Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption at Commercial Workspace

Energy efficiency is important and so are the solutions that can be considered for ensuring energy efficiency at a place. Let’s look at a few energy efficiency technologies that can easily be adopted:

• Lighting using Light Emitting Diodes: The LED lighting can perform better than your expectations from it. It plays a major role in reducing electricity consumption to a great extent and ultimately, results in significantly lower electricity bills. 

Depending on the lighting system you are using, you can save as much as 50% on the consumption of electricity. Moreover, good quality LED bulbs to last up to eight times longer than conventional lighting methods. They can fit perfectly in most homes and offices.

• Power factor correction: Power factor correction equipment has just come into existence. The electricity power factor helps you keep a track of the efficiency of your electrical appliances and the quality of the power being supplied to your site. You can save yourself a lot of money by lowering the power factor.

• Utilization of solar power: Solar power is one of the most convenient mediums of saving energy and cutting down the costs. Going solar also promotes the fact that you support the idea of sustainable development and using renewable energy resources. Especially, if your business requires a large amount of energy during the peak daytime hours, you have all the reasons to switch to solar power.

• Optimization of tariff through Energy Management Systems: Different sorts of Energy Management Systems are now easily available. They provide you real-time details about your energy usage. You can also access your data via any of your devices at your convenience from any place in the world. With the help of an Energy Management System, you never have to get worried about leaving the lights accidentally on.

All of these energy efficiency technologies are largely being used in Kenya and Seychelles to reduce energy consumption. Icopower ESCO works with clients to reduce operating expenses, upgrade and maintain infrastructure, stabilize energy costs, improve infrastructure efficiency, increase energy reliability and conserve the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. Know more about the company and the services we offer by visiting our website http://www.icopower-esco.com/.

5 Reasons Why Solar Energy Should Be The First To Consider Of Energy Efficiency Technologies

Thousands of industrialists have turned to solar power generation in an effort to reduce energy consumption.  Let’s explore 5 reasons why solar electric power systems will be an important part of our energy future.

Solar electricity is renewable. Sunlight is converted into electricity by photovoltaic cells. Whenever the sun shines, power generation is possible. There is no need to explore for or mine the source of solar electricity.

Electricity costs will be stable and controlled. Once a solar electric power system is installed, it will continue to produce "free electricity" for the next 20 to 25 years.

Solar power will work in just about all areas of the world. Unlike wind power, which is limited to areas that have an average wind speed of greater than 10 miles per hour, the sun shines everywhere. Clouds and, to a certain degree, smog will reduce the efficiency of solar panels, but power can be generated most days.

Sun power is nonpolluting. When the photons in sunlight hit the PV cells, electrons in the PV cells are broken loose, allowing them to flow as electricity. The process is confined to the solar panel and does not produce pollution as a fossil fuel power plant does.

A solar power system can be easily built and installed by the average industrialist. Anyone can drastically reduce the cost of going solar by building their own solar panels. Panels are the major cost of a solar electric power system, and building them can save up to 80 percent.

If you do not have any plans to switch to solar power, you might want to get in touch with an energy service company. Icopower ESCO is an independent Energy Service company which develops, implements, and in order to improve the energy efficiency technologies for facilities over 3 to 5 years, arranges its own project financing.

The mission of Icopower ESCO is to analyze, design, and implement energy efficiency solutions that will create value for facility owners and operators across all sectors in East Africa and beyond.The vision is to contribute to prosperity throughout the region; generating benefits for the economy, the environment, and for society according to the triple bottom line of sustainable development. They can also help you keep an eye on your electric power quality.
For more information, visit www.icopower-esco.com or write to fm@icopower.com.

How to Ensure Good Power Quality at All Times

Power quality includes three aspects: voltage, frequency, and waveform. When power quality is good, it exhibits a steady voltage supply, steady alternating current/AC frequency, and a smooth waveform of the voltage curve.

To check and ensure that the power quality is good at all times, invest in energy saving techniques such as power quality monitoring and power factor correction.

Disturbances and fluctuations in power supply are caused by a number of factors, such as:

• Load changes
• Atmospheric phenomena and other environmental conditions
• Motor failure
• Electrical or electronic equipment failure
• Overheating of transformers, switch gear, and cabling
• Nuisance tripping of circuit breakers or fuses
• Unstable equipment operation
• High energy usage and costs

Benefits of Power Factor Correction:

• The technical benefits: It improves efficiency and reduction in power demand, resulting in a reduction in the load on switching gear and cables, reduced costs to the consumer, and support for more load.
• Commercial benefits: There are reduced system losses and less capital cost for companies. In addition, there are large savings on electricity since there are no charges for excess reactive power. Another benefit is that the transmission and distribution equipment and systems run more efficiently and last longer.
• Environmental benefits:It helps reduce CO2 emissions.

Benefits of Power Quality Monitoring:

All devices which use electricity can malfunction due to continuous power fluctuations. This can lead to unnecessary expenditure as you may either need to buy them again or constantly fix/maintain them. With the help of power quality monitoring, you can learn how to manage your power supply and the longevity of all items that use electricity.

