Winterthur Life - Dextra Court

Winterthur Life, Dextra Court – powerPerfected

Winterthur Life is an award winning financial management company, now part of Axa. The Dextra Court site in Basingstoke comprises an office with a large computer suite and server room. With UK power quality worsening, powerPerfector's harmonic suppression and transient protection ensure complete computer grade power for the entire site.

The challenge, the solution and the savings

Following our standard three step evaluation, the site required a 420kVA/600A unit on a 9% optimisation to achieve the perfect voltage. On 11 February 2007 the unit was installed, with all electrical equipment functioning perfectly and no reported problems. Further inspection in a few years will reveal a much extended lifetime for all this equipment.

Topline results

The standard savings from a 9% optimisation are usually about 14.5%, at Winterthur Life we have achieved a minimum of 16.1% reduction in average kWh consumption. The figures below help to show more clearly just how much energy is being saved – from daily distributions and annual trends to temperature factored degree day analyses. Quite apart from energy savings, powerPerfector technology has made sure that the site now operates more efficiently, benefits from improved power quality and is protected against common transients (voltage spikes). There were no reported problems when the supply was reconnected and, with absolutely no moving parts, the powerPerfector's need no maintenance beyond the statutory 5 yearly checks required of all electrical equipment.

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. With the energy gap looming – and more
transients – you need to protect your electronic infra-structure.