London Data Centres and the Olympics

The London Olympics is fast approaching, and the city is already starting to show signs of strain where power is concerned. Much of London has already been subject to power shortages as a result of the Olympic build-up, and energy costs inside the M25 are now up to 30 percent higher than the rest of the country.

Naturally, many large, London-based data centre providers have expressed their concern about the rising costs associated with running a data centre in the city. Perhaps more worrying is the potential for short-term power outages during the Olympics, as any down-time could be extremely damaging to a providers reputation and could even jeopardise the accessibility of their clients data.

An additional concern for businesses who use data centres located in the Capital, is the inevitable issue of physical access: with huge crowds descending upon central London and surrounding areas, traffic and public transport are due to be at an all time high. At peak times, these crowds could seriously restrict access to data centres, especially those located close to the Olympic Village. A lack of physical access could also present big problems if engineers are unable to reach data centres when theyre in need of maintenance or repair.

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Saving Money With Energy Efficiency

A home should be an environment that is comfortable in both the hot, summer months and the frigid, cold temperatures of winter. However, heating and cooling your home so that it is comfortable during these extreme temperature periods can get to be quite expensive. If you aren’t careful, you can rack up a huge energy bill during the winter or summer months without even realizing it. Heating and cooling a home requires so much energy, so sometimes consumers can become devastated at the amount they pay at the end of the month.

However, there are ways to save money on heating and cooling your home. These ways often have a less harmful impact on the environment and a less harmful impact on your pocketbook. While these methods may require an initial investment to make them operational, the money you save over time in heating and cooling your home will be worth the initial investment.

Insulate Your Home

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Best Practices On Energy Efficiency For The Home With Electric Fireplaces

There is nothing as comforting as a toasty fire on a cold winter night. Frigid, outstretched fingers absorb the heat emanating from the fireplace. While most homes offer heat in one form or another, energy costs may make you think twice before turning up the thermostat. You can improve your comfort and make your home more energy efficient this winter by checking for air leaks and inspecting your heating system to ensure it is working properly. In addition, you can improve your energy efficiency by using electric fireplaces with an electric fireplace insert featuring patented flame technology. Look for highly efficient heaters and fans inside efficient fireboxes and furniture quality mantels that provide heat exactly when and where you want it.

As much as most people enjoy a good fire, most homes do not offer fireplaces for a variety of reasons. Many people living in apartments and condos didn’t even have the option for a fireplace until now. Today’s technology has created an electric solution that provides all of the heat and ambiance of a traditional, masonry style fireplace, but without the mess, the fire hazards, or the lumber requirements traditionally associated with fireplaces.

Save Money with Supplemental Heat

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High Efficiency Furnace Vs Heat Pump Cost Comparison

For anyone that is interested in understanding how to control their utility costs I think it’s important to know the facts when it comes to a high efficiency furnace vs heat pump technology. In fact at the end of this article I’ve included a real life financial comparison of a Southern Ontario homeowner showing the total costs for a high efficiency furnace vs heat pump system and the numbers are very interesting.
Over the last couple of years there has been a huge movement towards high efficiency heating equipment. Both the federal and provincial governments have sought to encourage energy efficiency by offering rebates to those replacing low or mid efficiency equipment with “high efficiency” (usually characterized by > 95%).
Predictably, there has been much discussion about what this actually does, and more importantly, how valuable it is. I will not be the one to stand here and say that reducing your gas consumption by >5% to heat your home is not a worthwhile pursuit. Unfortunately, there is some dissention about what kind of cost premium this should command. Equally unfortunate is the fact that few people in the HVAC industry have bothered to make the case for higher efficiency. I see this as part of a greater discussion. Consumers are faced with these kinds of decisions constantly – does the premium you have to pay for a product end up being a long term savings?
I am here to emphatically say “YES”. The very fact that most heating systems now last in excess of 15 years tips the scales heavily in favour of efficiency. This is even more important as input costs rise (Natural Gas, Propane, Electricity and Oil). In fact, the justification is so strong that it makes conversion to new ultra efficient heat pumps a huge cost savings (with or without government incentives).
Cost Comparison of High Efficiency Furnace vs Heat Pump
The actual numbers can vary widely, but for starters, let’s consider a 2000 sq ft house built around 1970. With heating loads of ~ 45,000 b.t.u.s this house generated heating costs of around $2500 per year using a 90% efficient furnace. This furnace was nearing the end of its life and the customer was faced with replacing his heating system; either a high efficiency furnace with a 15 SEER A/C, or a 17 SEER Heat Pump with an electric back up system.
The costs for both systems were as follows:
Furnace and A/C: $8,600.
Heat Pump and Electric Back up: $12,400.
Both vendors accurately told the customer that their heating bills would be reduced. So the choice is easy, right? How could a system that costs almost one half more be better value? The answer lies in magnitude of the savings.
The furnace savings are easy to calculate – by improving the efficiency by 5%, the gas consumption should go down by 5% ($125 per year). The heat pump system, however, generated savings in the 30 – 35% range (very common with heat pumps). This represents annual savings of $750. The net improvement for the heat pump system then is $750 – $125 = $625. To calculate the payback divide the difference in savings ($625) into the cost differential ($12400 – $8600 = $3800). In this case the payback would be just over 6 years – giving you another 9 years to pocket the savings for a total 15 year savings of $5,625! Not to mention that heat pumps typically have warranties longer than furnaces!
Before you dismiss this because your situation is different consider that if you are paying more than $2500 a year for heating, the savings get even better! The difference is in how inexpensive the system converts inputs into heat (see our blog on Heat Pump Efficiency).
What does become relevant then, is how long you plan on staying in the home that you are buying the system for. For most people the system you will be buying might last longer than you will be in the home. For that reason, upgrading the heating system makes sense as well. The buyer of your house will be less likely to adjust your purchase price for an antiquated, inefficient heating system. In the end, it’s clear that when you compare high efficiency furnace vs heat pump technology the long term winner is in most cases aheat pump by a long shot.

T5 High Output Fluorescent High Bay Light Fixtures

High Bay Fixture: High Bay fixtures are perfect for low mount applications such as gyms, warehouses, assembly areas, food processing plants and hangars. High bay fixtures normally use high intensity discharge bulbs. These bulbs have special type of lighting which is much more intense than other light sources. Earlier, for indoor applications metal Halide is commonly used. It emits bluish white bright light which is more pleasant to the eyes than HPS. High bay lighting fixtures should be used in those areas where the bottom of the light fixture is more than 20 feet above the floor. In modern era the manufacturers have started to offer T5 High Output fluorescent High Bay light fixtures which are designed to deliver energy efficiency and cost-effective illumination to retail and industrial applications.

T5 Fluorescent High Output Advantages: T5 lighting was originally developed as a light source in combination with specialized reflectors for aquarium lighting. And because of the advantages of T5 high output lighting, this high output light source is being specified more in applications where standard Metal Halide high bays are typically used.

T5 High Output high bay fixture benefits: Following are the few reasons that make T5 High Output high bay fixture different from standard lamps:

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