The term housekeeping causes our thoughts to drift back in time to large stately homes managed by housekeepers. It was the job of the housekeeper to ensure that the house ran smoothly. A place for everything and everything in its place.
The housekeeper held a position of authority. In many costume drama’s the Housekeeper is often portrayed as someone who throws their weight around and generally “Gives it the big un” so to speak.
So why does this terminology appear so often in Energy publications and why is it so often over looked by operators? Should we as Energy professionals be Giving Housekeeping the Big un?
I like to think, housekeeping applies to energy in that buildings, plant and equipment are sleek in operation with no additional or unnecessary energy consumption. And, why shouldn’t they be? After all this is the age of the intelligent building.
When I was growing up British rail ran with the slogan “This is the Age of the Train” Surely the 1980’s was not the age of the train. Surely, the age of the train was at the height of the industrial revolution. Not the 1980’s when we became two car families.
So why are we so quick to make these claims? “Its an Intelligent Building with smart controls” Is it akin to parents bragging at the school gates that little Johnny is taking piano lessons?
So what does all this mean? What is Good Housekeeping? Is there not a glossy magazine called the Good Housekeeping Guide we can just subscribe to?
Surely, Good housekeeping occurs in many ways. If you have an air conditioning system that claims to operate within a stated co-efficiency. Good housekeeping practices will ensure it meets that claim and that its co-effiency isn’t compromised and as such consumes more energy than it should. So is housekeeping just ensuring things are kept clean and what can that apply to?
Why don’t we clean our Solar Panels?
Recently I have been upgrading fluorescent tubes (T8’s) in reach in cabinets (Small growth cabinets) to LED. As part of this project, I employed plug in energy meters to capture the impact on energy performance.
My data monitoring proved that upgrading the cabinet to LED achieved a total energy reduction of 60%. Not 10% or even 20% but 60%. Time to slip into “Giving it the Big un” mode as that level of saving is huge.
Changing from a 36w Fluorescent to a 16w LED tube ensured a 44% energy reduction. By removing, the fluorescent tube and the heat they generate further savings are gained through the improved performance of the condenser.
It was during the installation that I realised the condenser had a filter, which could be removed and cleaned. Further investigation revealed the lower front panel of the Reach in cabinet could be unscrewed to access to the condenser grill. This is where housekeeping undertaken at the point of an upgrade can generate additional savings.
The next reach in cabinet to be upgraded had a filter and condenser clogged with dust. After I had completed the LED upgrade, I cleaned both the filter and condenser. This took an additional 5 minutes. What can I say, I am lethal with a vacuum cleaner.
When I returned the next day, my power meter showed the reach in cabinet to be consuming 64% less energy. Therefore, the housekeeping had generated an additional 4% saving.
In terms of efficiency, the example I have given raises the question of the potential to combine housekeeping during other activities, such as upgrades. Careful scoping of a project may well reveal the potential for this, which would beef up any business case. Not that I eat beef very often, not with that level of embedded carbon.
Not surprisingly, to be able to capitalise upon this, we need to understand the full potential energy savings of housekeeping and the only way to do this. Is to undertake housekeeping and measure the results.
Some may claim the cost of doing this will far outweigh the benefits. Being someone who has done exactly that I beg to differ. All too often in life the naysayers are those who have never done anything themselves.
“Tell that to the Fucking Wright brothers!” I say.
Surely, the job of energy housekeeping is to ensure the smooth running of energy consumption. No spikes, no wastage and no losses. Maybe this is not the age of the intelligent building, just intelligent operators who understand the value of housekeeping and have the foresight to undertake it at opportune times.
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