A TEAM effort

Pinpointing energy savings in business has been made even easier thanks to a KTP programme at TEAM.

Energy meter readings, taken every half-an-hour from thousands of business sites, are now the subject of improved data analysis, saving companies like BT and Virgin Media considerable amounts on energy bills. "We were getting more data, but we still had the same techniques to do it. The concept of the KTP has been to ask: 'how can we cope with all this data? We don't know much about the half hourly metering or the mechanics of it and we don't know the best way to start changing our techniques to cope with all this data," Tim Holman, Support Services Team Leader for TEAM explained.

KTP Associate Kumar Samiyappan joined TEAM with two objectives; the first to develop in-depth analysis software for half-hourly advanced metering data, and the second to manage and complete an 85 site analysis report for The Carbon Trust. Kumar began developing TEAM's sigma software package to give depth to the vast amounts of data being received every half-hour from multiple energy meters on multiple sites. This software could then be used to show companies key features of their energy usage on a detailed day-to-day or monthly scale.

Advanced metering such as 'half-hourly' monitoring is a growing method for gaining improved energy readings in the UK. TEAM currently use their TEAM sigma software to manage the data for a vast number of clients including BT, Iceland Frozen Foods and DEFRA. This type of data can be manipulated to show energy consumption hour by hour, indicating upon further analysis, the best options for saving. "When you think about half hourly readings, that's 48 values per day of consumption, have that for a week and you've got 100 sites. It makes for a lot of data. So you can see how important it is to make sure energy is being used correctly. Some of our customers have thousands of sites," Tim explained. "Previously we dealt with half-hourly metering but more on the software provision side, now, with the work Kumar's done, we're doing a lot more on our side to analyse it."

Kumar has put together a working database of 10,000 sites and over 25,000 meters from his work with various sites including those from the Carbon Trust. He plans to use these readings as benchmarks for his PhD. When Kumar first joined the KTP programme, TEAM was 9 months into the two-year government funded Carbon Trust technology acceleration project. TEAM had won the tender to deliver energy analysis and saving solutions for 85 sites within the small to medium size enterprise brackets.

With the support of LSBU academics Tony Day or Perry Xiao, Kumar successfully delivered this project after installing advanced energy meters on all 85 sites and developing case studies documenting the findings. "When Kumar started we were behind on this project. If we didn't have KTP we would not have got the external expertise from the university. The success of this project is a direct result of the KTP," Tim commented.

As a result of Kumar's Carbon Trust analysis, the National Museums Liverpool bought TEAM's sigma software while numerous government councils have utilised the company's services using the software. TEAM is now looking to expand its consultancy services and are in the process of applying for another KTP programme.