Shifting alliances, wars and inflation are just a few of the forces that threaten supplies of affordable energy. The Pirbright Institute, a research facility that excels in protecting livestock and livelihoods, is no stranger to the fortunes of the power markets. Here, Dave Gillies, Energy Manager, explains how his team’s work helps the Institute weather the global turmoil.
The Pirbright Institute relies on energy. After wages, power is our largest expenditure. The amount needed to keep the laboratory-intensive work of a scientific research facility on track makes us acutely aware of our environmental impact, and the need to cut energy use across our campus.
Recent geopolitical events have led to seismic shifts in energy tariffs. As prices rise, so does operational expenditure. Whilst our funding is agreed every five years by the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and despite forecasts each month through the Crown Commercial Service, sudden utility costs cannot be predicted, but energy bills must be paid.
Every business has a moral obligation to use energy responsibly, which cuts operational expenditure and mitigates carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. At Pirbright, we focus on a combination of capital development projects, process changes and staff-led innovations to identify and implement change, generate our own power or increase efficiency. In a virtuous cycle, these ethical adjustments make us a more attractive destination for investment.
Pirbright’s research grant funding sources are increasingly seeking assurance that we undertake our science in an environmentally sustainable way. Yet energy saving measures need not cost the earth, or demand upheaval. The gradual implementation of change with minimal or staggered investment is possible, through measures including:
- appropriate & effective asset care programmes
- condition monitoring techniques to detect inefficient equipment for proactive replacement
- replacing defective equipment with energy efficient units/components
- using lifecycle & obsolescence registers to forecast replacement expenditure
- investigating investment in new infrastructure, plant and installations
- strategic procurement.
When investment opportunities arise, having a selection of solutions to hand can ensure timely implementation. Savings can begin to be realised with minimal delay, so we aim to have such opportunities reviewed and approved by our Senior Leadership Board to progress immediately when funding becomes available.
BBSRC’s decision to award Pirbright £2.7m in 2022 to install a Combined Heat & Power (CHP) plant has been a resounding success story. With optimum performance, the installation has the potential to save the Institute £1m every year. Savings will be enhanced when we deploy the next phase of the project: recovering waste heat for low temperature hot water supplies in nearby facilities. Benefits will be enhanced further through an application to export excess energy produced by the CHP to the National Grid, allowing us to generate revenue.
The completion in 2025 of projects currently in progress will save the Institute an estimated 761,486kWh (electricity), worth around £200,000.
In the year ahead, our energy reduction projects include the roll out of low temperature hot water (LTHW) heat recovery across our Plowright building, together with improved ventilation regimes – the latter representing an estimated annual energy saving of c.350,000 kWh. Sitewide lighting optimisation will save c.65,000 kWh per year, whilst adjustment of building temperature setpoints to reduce heating/cooling will save around 346,486 kWh.
Opportunities to rationalise steam and compressed air generation and distribution, and the expansion of our existing solar panel arrays on site, are also being explored. However, physical changes take time, and require significant investment with agreeable payback terms. That’s why ‘quick wins,’ changing processes and proposals with minimal investment costs, are always worth pursuing.
Operating under the principle that the cheapest form of energy is energy you don’t use, some of our older buildings have been decommissioned and research relocated to alternative, upgraded facilities on our Surrey site.
Finally, let’s consider a few office items in use every day, assuming 24hr operation:
- a single 60W lightbulb costs £115 p.a. and emits 107kg carbon.
- a desktop PC with 2 Monitors costs £467 p.a. and emits 438kg carbon
- a laptop with 2 monitors costs £210 p.a. and emits 196kg carbon
The items above total £792 & emit 741kg carbon, so turning off unused equipment makes sense for our finances and the planet. Only using these items during average working hours can save £610 p.a. (570kg carbon).
Switching off unused equipment is something we all do at home, but not always at work. By turning things off, we can help keep them on.
This article appeared in the April 2025 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.