Decarbonising a motorway services chain

Overview:

For over 50 years, the client has provided their customers with a safe place to eat, rest and refuel, at nearly 60 locations across the UK. They are leading the industry in the electric vehicle (EV) revolution whilst looking for new and modern innovations to drive down their environmental impact.

Working with Future Motors, the company aims to tackle its environmental and energy usage whilst still giving customers the best possible experience. The project aimed to:

• Reduce their energy costs
• Reduce their carbon footprint

A key issue identified is the lack of control the company had over their buildings’ electric motors. They were using legacy technology that was difficult to control and inherently inefficient. A new system would enable them to dynamically manage their environments, take full control of their HVAC and maximise air quality, whilst consuming less energy.

Scope of Works:

Firstly, Future Motors identified a pilot location, followed by a site survey and inspection of their thirteen onsite motors. By taking a closer look at their function, the environment they operated in, and the volume of air they needed to circulate, energy savings of 29% per annum were envisaged.

This calculation and assessment, alongside taking a measuring existing motors in situ to determine electricity consumption, led to the insulation of 13 new motors. Works were phased over several days to reduce downtime and each motor was installed in approximately four hours.

The Turntide smart motor system™ uses a patented high rotor pole switched reluctance motor, with advanced device physics, which runs more efficiently and reliably than anything else on the market.

Post-installation benefits and ROI

The works were completed with minimum downtime and disruption to the business, and the energy savings exceeded predictions. The result was also better air quality for their retail workers and visitors.

• Actual energy saving 38% per annum (initial calculations anticipated 29%)
• 52 tonnes of Co2 saved per annum
• 134,000 kilowatt hours saved per annum

The new system will allow future developments and the use of a new BEMS system to actively control air movement, and the efficient motor used in these installations will also see an ongoing reduction in maintenance costs.

A wider rollout

As a result of the success, the following phases were implemented on a short programme. As with the pilot these were delivered with minimum downtime and disruption.

Phase 1 | Delivered in two months

• Installation of 97 motors across 14 locations
• 328 tonnes of Co2 saved per annum
• 1.2million kilowatt hours saved per annum

Phase 2 | Delivered in three months

• Installation of 95 motors across 27 locations
• 147 tonnes of Co2 saved per annum
• 700,000 kilowatt hours saved per annum

The ROI over both phases is projected at 2.4 years, but is likely to be significantly quicker due to increased energy costs.

The next steps

The client were so happy with the quality of the installation, and the results it produced, they have introduced a dynamic environmental control by upgrading their building management systems (BEMS). This have made an even bigger impact on driving down energy usage: increasing their overall savings to 50%.

In summary they are delivering optimum air quality for their staff and customers, have full control over the internal environment in each of their locations and have materially reduced energy usage and carbon.

The Facilities Manager working with Future Motors said: