Remote monitoring system saves pools and spas thousands

Energy-for-pool specialist Powermaster has expanded its product offering to include a remote device monitoring system for leisure centres, pools and spas. The device was developed to help facilities managers save thousands of pounds on their energy bills every month by monitoring electricity usage on pool pumps and maintaining water quality at the highest standard. 

Powermaster's RDM could save thousands in electricity bills 

 The remote device monitoring equipment employs a web-enabling system which allows data collected from industrial equipment to be published on the Internet. This data is logged in an online database containing historical information which users can access using the web browser on any PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Another benefit is that the system can be configured to generate alarms, e-mail and text message alerts. As a result, in the case of an emergency such as a pump failure for example, staff can react rapidly and take steps to remediate the situation.

Remote device monitoring not only provides efficient energy monitoring of the Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) used in pools, but also enables control functionality on these energy saving devices.

The remote monitoring device in situ

The software displays the data in an intelligible format for the user, which allows them to react in a timely manner to changes such as increased load of bathers in the pool, variation in temperature and chemicals levels. When such modifications occur, the device monitor alters the speed of VSDs accordingly.

“The remote device monitoring is a unique tool that can help save thousands of pounds in electricity bills,” enthused Geoff Renshaw, director at Powermaster. “When everyone in UK business is thinking about cutting expenses, the easiest way is to send savings to the bottom line is by effectively managing your energy consumption,” Renshaw concluded.

The remote device monitoring system has been deployed in a variety of applications in addition to pools and spas – from monitoring the status of fire alarms and water treatment equipment to temperature and tank level monitoring.

Energy for pools specialist launches 24-hour helpline

Powermaster call centre

Energy saving specialist Powermaster has launched a 24/7 helpline to make life easier for leisure centre managers, pool managers and public sector organisations who are experiencing technical problems in their facilities.

Those calling the 24/7 helpline can benefit from independent advice on how to reach their environmental targets by cutting emissions in pool and spa applications. Powermaster is also offering a free of charge, no-obligation survey which will reveal areas of the facility in which energy can be saved.

There are a number of technologies Powermaster can employ to help save money on overall maintenance and pool energy bills. One of the most popular methods that has been tried and tested in a variety of pools is fitting a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) to the motor that powers the pool pump. VSDs regulate energy use in accordance with what the pool needs to function at any one time or by using a pre-set plan, which might, for instance, turn the motor down at night-time.

As most swimming pool motors are over-specified, they use far more energy than needed. VSDs do not reduce the efficiency of the motor; instead they help it respond to the actual need to move water around the pool.  

Furthermore, the company’s technicians can advise callers on safe and efficient chemicals management. For instance Powermaster’s Integrated Water and Energy Management System (IWEMS) has been proven to save up to 70% of electrical energy. The system also reduces the chemical costs by 30%. A typical application will see 50% savings in power alone on the overall facility, in addition to the resultant carbon emission reductions.

“The 24 hour helpline is a huge step forward for Powermaster and the industry as a whole”, explains Geoff Renshaw, Powermaster director. “It allows us to respond quicker and more effectively to queries from existing and potential customers. Think of it as an emergency service for pools, that aims to help facilities managers and leisure centre staff with their energy saving efforts, as well as with any unexpected problems,” concluded Renshaw.  

Powermaster was responsible for reducing overall UK carbon emissions by 15,136 tons in 2011. This is the result of an electricity consumption reduction of 8,115,000 kWh units, which is the equivalent of £2,389,775 based on an average cost of 8.5 pence per kWh unit.

Lose the greenwash when the tank is in the red

Our Variable Speed Drives installed

With the serious threat of energy rationing on the ten year horizon, using less energy is a smart move from both a cost and business continuity perspective. Against this background, the new Cibse President David Fisk called for real performance and less greenwash in building services systems (Incoming Cibse President Calls for Benchmarking, June 2012). He’s right; the UK needs more than greenwash to manage our energy crisis. And make no mistake; the global fuel tank is in the red.

We need to implement tried and tested energy saving technologies such as variable speed drives (VSDs), rather than make spurious claims about the efficacy of unproven technologies. VSDs are proven; 90% of the lifetime cost of an electric motor comes from its energy consumption. This can be demonstrated by installing a VSD on a pool motor application; a speed decrease of 10% has been shown to produce an average energy saving of 27.1%. A relatively small speed change controlled by a VSD produces a large fall in energy consumption.

So instead of waiting for a panacea energy saving contraption to be invented, businesses should ditch the greenwash and get to the core of the problem. VSDs may be simple devices that we’ve had for many years, but the fact of the matter is they are fit for purpose.

Ackworth School slashes energy bills with Powermaster

Ackworth School

Ackworth School has significantly reduced its energy bills using Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), remote device monitoring equipment and voltage optimisation/stabilisation from energy savings technologies specialist, Powermaster. Here, Geoff Renshaw, director of Powermaster, discusses these savings in detail with Peter Cheseldine, clerk of works at Ackworth School.

