NUI Galway has announced its Energy Management System (EnMS) will be certified to International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 50001. The certification, which will be completed in September 2012, will cover the University campus in Galway, including more than 110,000 sq m of facilities, including teaching, leisure and sports, conference, laboratory and cutting-edge research facilities.

Energy is one of the biggest recurring costs NUI Galway faces annually. The implementation of an energy management system will not only help to manage and monitor energy consumption, but also to reduce it. This maximizes energy efficiency and reduces annual energy consumption and resulting expenditure on critical utilities. Savings made in this way will help to fund ongoing expenditure in other energy reduction programs and to invest in new energy efficient technologies.

Noel O’Connor, Buildings Services Engineer at NUI Galway, says: “NUI Galway has focused on energy management for many years. We chose to have our EnMS certified to give us, and our stakeholders, confidence that we are managing energy use efficiently in all our operations. We also believe that the regular audits will help us to keep energy at the top of our management agenda and help us to focus on continual improvement. NUI Galway intends to build on lessons learned from the ISO 50001 certification process into our fundamental design criteria for new buildings. We are also conscious of our role as a research-based university and we will share relevant data gleaned from our EnMS and improvement projects as an educational resource for our students and researchers; particularly those in the Environmental, Engineering and Economics programs.”

NUI Galway has an annual replacement program for existing building stock to install energy efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and cooling systems. The capital building program is heavily influenced by a focus and philosophy of improving the energy efficiency of buildings, beyond present day regulations and planning standards. 

A case in point is the newly opened Engineering Building. The building contains a wide- range of technologies such as large-scale rainwater harvesting for grey water use, combined heat and power plant, biomass boiler, solar thermal system, insulation and glazing properties in excess of planning requirements, intelligent control systems low-embodied energy materials such as zinc, grass roofs for water attenuation, and many other cutting-edge technologies. The structure is among the first inIrelandto employ the use of voided slab systems. The innovation introduces ‘plastic bubbles’ into the concrete, reducing the weight and quantity of concrete used.

It is estimated that the United Kingdom’s 115 universities could save up to £13.8 million a year if they adopted a new energy management standard from BSI (British Standards Institution). With the fluctuating price of energy one of the biggest costs for universities, a number of them have approached BSI about a new international standard – ISO 50001 – that sets out practical measures to reduce consumption and save money.

Sheffield Hallam University, one of the UK’s largest universities with around 36,400 students and 4,174 staff, implemented the standard across its facilities between January and May 2012 and has saved £50,000 on its electricity bill so far.

Although Sheffield Hallam is a large university, making its potential savings greater, if such changes were to be adopted by UK universities across the board they could expect to make similar savings to Sheffield Hallam

Introduced in June 2011, ISO 50001 has been developed with input from experts in 60 countries – making it the first internationally recognized energy management standard and the most comprehensive to date. The standard outlines practical measures organizations – from universities to global multinationals – need to implement to reduce energy usage.

These practical measures include insight on energy saving technology (such as smart meters which measure how much you use and when, helping users indirectly lower their bills) as well as guidance on how to measure and document energy consumption and build a culture of energy efficiency. By reducing universities carbon emissions BSI is also helping them meet their environmental, social and legislative obligations.

Howard Kerr, Chief Executive, BSI, says: “Each of the UK’s 115 universities could save up to £120,000 a year if they implemented the world’s newest energy management standard ISO 50001. From installing new energy management technology such as motion sensors to embedding a culture of energy efficiency, there is a lot more UK universities can do to save money. Working with Sheffield Hallam University, we have saved them a significant amount of money which means it can now allocate more resources to salaries and other essential front lines services.”

ITW Hi-Cone has chosen Electric Ireland, part of ESB, to supply ‘green energy’ generated from 100% renewable sources to its Cork-based manufacturing facility. The 12-month contract, which will see Electric Ireland deliver 3GWh of energy to Hi-Cone’s site, is valued at approximately €400,000. The company also plans to utilise Electric Ireland’s Energytracked Energy Monitoring and Management System to help deliver energy savings.

Hi-Cone is a leading supplier of plastic-based multi-packaging systems for global beer, soft drink and general products industries.

Energytracked is a flexible energy management solution for monitoring all utilities in a business. It is a software package that enables businesses to optimise their energy usage and reduce costs through identifying and cutting out unnecessary wastage and redistributing energy. Operating in real time, Energytracked can be configured in a number of different ways as a web based system, client server system or as a multi-site or standalone system. Energytracked makes energy efficiency accessible and simple and offers companies the benefit of a better understanding of their energy costs.

