City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Bradford Council has agreed a target of 20% for energy for delivery of its own functions to come from renewable sources and for a 40% reduction in council CO2 emissions by 2020 and has already implemented solar panels and biomass boilers at a number of its properties and is now considering other energy efficiency technologies.

‘Extreme Low Energy’ recognised that while our power supply is globally standardised on AC (Alternative Current) transmission, many of today’s everyday electrical products such as computers, laptops, mobile phones and LED lighting run on DC (Direct Current) power and as a result, require bulky, inefficient, energy wasting transformers.

Identifying the potential energy and carbon savings that could be achieved by eliminating the wasteful AC/DC conversion process, ELe has created a groundbreaking and patented DC power infrastructure.

In developing the system, the team at ELe have designed a method of distributing the DC power safely and efficiently through a building using Ethernet cabling. ELe has also developed an advanced lithium-ion battery storage (independently tested by University of Manchester) to enable even greater energy savings to be achieved by avoiding energy usage in peak-rate periods, triad fines and levy avoidance along with the ability to store excess renewable energy and cheap-rate electricity to deliver power to their electronic devices. The Bradford council team will use this small scale ‘load shift’ project to evaluate the use of stored energy on a wider basis across their property portfolio.

It is within the Department of Corporate Resources that a pilot for an Ele ‘Power over Ethernet office solution’ will be deployed. The pilot will demonstrate to the Council and its stake holders how the solution saves money off ongoing utility bills, reduces power usage at times of peak loads as the devices all run off stored energy, reduces heat output in the offices and reduces associated CO2 emissions, increases electronic device longevity and eases maintenance ongoing.

Discovery evidence

The pilot demonstrated the DC infrastructure on the following equipment ;

• LED Phillips lights
• Igel micro-computers
• Lenovo Laptop docking stations
• 8 LED screens (1bank of 4 desk with dual screens)

• • 8 Power over Ethernet USB charge points – apple & android compliant

The summarised benefits from the ELe Computer solution pilot are:

• • Leading edge energy efficiency in LED Lighting & Desktop Computers
• • Use of NIGHT-RATE overnight electricity to charge the ELe-POD or alternately using excess solar power that would otherwise be exported to the grid
• • Reduction in CO2 created

• • • Clever use of distributed ‘Direct Current’ DC Electricity
  • • Utilise an IT solution WITH NO MOVING PARTS – no fans or motors means less points of failure

• • Reduced energy losses & wastage
• • Reduced noise & heat dissipation
• • Reduced ambient cooling requirements
• • Reduction in CRC tax burdens
• • Enhanced green credentials

• • Removal of PAT testing for 8 screens, 4 desktop computers, 4 laptops, 8 tablets or phone charges – 24 in total

The delivery of an office in the Bradford council offices that has Low Voltage ethernet powered electronic equipment which does not put high levels of heat into the room and save on air-conditioning will make such a difference to the working environment and be a real USP for the Council. The removal of PAT testing and all the unsightly AC plugs/cables and pc’s on the floor will be a real added bonus too!