Government Office for the East Midlands

About The Belgrave Centre

With eleven government departments under one roof, the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) is the hub of central government in the region.

Their aim is to work with regional partners and local people to maximise competitiveness and prosperity in the East Midlands, with a view to bringing together government policies for a more inclusive society.

GOEM partners work with many organisations to achieve these aims, including local authorities, businesses, schools, colleges and voluntary organisations. In this way GOEM helps implement government initiatives at a local level and also acts as a focal point collating and reflecting back the needs of the region to central government.

The building is part of the Nottingham Trent University campus and has been purpose built to provide a high standard of teaching and professional facilities for the Legal Practice Course and the Graduate Diploma in Law students.

How powerPerfector was able to help the Belgrave Centre

Once in possession of the annual electricity consumption details for The Belgrave Centre, it was possible to provide a provisional quote for a powerPerfector unit and the energy savings that would be expected. A voltage logger was then sent to record the voltage level in the building by connecting to it in to a regular mains socket. After a survey of the site by a powerPerfector approved contractor, the installation took place.
The installation was completed during a weekend when the process would minimise disturbance to the building. After the installation electricity consumption was analysed, this showed a reduction of 17.5%, equating to a payback period of 19 months.

Getting the source right

powerPerfector is the world’s only Voltage Power Optimiser, giving energy, carbon and cost savings by efficiently optimising a site’s supply voltage. Optimising the voltage causes electrical equipment to run more efficiently and consume less energy. The declared electricity supply in the United Kingdom is now, as a result of European Harmonisation, 230V with a tolerance of +10% to -10%. This means that effective voltage can be anywhere between 207V and 253V depending on local conditions. Most electrical equipment manufactured for Europe and the UK is rated at 220V and operates more efficiently at this level. Forcing appliances to operate at a higher voltage in the UK (242V is the average supply level) leads to significantly higher energy consumption, increased heat losses and a reduced life span. As a result of equipment specification and the range of voltage supply, there is an opportunity to achieve cost savings by optimising voltage at source and at the same time improve the operation and lifespan of a site’s electrical infrastructure. It is estimated that 90% of sites in the UK are operating with excessive voltage and could therefore benefit from installing a powerPerfector.

Voltage Power Optimisation. The less obvious benefits

Reduced maintenance, longer life

All electrical equipment has an optimum voltage at which it works best. A powerPerfected supply delivers that optimum and reduces the strain on your electrical equipment, leaving it to work more reliably and for longer.

Better quality power supply

Some things you may have accepted for years as product faults can turn out to be caused by a poor quality power supply. For instance, the life of incandescent light bulbs is almost doubled when the supply voltage is optimised. Now imagine that in relation to an IT network or an expensive piece of manufacturing equipment.

Missing the penalty kick

Power factor penalty charges – which are now uncapped in the UK – can be avoided if your power factor is above 0.95. If your power factor is at around 0.9 at the moment, powerPerfector could remove your exposure to these charges by improving the electrical efficiency of your site
Lower harmonic distortion and reduced neutral currents
powerPerfectors are able to filter harmonics on the mains incomer. Harmonic distortion is on the increase and can lead to random failures of electronic equipment – particularly computers.

Protection

Common transients – very brief spikes in voltage from the grid – are eliminated by powerPerfector. Transients at this level can cause catastrophic damage to equipment, but smaller, more common transient events will also shorten the life expectancy of electrical equipment over time. The looming energy gap means that the risk of transients is increased – the Belgrave Centre is now protected.