Liam Molloy, general manager at Electric Ireland, says: “We are pleased that Hi-Cone will be utilising our Energytracked system, which puts the power in our customers’ hands to better manage their energy usage and drive cost-savings.”

In addition to the installation of Energytracked, Electric Ireland will also provide Hi-Cone with annual maintenance contracts backed up with regular customer training to ensure that they gets the maximum benefits from the energy management and monitoring system.

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Pictured making the announcement are Kieran Savage, senior customer relationship manager, business markets, Electric Ireland, and David Brophy, European manager, manufacturing, service & technical, ITW Hi-Cone.

Cylon Group, the international leader in the development of building energy management systems and services, is to invest over €11 million in its new energy management division, Cylon Active Energy, and create up to 50 new positions over the next four years. Established in 1985, Cylon is an Irish company with headquarters in Clonshaugh County Dublin. The company also has offices in the UK, Europe and China, in addition to a network of representatives across Europe, the US, the Middle East, Australasia and Scandinavia.

Cylon is currently one of the largest independent manufacturers of building control systems in Europe but through the new energy management division the company now also provides clients with cloud based real time energy management services, which have been proven to significantly reduce clients’ overall energy consumption and carbon footprint and reduce energy costs by up to 25%. It has already invested over €1.5 million in the new division and has recently announced a number of new contract wins in Ireland and the United States.

Sean Giblin, managing director of Cylon Group, says: “Cylon Active Energy is a key component of our strategy to continue growing our business internationally and we believe it will allow us to double our sales to about €15 million by 2014. Our building energy control systems are currently used by thousands of companies across the world and have already made us the energy management partner of choice for some major corporations and SMEs. Cylon Active Energy will be very complementary to this business and will allow us to offer more comprehensive energy management services to these clients.”

Nicola Dunne, general manager of Cylon Active Energy, adds: “We recently won our first contract in the US, highlighting our unique ability to centrally monitor, analyse and manage the energy consumption of buildings regardless of geographical location, using our cloud based real-time technology and our award winning Energy Bureau based in Clonshaugh.”

A number of the new positions to be created as part of the company’s Irish and international expansion will be in areas such as sales, engineering and software development. A number of the positions will be filled through a Cylon graduate recruitment programme.

In December 2011, Cylon was awarded the Sustainable Energy Innovation Award at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland 2011 Annual Awards for its Cylon Active Energy Management service and Energy Bureau. Cylon is an Enterprise Ireland client company and Enterprise Ireland has part-financed a number of significant R&D programmes at Cylon to drive the growth and internationalisation of the company.

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Pictured at the launch of Cylon Active Energy are (L-R): Sean Giblin, managing director of Cylon Group; Joe Costello TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Nicola Dunne, general manager of Cylon Active Energy.

Irish-based businesses engaged in advanced energy management are avoiding €150 million in energy costs and are setting world class standards, according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Since its launch in June 2011, over 190 organisations have become certified to the new International Energy Management Standard ISO 50001 and Ireland has approximately one third of this number achieving the equivalent standard already.

Many of the 65 Irish sites accredited belong to energy intensive multinationals such as Intel, Pfizer, Glanbia and Boliden Tara Mines, who are now sharing their knowledge on energy management with their global operations. Public bodies are also achieving firsts in energy management with University College Cork recently becoming the first university worldwide to achieve ISO 50001.

It is recognised that Ireland is ahead of the international trend in energy management and with the global market for this knowledge and expertise growing, Ireland is winning business abroad. It is estimated that energy management standards could influence 60% of the world’s energy use and Irish businesses in this sector are uniquely positioned to benefit.

Spending by large UK firms on energy, environment and sustainability initiatives will grow at an average of 16% a year between 2012 and 2015, according to a new market forecast from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The growth in sustainable business spending in 2012 will be 12% which is twenty times faster than the forecasted growth of the UK economy at 0.6%. The study finds that spending by 421 firms in the UK with revenues greater than £750 million will grow from £4.3 billion in 2012 to £6.8 billion in 2015. With current GDP assumptions, annual growth rates will accelerate from 15% in 2013 to 17% in both 2014 and 2015.

“Despite the sluggish economy, spending by large firms in the UK on energy, environment and sustainability initiatives is set to increase by 12% in 2012. By contrast the UK economy is only expected to grow by a paltry 0.6% in 2012,” comments Susan Clarke, Verdantix analyst and author of the report. “The UK’s sustainable business market is continuing to grow at a healthy rate because firms have aligned sustainability strategies with operational efficiency. Energy cost savings and more efficient use of natural resources now underpin sustainability investments – not philanthropic commitments to fight climate change.”

