Utility Team has officially launched its new ARC (Automated Response Command) energy efficiency software. The energy-saving solution was designed and built to optimise the cooling loads of commercial and industrial chiller plant…
Utility Team has launched its new ARC energy efficiency software following live field tests of the new ARC software from across a range of sectors revealed impressive reductions in energy usage of between eight and 20 per cent. As cooling loads often account for some 60 per cent of the total energy site consumption, the savings ARC delivers profoundly benefit a business’s commercial and environmental performance.
How it works
ARC is a self-learning software that constantly monitors and logs plant output, total energy consumption, and common header temperatures. ARC then uses this data to predict what is going to happen within the plant, based on historic events under the same ambient conditions and then recommends optimal adjustments accordingly. The software constantly monitors its own performance to account for seasonal demand changes and adiabatic conditions. It is important to note that ARC does not replace the existing controls on the plant but rather uses them to optimise performance.
What’s its purpose?
For more than a year now, Hotel Designs has been working with Utility Team and amplifying the brand’s passion about helping businesses use less energy and create a net zero world. The brand is uniquely positioned to help customers realise the benefits of achieving their net zero goals.
“Sustainability is a core pillar of the business and why we invested in the idea of ARC,” explained Delvin Lane, CEO, Utility Team. “Having identified that commercial and industrial chiller plants are often inefficient and waste both energy and money, we set about finding a solution to this challenge. The potential energy savings ARC could deliver was clear from the outset, as was the positive impact on reducing carbon emissions globally.”
Who’s it for?
ARC will deliver savings wherever an organisation is using commercial or industrial chiller plant delivering a positive impact both commercially and environmentally. Installing the software solution could be a game-changer for many sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, commercial buildings and data centres. In addition to this, as the world returns to a more normal way of life throughout the remainder of 2021, ARC can deliver significant savings to businesses operating exhibition space or sporting stadia. The installation of ARC at the Ricoh Arena for Wasps Rugby has already delivered a 14% reduction in energy consumption.
“The ease and speed of installation was impressive,” said Sarah Roberts, Operations Director at Wasps. “The solution was fitted with little impact on our day-to-day maintenance operation, which was especially important during the current COVID pandemic and the associated security protocols we have in place.
“The really exciting thing about the ARC solution is that while we have already seen a reduction in energy usage, we are not yet at a point in the year when its performance will be most beneficial. As we head into the summer months and our air conditioning systems are running at their optimum, we are really looking forward to seeing the energy usage and financial savings that ARC delivers.”
Adam Benson, Chief Commercial Officer at Wasps, added: “The introduction of ARC to the Ricoh Arena has not only helped decrease our energy consumption but also delivered a meaningful commercial saving. At a time when we need to find ways to minimise expenditure, the 14% reduction in energy consumption has been a welcome boost. This has been delivered with no impact on the quality of comfort levels and helped us lessen our impact on the environment.”
ARC delivers savings immediately
Often with new energy efficiency solutions, there is a requirement for upfront investment on the customer’s part. ARC is a Software as a Service (SaaS) licence and delivery model. This means that there is no upfront investment required by the customer, and they see a financial saving from day one. With so many businesses hit hard by the pandemic, especially in the hospitality sector, the ARC SaaS model allows businesses to access the solution easily and benefit from the savings immediately.
Christopher Toze, Managing Director of ARC and Head of Energy Services at Utility Team, said: “During the development process, we were excited about the anticipated energy savings ARC could deliver. Having undertaken months of real-world testing, the efficacy of ARC has exceeded all expectations.
ARC is a fully packaged solution that is simple to install, is backed with performance guarantees and robust measurement and verification and, with an innovative Software as a Solution (SaaS) model that removes barriers to investment.
Whilst initially launching in the UK, the ARC team has global ambitions as we believe ARC will have a significant positive impact in the fight to combat climate change by reducing the energy usage of commercial and industrial chiller plant as demand for cooling increases.”
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Main image credit: Utility Team
