Energy Savings - General

What level of energy savings can The Ark provide?

The Ark is able to provide savings in electricity consumption of between 8% and 20% for approximately 9 out of 10 Australian commercial premises. The range of savings is due to the variation in supply voltage across Australia and the individual nature of each site's electricity usage.

The most common voltage optimisation level of The Ark is 8% (based on an average supply voltage in Australia of approximately 240V). This generally produces electricity consumption (kwh) savings in the range of 10% to16%. The savings from an 8% voltage tapping can be higher or lower than this, depending upon the types of electricity loads within a premise. Sites with a 6% voltage tapping generally receive lower savings and those with a 10% voltage tapping generally receive larger savings.

What are the carbon emissions savings from an Ark installation?

The Ark creates savings in the carbon emissions attributable to electricity use, of up to 20%.

Relative to other methods of reducing carbon emissions (such as using green power, renewable generation methods i.e. solar, wind etc.) The Ark offers a significantly shorter payback and a higher return on investment. Furthermore, The Ark will be generating these carbon emission savings for the next 30+ years.

The simplicity of The Ark and the ability of one maintenance free product to provide carbon emissions savings of up to 20% across an entire site, means that many companies are utilising The Ark as a way of achieving (and even exceeding) their energy reduction targets.

With increasing pressure upon companies to reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental performance, the savings generated by The Ark can also be used to promote the responsible efforts of the company to their consumers and stakeholders.

What are the financial benefits of saving carbon emissions?

Whilst the details of the proposed carbon tax are not yet clear, it seems inevitable that there will be some form of tax on the generation of carbon emissions in Australia, in the very near future.

This will have a financial impact on companies;

The price of energy will rise as the electricity generation companies pass on the tax that they are required to pay from the emissions released in the production of electricity.
The majority of companies will be responsible for paying a tax on the emissions they are directly responsible for.

By saving up to 20% of the energy used across an entire site for the next 30+ years, The Ark can significantly reduce the burden of these impending changes.

Furthermore, installation of The Ark may enable some companies to exceed their energy reduction targets and create carbon permits that they are able to on-sell to other less efficient companies.

Why invest in energy efficiency?

From a financial perspective, allow us to flip the income equation and please consider for a moment how you would respond to the following offer;

Your business can invest $30,000 now and receive an income stream of $10,000 (increasing in the foreseeable future at rates well above inflation) per year, for the next 30+ years, with no additional costs.

Now, of course it is not in our line of business to make promises of this nature. However, the situation outlined above is a common payback scenario (from the Energy Savings generated) for a business that has an electricity spend of approximately $60,000 to $100,000 and invests $30,000 in an Ark installation. As this example clearly demonstrates, energy efficiency can have a large and direct impact on a companies financial bottom line.

At an environmental level, energy efficiency is commonly recognised as the most cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions. In order to reach designated carbon reduction targets, the implementation of energy efficiency measures reduces the requirement for the more expensive ways of reducing emissions, such as renewable generation methods, carbon offsets and using green power. These are no doubt valuable contributors to company’s environmental efforts, however, the general approach is to reduce first, then offset and/or generate.

By responsibly eliminating wasted energy and optimising the utility of resource usage, both environmental and financial gains are made.

How does The Ark differ from other energy efficiency measures?

The Ark differs significantly from other energy efficiency measures and products in the following key areas;

One product that is able to optimise and refine the quality of electricity acrosss an entire site

The Ark operates without electronics or electronic components

Maintenance free operations

10-year core component warranty and expected 30+ year life span

Improves a range of aspects of power supply quality in one unit

Proven reliabilty and performance

The general focus of energy savings has been on technologies, systems and human behaviour downstream of the electrical switch-room. Things such as BMS (building management systems), energy efficient lighting, changing peoples behavior in relation to switching off lights and appliances, motor controllers (i.e. variable speed drives), equipment that is cheaper to run etc.

There has however, been far less focus on the quality of electricity that enters a building and effects every appliance and piece of machinery within it. In fact, many of the energy efficiency measures commonly implemented - though they may be effective in providing energy savings - frequently create additional disturbances to the power supply and cause inefficiencies and problems elsewhere within the building.

By optimising the voltage supply and improving the quality of electricity entering a building, all equipment, lighting and machinery throughout the building operates more efficiently, and importantly, receives a quality of power supply that more closely matches how the equipment is designed and built to operate. In addition to the immediate energy savings, this provides significant benefits in reduced maintenance costs, reduced replacement of consumables and extended operating life spans.

How do you establish my return on investment?

There are a number of variables that we take into account when determining your return on investment.

•    The level of voltage tapping we can apply to the Ark Unit (this is dependant upon your existing incoming voltage supply level).

•    The types of electricity loads at your site.

•    The presence of other energy saving technologies i.e. energy efficient lighting.

•    Your bundled electricity cost.

•    Your electricity usage levels and the pattern of usage.

•    The size (and hence cost) of Ark unit(s).

• The installation cost.

Do the operating hours of my equipment influence the viability of The Ark?

Generally, the longer the operating hours of equipment within your premise, the better the payback you will achieve. Longer operating hours naturally enable savings to be achieved over a longer period of time.

How do I know how much energy The Ark is saving?

The Ark can be manually bypassed with a quick power shut down, allowing for energy usage to be viewed when in Bypass mode, and then another quick shut down to return it back into Energy Saving mode.

As part of our Performance Guarantee, we conduct a thorough verification test by obtaining Power Quality data with the unit in Bypass mode and then a comparable period with the unit in Energy Saving Mode. To accurately assess the savings, we need to identify the variables that may affect energy usage over this timeframe (i.e. climatic conditions, operating hours, staff levels, special events etc.) and factor these in to the calculations so that we can determine the energy savings directly attributable to the operation of The Ark.

Of course the simplest way is to check your electricity bills. If you look at 3 months of billing after you have installed The Ark, compared to the same 3 month period the year before you installed The Ark, provided that nothing else has changed with your electricity usage, you will be able to calculate the savings that the Ark is generating for you.

Is there a leasing or rental purchase option to install an Ark?

Yes. We work with companies that provide a range of financial options to help you acquire an Ark.

Often, the savings generated from day one exceed the payments required, providing immediate positive cash flow as well as the additional operational and environmental benefits.

We do not involve ourselves in this process and let you deal direct with the lease company. This way you receive the full financial benefit of the savings.

Has The Ark received government funding for Installations?

The Ark has been successful in receiving government funding for numerous client installations, through the NSW Climate Change Fund and the AusIndustry Clean Business Australia program. Some of these installations have required extensive verification testing as part of the funding requirements. In each situation, the verification testing results have demonstrated higher than estimated savings as a result of The Ark installation.

Can you provide energy savings in homes?

The Ark does work in residential environments, however within our current range of products it is often difficult to select a product that will function within a reasonable payback period. A more suitable model for use in residential situations is planned for release sometime in the future.

Savings and Performance Guarantee

Energywise - Leading the way in energy efficiency products and services

Energywise - a wealth of technical experience and expertise in electricity management

Energywise - a true desire to optimise our planets precious resources

The Ark Energy Saving Unit - Up to 20% electricity & carbon emission savings across your entire site with one maintenance free product.

A Simple, Managed Process