The Verdantix study, UK Sustainable Business Spending 2010-15, finds that three value chains account for three-quarters of the entire UK market. In 2012, retail and consumer brands will account for 34% of total spend representing £1.5 billion. The emissions intensive sectors – oil and gas, transport and utilities – will spend £1.1 billion on sustainable business initiatives representing 25% of the 2012 market. Technology, telecoms and high-tech engineering firms will represent a further 18% of the market in 2012, reaching £792 million. Over the 2010 to 2015 period, compound annual growth rates will vary between 17% for sectors at the top end like automotive, telecoms and utilities, and 9% at the bottom end in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Industry growth rates diverge over the 2010-15 period because each industry is impacted differently by four market drivers. 1) The relative maturity of organizational structures designed to deliver sustainability strategies, for instance, the presence of a Chief Sustainability Officer. 2) The scope to generate revenues in markets for on-site renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building materials, environmental product stewardship and sustainable waste management. 3) The impact on business operations of policies for energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon management. 4) The potential to differentiate on sustainability, which is significant in sectors like grocery retail, data centre services and consumer products but not in industrial sectors.

In the context of the 16% compound annual growth rate, some initiatives will experience significant growth and others will barely keep pace with inflation. Fast growing areas of spend between 2010 and 2015 are smart meters (23%), electric vehicles (22%), on-site renewable energy (22%), product stewardship (21%) and sustainable solution marketing (21%). Initiatives which will experience slower growth rates are: spending on social responsibility (5%), employee engagement (5%), environment, health and safety (6%), regulatory affairs and lobbying (6%). Taken as a whole, strategic energy management will be the largest area of spend in sustainable business budgets.

Cylon Active Energy, the new energy management division of Cylon Group, has announced its first contract win in the US, following a successful trade mission with Enterprise Ireland. The contract with the Raleigh Convention Centre in North Carolina will see Cylon apply its cloud based real-time energy management technology to centrally monitor and analyse the energy consumption of the Centre remotely from its Dublin-based Energy Bureau in Clonshaugh. In addition, Cylon’s engineers will use this information to determine the efficiency of the building, identify key areas for improvement and make recommendations on maximising energy efficiency and delivering energy savings for the Raleigh Convention Centre.

Dublin-based Cylon Group is an international leader in the development of building energy management systems and a pioneer in the provision of energy management services to public and private organisations across a range of sectors including local government, office, education, healthcare, retail, hospitality and leisure and transport. It is currently one of the largest independent manufacturers of building control systems in Europe.

“We’re very excited about this new contract which highlights our unique ability to centrally monitor, analyse and manage the energy consumption of buildings regardless of geographical location, using our cloud based real-time energy management technology. The contract is also a declaration of our considerable ambition in the US market and underscores the considerable opportunities that massive market holds,” says Sean Giblin, managing director of Cylon Group.

He continues: “Cylon has had considerable presence in the US market for over 15 years with its advanced building control systems but there has been little focus on Energy Management and conservation in the US market. This is rapidly changing through increasing cost and regulatory pressures and we believe our unparalleled expertise and unique technology puts us in an ideal position to become a leader in this field in the US, as well as in our other core markets in Europe.”

Tyndall National Institute at UCC has recently received certification under the ISO 50001 (Energy Management System) standard, and is one of the first research institutes of its kind in the world to receive this award. ISO 50001 is an international standard for energy management which assists organisations in their drive for energy efficiency, reduced consumption, a lower carbon footprint and lower costs.

Tyndall National Institute is one of Europe’s leading research centres, specialising in ICT hardware research, with about 450 staff, students and academic and industrial visiting researchers. Tyndall undertakes internationally-leading research into information and communications technology.

“We are delighted to have been awarded ISO 50001 certification, which is a direct result of the implementation of progressive energy management policies and initiatives as well as adhering to a sustainable design policy during our expansion programme over a number of years. Tyndall is a process-intensive research facility with exceptionally high levels of energy utilisation throughout the year. We implemented state-of- the-art energy efficient systems in our new research building and retrofitted the existing buildings with highly energy efficient equipment. Despite almost trebling our site footprint in recent years, we have reduced our energy consumption by 30% in real terms, an impressive result of our effective energy management policies.” says Cormac Harrington, head of operations at Tyndall National Institute.

University College Cork (UCC) recently separately became the first third level research institution worldwide to achieve the ISO 50001 standard.

University College Cork (UCC) is truly Ireland’s green university, a fact testified by being declared in fourth position in the UI World Green Metric University Rankings. UCC beat off stiff opposition from 178 universities worldwide, renowned for their environmental credentials, to attain this outstanding achievement. The award was based on information submitted by universities around the world on criteria that demonstrates commitment to the ‘green agenda’ and sustainability, in areas such as space utilisation, energy efficiency, water use, transport, etc.

