Energy saving initiatives haven’t escaped the attention of HM armed forces, particularly in Aldershot where the Headquarters of the Army’s 145 Brigade have recently installed a number of energy saving devices to fridges, freezers and air conditioning systems in a number of barracks.

Spurred into action by the government’s energy saving campaign, aimed at all public sector organisations, the brigade energy advisor at Aldershot Garrison in Hampshire assessed the suitability of devices that can be retro-fitted to existing refrigeration units.

The SavaControl is an intelligent switching unit that typically delivers reductions of between 10% and 30% in electricity consumption. Having piloted the devices manufactured by midlands based SavaWatt (UK) Ltd, the Headquarters was impressed with the simplicity of installation, as well as the savings that could be made in energy costs.

145 Brigade, the largest in the area, has so far fitted over 450 SavaControls to refrigeration and air conditioning equipment throughout six barracks. Available in single and three phase models, SavaControls save energy in two ways. By intelligently switching off the refrigeration motor a hundred times every second, the input power is matched to the actual power requirement of the system. No energy is wasted while the compressor motor is operating under part load. A second energy saving benefit is achieved through improving the part load efficiency of the motors, thereby ensuring that less power is used.