CHAMBER INTERVIEW THE EXPERT’S VIEW
AUGUST 2010
In the office Businesses rely on a range of office equipment, from computers and photocopiers to teleconference facilities. However, it's not always appreciated how much this equipment can cost a company. Apart from heating and lighting savings, energy consumption in offices can be reduced by looking at how equipment is used. In an air conditioned office it can take half as much energy again to remove the heat generated by office equipment as it takes to run the equipment in the first place! • Have computers got in-built energy saving features? The best known energy label for office equipment is the ENERGY STAR rating, whereby equipment automatically enters a low power mode after a preset amount of time. • By switching computers off at nights and weekends, their energy consumption can be reduced by 75% per year. • Place photocopiers in areas that are naturally ventilated. This will help avoid any air conditioning having to compensate for the associated heat gains. A photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy to make over 5,000 A4 copies! • Activate the energy saving mode where available on printers and fax machines, which allows machines to automatically power-down after a set time. By switching laser printers off in the evenings and at weekends, energy consumption can be reduced by 75%. • Switch off vending machines and water coolers overnight and at weekends too. Install a plug-in seven-day timer to reduce the likelihood of machines being left on out of hours, available for a few pounds from most DIY stores. • Check what equipment is being used in the office kitchen. Old kettles, tea urns, or refrigerators tend to be less efficient than newer models. In the factory or warehouse There are excellent opportunities for energy saving that can be made on the factory floor or in the warehouse. The equipment used and the processes will be unique to each business, however, it's possible to highlight common areas in which opportunities can be found. • Compressed air: Repairing leaks in the compressed air system (30-50% leakage is not uncommon) could produce dramatic savings. Many factories run their compressor for most of the day and are unaware how much this costs them; encourage staff to switch the compressor off when not in use. • Electrical equipment: Conveyor systems, machine tools, and other equipment should be switched off when not in use. • Are Higher Efficiency Motors fitted? These now cost no more than normal ones and can save 3-5% of the running cost. • Are Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) fitted to equipment? Often, using a VSD to reduce the speed of a pump or fan by just 20% can halve its running cost. • Refrigeration: Replacing worn or damaged seals can drastically reduce refrigeration costs. Read much more on this in the extended article on Island Business Online. Source: Carbon Trust 'Better business guide to energy saving'.
Visit www.carbontrust.co.uk to find out more. www.islandbusinessonline.co.uk
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATONS TECHNOLOGY Information and communications technology is crucial to many businesses. In his Expert's View column Jonathan Thornton, Technical Services Director of Rydebased IT provider, PC Consultants offers his views on how to get the best from ICT. sponsored by
The need for speed - part 2
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hen discussing internet performance it is common for companies to quote the speed measured in Mbps, for example download at up to 8 Mbps. Last month’s article discussed the importance of measuring not only download but also upload speed. However, both these measurements refer to the bandwidth of a connection; but when examining internet connection options another important factor to consider is latency. Take a highly simplified analogy of two identical trains travelling from London to Portsmouth. Both can carry a total of 100 people – the bandwidth – and each leaves once an hour. However while one is an express service and doesn’t have to stop, the other is a stopping service halting at several stations en-route. The second service has a higher latency with a longer trip time. Latency is typically analysed by performing a ping test, which measures the round trip time for a small packet of data. This can be performed in various ways including online tests at www.pingtest.net. Locally, the vast majority of customers will be connecting to the internet using ADSL which is provided over a traditional copper telephone line. BT Wholesale quotes coverage at 99% of all UK homes and businesses, whilst continued development of this technology with ADSL2 has meant download and upload speeds have increased. However, the connection is highly dependent on your physical distance from the exchange and as such
speeds can vary dramatically. Cable internet providers such as Cowes-based Wightcable have the advantage of not being limited by ageing telephone lines and distance from the exchange. As a result, greater flexibility in packages is possible, including options for symmetrical broadband where upload and download speed are mirrored. This can be ideal for businesses with remote access or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) requirements where upload speed is important. Delivering internet connectivity using fixed wireless links is another alternative to those seeking the benefits of both high bandwidth and low latency connections. Local company Click4Internet has been steadily building a modern wireless network with several base stations and wide coverage across the Island. Unlike mobile broadband solutions the wireless network is dedicated to IP data transit which results in exceptional performance, latency, and bandwidth – approximately 400% faster than the best ADSL equivalent. These are just a few of the many examples of internet connectivity options; there are of course others, including leased lines, satellite broadband, or plain old dialup! Good advice is vital in making sure the right solution is selected for your business needs. Contact: Jonathan at PC Consultants on 01983 811711 www.pcctechservices.co.uk Jonathan.thornton@pcconsultants.co.uk
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