Ackworth School in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, was founded as a boarding school for Quaker boys and girls in 1779. Today it has 550 pupils of many different faiths aged 2-18. Ackworth School has excellent facilities including several sports pitches, a swimming pool, a sports hall, a fitness room, a gymnasium, tennis and netball courts, squash courts and use of a nearby all weather pitch and golf course.

Peter Cheseldine has been clerk of works at Ackworth School for ten years, and his experience also includes a spell as chief engineer at the landmark Savoy Hotel in London. “The Savoy had its own standby generation plant, boilers and UPS. It was like an autonomous city in its own right,” he recalls.

Shortly after joining Ackworth School, Peter recommended to the governors that it installed Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) for the swimming pool pump motors in order to reduce energy costs, which were rising rapidly. In this respect, Peter was one of the early adopters of VSD’s in the UK, reinforced by the efforts of the Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) who were helping get the message across to UK industry.

“I have been going to ESTA events for eight years now and I had ideas on how to save energy here at Ackworth School,” continued Peter. “But getting the financing for Variable Speed Drives approved by my superiors was an uphill struggle initially. However, as energy prices went up and up, they realised that they should be doing something to save energy.

“I was very much driven by energy savings and installing the equipment provided by Powermaster has saved the school considerable amounts of money on energy costs, particularly related to the swimming pool.

“Now we are gradually getting everything else in the school upgraded to a very advanced standard of energy saving. This is not easy because Ackworth School is a Grade 1 listed building and we are very restricted in certain areas as to what we can do. The only three-phase motors the school has are in the swimming pool, but last year, we also went on to install Powermaster’s Integrated Water & Energy Management System (IWEMS).

“IWEMS automatically tests swimming pool water quality and dosing. This also affects the speed of the pumps, so when we adopted it we saved yet more money.”

IWEMS constantly monitors the chemical demands of each individual pool, and recognises when bathing loads have changed. The system will signal the VSD’s to reduce motor speed when bathing loads are low (i.e., when chemical demands have fallen) and, conversely, to increase motor speed when bathing loads increase and when chemical demands rise.

Quite simply this means that the IWEMS system ensures that the pump motor speeds are at their lowest at ALL times, thereby maximising energy savings, whilst at the same time ensuring that chemical mixing characteristics are spot on.

Powermaster’s Remote Device Monitoring system (RDM) allows a client to access details of the performance of the installation at all times, and will show exactly what energy is being used in real time, and what has been used over a given period. All data is fed to a web-based application, which enables expert monitoring and accurate reporting.

Complementing IWEMS is the Powermaster VRS Voltage Optimiser/Stabiliser, which reduces electricity consumption and costs. The VRS automatically reduces a site voltage to a constant, stable output voltage of 380V.

Because the VRS reacts to both over-voltage and under-voltage, it guarantees a stable site voltage of 380V at all times. This is ideal for all equipment such as lighting, computers and motors, for example, all of which are designed to run more efficiently at this level. By supplying a reduced output voltage of 380V not only will this result in a significant reduction in electricity consumption, but it will also reduce wear and tear on all such equipment.

“This year, we also installed Powermaster’s VRS Voltage Optimiser/Stabiliser, which controls the voltage on site to stable levels and gets rid of harmonics, and we are looking to further reduced energy costs in the region of 7-10%,” adds Peter.

“Return on investment has been quick on this equipment, especially with speed control on the swimming pool pumps, where we are saving anything up to 30% now. Total payback was only about three years, so we have had five years of pure saving.”

70% pool and spa energy savings make an impact on global carbon emissions

Against the clock

Thirty seven seconds isn’t long is it? You can’t achieve much in that time; in fact a freediver can hold their breath for ten times as long. But 35 seconds is a long time for pool and spa energy efficiency specialist Powermaster. In 2011 alone the company has saved enough energy in the pool and spa sector to compensate for 35 seconds worth of global carbon emissions. When you think of all the factories belching out smoke and all the power plants burning coal to fire their turbines, 35 seconds suddenly seems like a long time.

Powermaster was responsible for reducing overall UK carbon emissions by 15,136 tons in 2011. This is the result of an electricity consumption reduction of 8,115,000 kWh units, which is the equivalent of £2,389,775 based on an average cost of 8.5 pence per kWh unit.

The savings are achieved by reducing electricity consumption at each site on which Powermaster works by up to 70%. This is done using a combination of variable speed drive control on pool pumps, heat transfer to maximise the heating efficiency of the building and the pool, voltage optimisation and a trademarked remote monitoring and energy efficiency product called IWEMs (Integrated Water and Energy Management).

The remote monitoring and reporting functions of this kind of technology are proving to be one of the biggest reasons that Powermaster’s customers invest. There is increasing pressure on pool and spa owners, particularly large chains, to prove how much they are reducing their electricity bills by and, as a result, how much carbon they are saving.

