“I am still surprised that few pump users take advantage of the opportunity to improve their bottom line by cutting energy costs while reducing their carbon footprint,” says Nicolette Gomes, senior service sales specialist at Grundfos. “First, we do an energy check survey to establish the current state of play. This involves a service engineer visiting the site and collecting data from pumps and motors, as well as basic energy consumption indicators.
“From this data, we produce an analytical report that shows where improvements can be made,” she explains. “Given our deep knowledge of the energy-efficient Grundfos systems, we can compare our data to that of the client. In our experience, the savings can be up to 30%.”
The information contained in these reports also includes the new system’s lifecycle costs and its return on investment (ROI). Nicolette highlights that some customers’ energy savings have paid off the new equipment in less than two years, after which the system provides ongoing and substantial savings in operational costs.
“A useful rule of thumb is to look at the age of the pumps in your existing arrangement. If they are older than six or seven years, then an upgrade invariably makes perfect financial sense,” she advises. “Where the capital outlay can be recouped in three years or less, it is usually an easy decision to make.”
Detailed load profile
Where data is more difficult to gather – for instance, where nameplates have been removed or are not legible – Grundfos can also conduct a more intensive Pump Audit. Using a range of equipment from a specialised audit kit, the service engineer will install flow meters and pressure transducers, and measure kilowatt ratings of pumps.
“This will log data for five to seven days, to create a detailed load profile for the customer,” Nicolette explains. “An added benefit is that the cost of this audit is deducted should the client decide to go ahead with our Grundfos solution. With services like our Energy Check and our Energy Audit, we can help key personnel to achieve their KPIs in relation to energy consumption,” she concludes.
