Help with Energy Saving

Cti’s energy activities

Cti has been heavily involved in energy savings activities in foundries for more than 25 years. This has involved providing advice on ways of improving energy efficiency and saving cost in manufacturing. Because of its experience specific to castings production, Cti was heavily involved in producing most of the foundry related ETSU Good Practice Guides within the Best Practice Programme.

Energy Management

Cti can assist in the implementation of an Energy Management System appropriate to the size of the company and its activities. This would including the formulation of a steering team, energy policy, working groups, objectives and targets and an appropriate manual, designed to ensure continuous improvement. This is a crucial first step to ensure ongoing improvement.

Contact Martin Fallon or John Powell for more information.

Ongoing Assistance

Cti offers a Programmed Visit Service concentrating solely on driving down energy costs and usage. Under this programme, Cti provides the services of one or more members of staff over an agreed period of time to guide and facilitate improvements in energy usage. A typical example of this would be one day a month over a twelve-month period to help with the introduction of the necessary energy saving activities. Support under this scheme would include:

• Help to constitute an energy saving team
• Development of an energy policy
• Guidance on how energy can be saved
• Assistance with reducing energy costs
• Development of an energy saving programme
• Assistance with the introduction of sub-metering
• Advice on the installation of energy saving equipment

Contact Martin Fallon or John Powell for more information.

Energy Surveys

The Carbon Trust has registered Cti staff as energy consultants. Energy surveys are funded in the UK by the Carbon Trust and are provided free of charge, giving a detailed overview of the current position within the foundry, together with opportunities for improvement with outline costs and timescales. Casting producers are advised to contact Cti directly to arrange an energy survey, because otherwise they are likely to obtain an energy generalist with little detailed knowledge of the casting process.

Contact Martin Fallon or John Powell for more information.

Technical support with energy saving

Cti can assist casting producers in particular areas of the foundry where there is known to be an opportunity for energy saving. Examples are in the areas of melting (usually where the greatest amount of energy is used) and yield improvement.

Contact Martin Fallon or John Powell for more information.

Other opportunities

Energy efficiency loans

In the UK The Carbon Trust offers energy efficiency loans to eligible companies. Loans are available between £5,000 and £100,000 to SMEs looking to invest capital in energy saving equipment.

• Completely interest free
• No arrangement fees
• Repayment period up to 4 years

See - The Carbon Trust at www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/loans

Enhanced capital allowances

In the UK The Carbon Trust in collaboration with DEFRA and Inland Revenue provide Enhanced Capital Allowances to encourage business to invest in low carbon technologies.

Enhanced Capital allowances enable a business to claim 100% of first year capital allowances on their spending on qualifying plant and machinery. Examples of qualifying plant and machinery are:

• Automatic monitoring and targeting
• Boilers
• Compressed air equipment
• Pipework insulation
• Lighting
• Motors & variable speed drives
• Warm air & radiant heating

See - The Carbon Trust at www.eca.gov.uk.