In fact, the UK Government’s Climate Change Levy is a charge on energy usage for business and the public sector introduced to encourage energy efficiency. Effectively, large businesses are taxed on their energy usage, so it makes sense to both reduce it and prove what you use.

Managing water quality and chemical usage is an additional benefit of the remote monitoring and reporting functions of IWEMs. For instance, because the system operates in real time it can alert you by SMS or e-mail that your free chlorine level has dropped with ten seconds of the event.

“Reducing energy usage both improves a company’s economic sustainability and allows it to contribute to the UK’s overall environmental sustainability,” explained Geoff Renshaw, a director of Powermaster. “Technology like variable speed drives and our IWEMs system is simple to implement, easy to prove and very popular. A 70% electricity bill reduction can make the difference between a profitable pool and a loss making one.”

It probably took you about 35 seconds to read the last three paragraphs of this article. In that time global carbon emissions were equivalent to those of a small UK town or city for the entire year. So 35 seconds is a long time and you can do something useful in half a minute. You can make the decision to make your pool more energy efficient, profitable and environmentally sustainable.

Selling energy efficiency in pools and spas

Powermasters' Integrated Water
and Energy Management System (IWEMS®)

Psychologists understand very clearly that people don’t always do the things that are in their own best interests. We don’t always eat healthily for instance and we don’t all exercise frequently, because curling up on the sofa is much more comfortable. Less understandable is the evidence that, in our professional lives, we routinely choose to not reduce the energy expenditure required to run the pools and spas we design, build, manage and service. Here, Geoff Renshaw, a director of Powermaster the energy saving technology specialist for pools and spas, argues that this is unjustifiable, given that a typical swimming pool can cost around £30,000 per year to operate in energy bills alone.   

Here’s a shocking fact; it is possible to use existing and proven energy saving technology to reduce the energy consumption of a swimming pool or spa and the building that houses it by up to 82%. If you were still sitting in the couch, metaphorically speaking, when you started reading this article let’s hope you have just laced up your running shoes, because there is no bigger motivator than an 82% energy bill saving.

Before I go on, I should stress that 82% is the record energy saving that Powermaster has provided. It was achieved by combining the effects of variable speed drives, voltage optimisation, heat recovery, remote monitoring and our trademarked IWEMs (Integrated Water and Energy Management) solution in a single application.

However, energy savings of 40% are very, very common and it is far from inconceivable that we will repeat or better our 82% record in the medium term future. So why do so few companies building and installing pools and spas include energy management as part of their proposal to the building owner? This question is especially pertinent when, in the public sector, a certain degree of energy saving technology is mandatory. Furthermore, why do so few pools and spas make this very small, and often publically funded, capital expenditure commitment that will allow them to reduce their expenditure so radically?

My belief is that capital expenditure is prioritised much too highly and operating expenditure is vaguely written of as something that tomorrow’s accountants can deal with.

Let’s look at the example of a variable speed drive controlling the pump or pumps in a swimming pool or spa. The pump is driven by a motor and the entire pump and drive system will cost exponentially more to run during its lifetime than it cost to purchase. A modest addition to the purchase cost in the form of a variable speed drive, which will control the motor at either pre-set levels or in accordance with the pumps requirements, could reduce the energy bill and thus the lifetime cost of the application by a minimum of 30% in a typical swimming pool or spa application.

Perhaps the key to understanding this is recognising that the motor speed reduction and the reduction in energy use aren’t identical figures. Instead, reducing the speed of the motor by 20% will reduce the energy used by 50%. That speed reduction can be achieved by simply using variable speed drives to turn down the motors when the pool or spa isn’t being used or is being used less.

Providing variable speed drives are in place, the use of Powermaster’s IWEMs system can go on to provide even greater energy savings at relatively modest costs. At IWEM’s heart is monitoring technology that allows the variable speed drive to control the pump in accordance with the water chemistry of the pool or spa itself. This means that the motor can always run at the slowest required speed, no matter how heavily the pool or spa is being used. If variable speed drives aren’t already in place, it is perfectly achievable and entirely normal to fit them as an integral part of the IWEMs system.

Furthermore, IWEMs can be fine tuned to manage the chemical dosing of the pool or spa, which can in turn lead to further cost reductions – this time in the form of lower expenditure on the chemicals themselves.

IWEMs features a completely integrated remote monitoring system that allows the user to view the energy and chemical usage of a swimming pool or spa at the click of a button, via the Internet. So, even if you are still on the couch, you can keep up to date with the energy saving progress you are making. This function can also act as a datalogger and an alarming system, sending you an e-mail or text message if there is an urgent event that needs requires attention.

The answer to energy saving is simple, whether you are building or managing a swimming pool or spa, look at the cost of the entire facility, not just the cost of the build or the day to day capital expenditure. If you do, you will see some figures that very quickly make you get up of the couch and take action.