• It ensures ease and comfort running big industrial equipment
• It helps all workplaces to run properly and smoothly
• It prevents malfunction of electrical equipment

For the best energy saving technology solutions, get in touch with Icopower ESCO - an Energy Service Company that offers a wide range of solutions to help businesses enjoy the benefits of improved energy efficiency. Using a combination of industry experience, manufacturing partnerships, and logistical capabilities, they work around each client's goals for solutions within the shortest time possible.

Visit http://www.icopower-esco.com/ to know more!

How Energy Efficiency Technologies are Empowering Large-scale Businesses

When the cost of energy is increasing day-by-day, turning to energy efficiency technologies is a wise decision to reduce the cost. It is estimated that energy efficient lighting systems can reduce energy use by up to 82%. These systems also improve the working environment, increase safety, and enhance the well being of workers.

We know how frustrating it can be when a business owner faces energy problems without knowing what’s happening. There should be a one-point solution that can rectify all the problems related to power quality monitoring and power factor correction and help achieve the core business objectives without worrying about power-related obstacles.

If you have a large facility, such as an Office Building, Manufacturing Unit, Industrial Building, Sports Auditorium, Exhibition Hall, Retail and Warehouse, Production Line, Educational Institution, Healthcare Facility or a Housing and Real Estate Venture, you are an ideal resource to integrate energy management solutions.

For a business, lowering energy usage, utility expenses, and their carbon footprint with energy-efficient technologies and power management solutions is important. To attain it, you should seek the right company that provides Energy Management Solutions for your needs. The benefits of hiring the services of a power management company are immense, but the key ones you will see are -

• Able to provide a productive and safe working environment
• Able to reduce energy costs and optimize sustainability
• Your business facility will start performing at its best
• A decrease in lifecycle costs and the best return on investment is guaranteed
• Your building automation system will start performing efficiently

The Benefits of Power Quality Monitoring and Power Factor Correction Services 

Power quality monitoring can save you up to 30% of your annual energy consumption.

Benefits of Power Quality Monitoring services are -

• Reduce power factor penalties
• Help reduce peak demand
• Assist in preventive and predictive maintenance
• Determine the need for mitigation equipment
• Ensure equipment performance
• Assess the sensitivity of process equipment to disturbances
• Benchmark overall system performance
• Improve energy rates

Benefits of Power Factor Correction services are -

• Eliminate the penalty of low power factor from the Electric Supply Company
• Increased system capacity (generators, cables, transformers)
• Improved voltage regulation
• Reduced losses in transformers and cables
• May reduce harmonics on the power system (with harmonic filters)
• Greening the power system
• Increase in efficiency of system and devices
• Low Voltage Drop
• Line Losses (Copper Losses) I2R is reduced

If you are looking to invest in energy efficiency technologies, talk to an expert at Icopower ESCO. Visit http://icopower-esco.com/ and request a callback.

Major Problems Related To Power Quality And Solutions To Them

When you own a service-oriented or a production-oriented industry, to obtain the best operational efficiency, power quality and reliability plays a significant role in manufacturing quality products and services. The industry is increasingly relying on power for the continual addition of electronic equipment and digital controllers, which cannot work smoothly without access to a quality power supply. It is important to consider multiple power quality situations to avoid massive loss in opportunity as well as revenue, equipment failure, and electrical accidents like fire.

Most equipment in an industry requires power, and that is exactly why electronic appliances need to be properly maintained through maintenance and uninterrupted power supply to work properly. The major issues related to power quality include acute power shortage, frequency variation, generation of spikes, missing cycles, blackouts, voltage fluctuations, impulse surges, earth leakage current, and brownouts. These can often be avoided when care is used with an appropriate power quality method like the power factor correction, so businesses do not see power-related problems with productivity and other losses.

Coming up with the right solution can only be possible if you have ample knowledge about the types of power quality issues, their causes, and what type of technical support is needed. Here are a few tips that can be extremely useful in improving the power quality:

• To ensure that the quality of power is maintained, the grounding and bonding of a computer-based industrial system needs to be carefully laid down.
• Check if the wiring is in the proper place, and look for improper or loose connections, reversed polarity, open neutral, or floating grounds.
• Make use of power conditioning equipment like voltage optimization systems, transient voltage surge suppressors, noise filters, harmonic filters, isolations transformers, UPS, generators, dynamic voltage restorer, voltage regulators, and many more.

Icopower ESCO is experienced in offering a delivery mechanism to provide the maximum amount of energy efficiency resources. We have extensive design and implementation experience in integrating multiple efficiency measures, mitigating technical and performance risks, and generating energy savings for our clients with almost no capital investment.  In addition, we act as an energy efficient project developer as we integrate the project’s design, financing, installation, and operational elements. Our remuneration is based on Energy Saving Performance Contracts whereby our payment is on a shared savings basis. You can find out more by visiting our website http://www.icopower-esco.com/.

Getting Acquainted with Voltage Power Optimization

Voltage power optimization is an energy saving technology that is used for regulating, cleaning, and conditioning the incoming power supply with the sole aim of reducing the voltage supplied to the optimum level for the on-site electrical appliances and equipment.

