EECA can help your business save money, phone 0800 358 676, email info@eeca.govt.nz or visit www.eecabusiness.govt.nz
The information was sourced from EECA and was accurate at October 2008.
A list of accredited energy auditors is available on the Energy Management Association's website www.ema.org.nz
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