HELPING TO OFFSET THE ENERGY PRICE RISES

1.INTRODUCTION:

Millions of households and small businesses face the reality of significant energy price rises due to the hike in fuel bills from April. For the latter this means either passing on the higher costs in the form of higher prices to customers, or in some cases to cease production or close down.

From April 2022, the energy regulator’s new energy price cap – the maximum amount suppliers can charge customers for each unit of energy – is likely to add hundreds of pounds onto the annual bill for 22 million homes (source:?https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60234732).

Electricity and gas bills for a typical household will go up by ￡693 a year in April, a 54% increase (source:?https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58090533).

2. WHAT IS THE ENERGY PRICE CAP?

Bills are going up because the energy price cap – the maximum price suppliers in England, Wales and Scotland can charge households – is being raised.

Energy firms can increase bills by 54% when the new cap is introduced in April.

Prices are expected to rise again in October (source:?https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58090533).

3. WHY ARE FUEL BILLS RISING?

There’s been a worldwide squeeze on gas and energy supplies.

A cold winter in Europe last year put pressure on supplies and, as a result, stored gas levels are much lower than normal.

There’s been increased demand from Asia – especially China – for liquefied natural gas.

This has helped push up wholesale gas prices across the world. Since January, they’ve risen 250% (source:?www.bbc.co.uk/news/business)

WHAT IS THE IMPACT FOR BUSINESS?

Rising gas prices are having a “brutal impact” on a ceramics firm, according to its boss. Wade Ceramics, based in Stoke-on-Trent, saw its energy costs rise?￡400,000 in 12 months.

The firm has passed on some of the additional costs to its customers but managing director Paul Farmer said they would lose business if they added the full amount.

“We have got to weather the storm at the moment,”?he said.

Paul Farmer – Wade Ceramics.

Ceramics firms are generally energy-intensive industries because of the amount of power needed to fire their kilns. Mr Farmer said Wade also needed power in their two factories for equipment such as 13 robots as they produce their porcelain jugs and bottles for industrial customers.

“One good thing is all the workforce are aware of the issue and switching off lights when they can and so on,”?he added.

Source:?https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-60253697.

HOW CAN AIRIUS HELP?

Airius have a range of unique, innovative fan solutions that save businesses between 20-50% of their use of energy – reducing consumption, bills and reducing the carbon footprint of your building. Our fans have reduced the bills of thousands of companies whether they are located in offices, warehouses, retail showrooms, hangars, factories, schools, hospitals – the solution works everywhere in combating the energy price rises!

Airius to date have approximately saved over 1.25 million tonnes of carbon. To put this into perspective, this is the approximate equivalent of:

1. 2,118,644 flights from London to New York - Travel Navigator
2. 166,666 homes in one year - ccfpd.org
3. Driving 7,500,000,000 km in a diesel car, which is 187,000 times around the globe - Crown Oil

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? HOW DOES IT WORK?

All buildings naturally have a challenge balancing the temperature flow within the environment – this natural phenomenon is known as thermal stratification. Hot, lighter air rises towards the ceiling. Cool air falls to the floor. The result is a dramatic temperature difference between the floor and ceiling.

The main negative consequence of thermal stratification is that your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have to work harder to maintain an even temperature. Your HVAC systems have to over-deliver on hot or cool air in order to resist the effects of thermal stratification. Consequently, your energy bills are higher and the condition of your environment is rarely ideal.

Buildings with high ceilings are more likely to suffer from extreme temperature differences. Wasted heat will inevitably rise to the top of your building and have the opportunity to increase in temperature by up to 14°C. Conversely, heavier cooled air which is more difficult to distribute is wasted by sinking to low points in a building or by becoming trapped in difficult to circulate areas.

AIRIUS DESTRATIFICATION SYSTEMS

To combat the problem of thermal stratification, we have a range of destratification fan systems that will balance the internal temperatures in your building, by recirculating existing heat and any additional heat generated from people, processes or solar gain.

Our systems will also reduce the operation time and workload required of heating and cooling systems significantly.

WHERE HAS THIS WORKED?

LUSH – REDUCED HEATING COSTS BY 60%!

Lush Retail Ltd needed to improve internal conditions at their Hatch Pond Road factory facility in Poole, Dorset. Temperatures at floor level were uncomfortably cold as their heating system was unable to reach acceptable conditions. This also incurred high energy costs as the heating system was running constantly in an attempt to reach set parameters.

Following installation of the Airius system heating costs for the site were reduced by over 60%!

View the full case study here

KINGDOM SHOPPING CENTRE

REDUCED HEATING COSTS BY 15% & INCREASED OCCUPANT COMFORT

At the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes tenants had made requests to the management to improve heating levels, as units were uncomfortably cold despite the high heating bills. So, Kingdom set out to find a solution that would not only improve heating comfort, but also conserve energy.

Kingdom Shopping Centre worked with Airius to design and install a series of 26 Destratification fans throughout the Centre, including its 2 squares, central walkway, theatre and library. The results far exceeded the clients expectations and enabled the Centre to reduce the thermostat base level by 6°C, whilst also vastly improving comfort, leading to a significant reduction in energy costs and CO? emissions. The project was such a success that it directly led to the Centre being awarded ‘The Green Apple – Gold Award’ for environmental best practice.

View the full case study here

SUMMARY

Many companies and households have huge challenges to face with energy price rises, especially these current changes in April – the forecasts suggest that those will continue to increase as we head towards 2022.

At Airius we love what we do and we want to help!

We are improving living and working conditions for all, reducing costs for businesses and reducing energy consumption to lessen the impact of climate change and make a real contribution towards the protection of our environment.

Through our unique expertise, passion, customer dedication and the best technology, Airius will deliver unparalleled comfort and protection.

We provide the whole service – advice, design, installation, service and maintenance.

We are here to help!

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