Voltage optimization works on a very simple concept, and that is power from the main source is supplied at a higher voltage than required and can result in massive wastage of energy, increased carbon emission, and higher electricity bills. It can also result in issues related to power quality and increased wear and tear of electrical equipment. By adopting a few voltage optimization solutions, one can benefit in a number of ways. From reducing the consumption of energy to cutting the carbon emission and saving on electricity bills, by balancing the phase voltages and filtering transients from the main supply, one can also see improvement in the power quality.

There are several technologies that can be used for the optimization of voltage. Voltage optimization technologies are usually installed in a series between the distribution transformer and the main low voltage distribution board. These voltage optimization solutions allow consumers and their equipment to benefit from the optimized power supply. Voltage optimization systems are usually divided into two categories – fixed and electronic-dynamic. The former optimizes the voltage by a decided amount and matches the incoming profile while the latter puts intelligent controls in use to optimize the voltage and maintain it at a constant level. Among the available solutions for voltage optimization, voltage stabilizers are the most common in Nairobi.

Icopower ESCO is an independent Energy Service company which develops, implements, and arranges its own financing for projects designed to improve the energy efficiency for facilities over a 3- to 5-year period. We work with clients to reduce operating expenses, upgrade and maintain infrastructure, stabilize energy costs, improve infrastructure efficiency, increase energy reliability, and conserve the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. Our mission is to analyze, design, and implement energy efficiency solutions that will create value for facility owners and operators across all sectors in East Africa and the Indian Ocean. We utilize the power of energy efficiency to contribute to prosperity throughout the region; generating benefits for the economy, environment, and society according to the triple bottom line of sustainable development. Learn more about us by visiting http://www.icopower-esco.com

Why Power Quality Monitoring is Important for Energy Efficiency

The quality of electricity being supplied to your home is determined by characteristics like frequency, waveforms, magnitude, and symmetry. These characteristics are subject to variation because of the load, disturbance generated by the equipment that is consuming energy, and the disturbances that come into existence because of external factors during the normal operation of a supply system. The variance of these characteristics is random, within a specific electric supply terminal, or the location of the reference sample at any given instant of time. This can happen because of natural disturbances including atmospheric phenomena and environmental conditions. In other instances, additional equipment is installed at the premises of an electricity user that can cause a disturbance in the electricity distribution network.

These issues with the power quality are very likely to have adverse effects on the end users, their equipment and system manufacturers, designers of plants and installations, electricity distributors, public authorities, and the general public. The outcomes of popular surveys have highlighted that the lack of power quality monitoring has led to significant losses for industries. The most critical issues related to power quality are the variations in voltage and frequency and also wave form distortion.

No matter how many energy efficiency technologies you are putting into use, they cannot work to the best of their abilities with fluctuating power quality. Many people are unaware that power quality is one of the most significant contributing factors to the development of any location. This cannot be achieved without continuous monitoring of the power quality as it helps in detecting, recording, and preventing problems related to power quality.

Icopower ESCO is an energy saving company in Kenya and Seychelles that is experienced in offering delivery mechanisms to provide the maximum amount of energy efficiency resources. We have extensive design and implementation experience in integrating multiple efficiency measures, mitigating technical and performance risks and generating energy savings for our clients with little capital investment.  In addition, we act as an energy efficient project developer as we integrate the project’s design, financing, installation, and operational elements. Our remuneration is based on Energy Saving Performance Contracts whereby our payment is on a shared savings basis. Find out more about us by visiting our website http://www.icopower-esco.com/ or by dropping us an email at fm@icopower.com

How Can The Latest Building Technologies Including Insulation Can Help Reduce Energy Consumption?

The involvement of technological advances in the construction industry is making energy efficiency easier and more cost effective like never before. These energy efficiency building technologies are promoting the use of environment friendly material not just in Kenya but several other locations including Seychelles. Besides having the capability to cut down the energy expenses to a minimal, these are safer as well. Since, insulation provides a proper sealing against the external moisture, noise and air, it is considered to be a key component to building a structure that can help in reducing energy consumption.

Gone are the days when constructing a green home was a tedious thing to do. With the introduction of Insulated Concrete Forms, building a structurally sound and an energy efficient home has become easier than it has ever been. It is a bit sad that not everyone considers the amount of energy that goes into the building of a new home and that is why; people need to be made aware about the new and improved energy efficiency technologies that help in minimizing the energy consumption.

When you reduce energy consumption, you automatically contribute towards reducing the following:

• Fossil fuel consumption
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• The number if power plants being brought on line
• Transmission and distribution line capacity constraints
• The amount of electricity lost and wasted along the power lines

Icopower ESCO is an energy service company that is experienced in offering delivery mechanism not just to provide the maximum amount of energy efficiency resources but also, in providing power quality solutions. We have extensive design and implementation experience in integrating multiple efficiency measures, mitigating technical and performance risks and generating energy savings for their clients at almost no capital investment.

In addition to that, we act as an energy efficient project developer as we integrate the project’s design, financing, installation and operational elements. Our remuneration is based on Energy Saving Performance Contracts whereby our payment is on a shared savings basis. You can know more about us by dropping us an email @ fm@icopower.com