UCC’s commitment to the Sustainability and Green Agenda is clearly demonstrated with the university having become the world’s first Green Flag Campus for third level institutions in 2010 awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and, more recently, the first third level institution worldwide to be awarded certification for ISO 50001 Standard (Energy Management Systems). Implementation of this standard can lead to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy cost, and other related environmental impacts, through systematic management of energy.

UCC also achieved success at the recent Sustainable Energy of Ireland Awards (SEIA) with the Western Gateway Building (WGB) selected as the winning entry under the Renewable Energy Systems category.   In addition, the Project Management Group, the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering designers of the WGB won the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Sustainable Design and Research Award 2011 for a research paper on the design of the mechanical systems in the WGB.

The online ‘green’ ranking for world universities was spearheaded by Universitas Indonesia (UI). This is the second year of this ranking system which allows universities in both the developed and developing world to compare their efforts towards campus sustainability and environment friendly university management.

Cylon Active Energy, the new energy management division of Cylon Group, one of Ireland’s leading providers of energy management services, has been presented with the Sustainable Energy Innovation Award at the recent Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland 2011 Annual Awards. The Sustainable Energy Awards honour individuals and organisations that demonstrate excellence in the management and use of energy and who are committed to more sustainable energy practices.

Cylon Active Energy provides comprehensive energy management services to large corporations and SMEs in the UK, Ireland and across Europe. Clients include: University College Dublin, Dublin City Council, Superquinn, Enterprise Ireland, Forfas, Manchester Metropolitan, Raleigh Convention Centre North Carolina and Microsoft.

“Efficient energy management is becoming a priority for businesses due to growing regulatory requirements and increasing energy costs,” comments Sean Giblin, managing director of Cylon Group. “Cylon’s unique cloud based real-time energy management technology allows us to centrally monitor and analyse our clients’ energy consumption from our Dublin-based Energy Bureau in Clonshaugh. Our engineers determine the efficiency of the building, identify areas for improvement and make recommendations to clients in order to maximise efficiency, reduce overall energy consumption, carbon footprint and drive energy savings.”

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Pictured at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland 2011 Annual Awards were L-R: Brendan Halligan, chairman of SEAI; Sean Giblin, manging director of Cylon Group; Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD; Nicola Dunne, general manager of Cylon Active Energy; and Brid Horan, executive director of ESB Electric Ireland.

Against a background of rising world energy prices, ISO’s announcement of a third quarter 2011 target for publication of its ISO 50001 International Standard for energy management is particularly timely. ISO 50001 will help organizations to improve their energy performance, increase energy efficiency and reduce climate change impacts.

ISO 50001 will establish a framework for industrial plants, commercial facilities or entire organizations to manage energy. Targeting broad applicability across national economic sectors, it is estimated that the standard could influence up to 60 % of the world’s energy use.

The document is based on the common elements found in all of ISO’s management system standards, assuring a high level of compatibility with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management). ISO 50001 will provide the following benefits:

* A framework for integrating energy efficiency into management practices,

* Making better use of existing energy-consuming assets,

* Benchmarking, measuring, documenting, and reporting energy intensity improvements and their projected impact on reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,

* Transparency and communication on the management of energy resources,

* Energy management best practices and good energy management behaviours,

* Evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies,

* A framework for promoting energy efficiency throughout the supply chain,

* Energy management improvements in the context of GHG emission reduction projects.

Pictured are: Michael Phelan (centre), chief executive of Endeco; sales & marketing director Tom Bean and Alex Hobbs of Dublin BIC, Investment Partner of AIB Seed Capital Fund.

An innovative new Irish company has attracted €800,000 in funding to drive the growth of its business at home and abroad. Founded by chief executive Michael Phelan, Endeco Technologies has invented and developed a range of wireless smart energy management technologies which it is already selling into the retail sector.

The investment in Endeco was led by the €53 million AIB Seed Capital Fund which is co-managed by Dublin BIC, the enterprise development organisation.  Additional funding was raised through Enterprise Ireland and private investors.

Endeco says it already has a strong influx of business and plans to create 30 new jobs by 2012.  The company is actively seeking applications from sales and marketing professionals with Irish and UK experience ideally in the area of software systems.

Endeco’s product involves smart building technology.  The Irish company has recently deployed its products in a number of small and medium sized retail outlets in Ireland with positive results.  The product has demonstrated that it can save retailers up to 25% on their energy costs by using wireless sensors and automated control of energy intensive electrical equipment such as refrigeration, lighting, heating and air conditioning in stores.