Industrial heating solutions making smarter savings
The Pilot Group’s Energy Controls solution is specifically designed to control and optimise heating systems, providing significant energy savings for existing equipment. Hannah Barnett spoke to Pilot Group Product Manager Jordan Cooper, Pilot Group Sales Lead Phoebe Baker and Management Accountant Sean Cloudsdale to learn more.
The Pilot Group supports organisations to meet carbon reduction targets.
The company’s Energy Management Systems is an independent entity focused on enabling customers to sustainably manage their energy infrastructure.
“Our bread and butter is in the implementation and installation of a centralised control system for industrial heating equipment,” said
Jordan Cooper, Pilot Group Product Manager.
“We are specialists at controlling heating systems in factories and warehouses.”
The Pilot Group energy control solution contains features such as smart sensors and a self-learning algorithm, enabling heating to work more efficiently, thus creating savings. With a user-friendly portal accessible remotely from any device with an internet connection, it
is the perfect tool to not only remotely monitor sites but also make significant financial and carbon savings.
Drive for Innovation
The energy control solution can be fully integrated within any warehouse infrastructure. Its intelligent heating control uses multiple smart features such as roller shutter door monitoring,
which determines when to switch off heaters to avoid heating air lost to the outside environment. The system also includes role-based access which means only approved individuals can control target temperatures and overrides applied. The rewards speak for themselves: savings have been known to reach up to 87%, while the company delivers a minimum of at least
25%. The system is designed to be future proof, with savings strategies continuously providing benefit as long as the controls are kept updated. Users will also continue to get the latest features and saving strategies, as developed by the team.
“Our preheat optimisation uses a proprietary self-learning algorithm which intelligently adjusts your heating at the start of a shift, eliminating unnecessary cost,” said Mr Cooper. “This is industry-leading technology and we’re proud of it. We offer real time control of the system and access to advanced data insights. We do software updates every couple of weeks, shared with all our customers, showing them we’re constantly innovating and responding to their evolving needs.”
Pilot Group has its own in-house development team who collaborate with partners to bring in specialist knowledge and additional resource when required.
“We have a big product and development roadmap ahead of us and are constantly
adding to it when we find new innovative ways to optimise energy consumption and environment,” Mr Cooper added. “New industrial HVAC equipment comes to market regularly, and we want to ensure we can integrate and control them as efficiently as we do our existing estate. As the HVAC landscape changes, our portfolio of skills and optimisation strategies advanceswith it.”
Working with partners
While predominantly serving the industrial market, Pilot Group clients can range from SMEs with single sites, up to large nationwide corporations, principally in sectors like manufacturing, logistics, retail, aerospace and automotive.
“We wouldn’t rule out any client with an industrial building fitted with the type of
equipment that we’re compatible with,” Pilot Group Sales Lead Phoebe Baker said. “Things like warm air blower heaters or radiant tubes are where we can make a really good saving.”
In a market facing increased tariffs, it is no surprise that many businesses want to improve their bottom line. But there is also a growing interest in implementing sustainable measures. Companies of all sizes are now working towards ISO targets and the direct reduction of scopes one and two emissions.
“There’s been a massive shift in the last 12 months,” reflected Ms Baker. “Sustainability has been on the agenda much longer than that, but there seems to be increased supply chain pressure. Customers want to see a more demonstrable implementation of carbon
reduction projects. Typically, there’s no veri fication in the market of whether a project’s gone well or not. But we specifically focus on verifying savings and evidencing it to the customer. They can then show the same to their customer.”
One such partner is DPD, which Pilot Group has worked closely with over the last two years. The courier’s mission statement is to become the most sustainable delivery company in the UK, with cost reduction, of course, a further incentive. The first step with
Ms Baker explained. “We wanted to give them group-level control, allowing them to make informed decisions with the data. The average saving across the portfolio was 63 per cent.”
site productivity and minimising energy costs. The company is also keen to help customers move from gas to electric and is always striving for innovation.
Pilot Group approaches each project from an operational perspective, seeking to truly understand the challenges and offer site-specific advice rather than pigeonholing a solution. The company offers thorough aftercare and has invested heavily into a strong customer support team which regularly checks in with customers to explore their future energy needs.
“These check points with clients after three or six months ensure we are maximising savings,” Ms Baker explained, “After a year, we check we have met the saving showcasing how we’ve really understood that business to its fullest.”
Heating for the future
The goal for Pilot Group is the continued optimisation of the industrial and commercial environment, striking the balance between
“Due to the rising costs and uncertainty in the global market, the payback for these kinds of projects is much more attractive for businesses,” said Finance Manager Sean Cloudsdale. “We are trying to highlight that we can not only help reduce emissions, but the bottom line. Those savings can then be reinvested into a company. The benefits are clear. We offer all sorts of flexible payment options to try and find a solution that works for our customers, as well as for us.”
The company also aims to help customers with legacy control systems. As saving strategies and HVAC technology have significantly evolved in the last decade, upgrading an existing BMS or EMS to the Pilot Group system can reap excellent rewards.
“It’s a bit of a cliché, but the people really make this job, and we have a great team,” Mr Cooper concluded. “We all buy into the vision of where we’re going. The sustainability angle is why I joined in the first place. We’re not here to just to come in and do a job. We’re here to try and make the world a better place for our clients and our communities.” n
