Rhyl High School

Rhyl High School – powerPerfected

Denbighshire County Council governs Denbighshire, an administrative sub division of Wales. The council has a progressive approach, with councillors from a wide range of political parties and a larger number of female councillors in its cabinet than at any time in history. In 2009, Denbighshire County Council launched its carbon management strategy, ‘Project Gaia’. This encompasses plans for a number of technological and behavioural changes, which will help the council to meet its target of a 34% reduction on 2005 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

How powerPerfector were able to help Denbighshire Council

After Denbighshire County Council sent its annual electricity consumption details for Rhyl High School, it was possible to give a provisional quote for a powerPerfector unit and the energy savings that would be expected. A voltage logger was then sent for one week, which recorded the voltage level in the building by connecting it into a regular mains socket. It was found that the average voltage at the site was 244 volts (V), 14V higher than the nominal supply in the UK. After a survey of the site by a powerPerfector Approved Contractor, the installation took place. There was no noticeable change to the operation of the building, although continuous carbon savings were instantly being made every day at the site. 3 months after the installation the electricity consumption was analysed to find a reduction of 10.6%, equating to annual carbon dioxide emissions saving of 57,600kg.

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, but 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  can cause catastrophic damage to equipment, but smaller, more common transient events will also shorten the life expectancy of electrical equipment over time. Each installation ensures that Rhyl High School is no longer at risk from failures that could put them out of business for days.