Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre
challenge
Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre is now saving £22,000 in energy costs, and reducing its carbon emissions by 31.44 tonnes every year, following an upgrade to its pool circulation pumps. The investment is expected to pay for itself within 2.3 years.
Before the upgrade, the main and teaching pool circulation systems were using a combined 206,298 kWh of energy each year, costing more than £35,000.
Energy monitoring carried out by Broadwater Technologies and Grundfos found that the existing pumps were oversized and operating at fixed speeds. Variable speed drives and multi-pump controllers had already been installed, but they were not working together effectively. This meant the pumps could not adjust their output in response to changes in demand.
The systems also had no night setback, while the main pool pumps were operating unbalanced. Overall system efficiency was measured at 33% for the main pool and 37% for the teaching pool.
The challenge was to increase system efficiency and provide energy savings, without compromising the pool circulation and service delivery for customers during the installation.
solution
Broadwater proceeded to replace the teaching pool pumps with two Grundfos NBE100-200 7.5Kw pumps and three Grundfos NBE 80-200 5.5Kw pumps for the main pool all with IE5 integrated drive units. All of the pumps were specified with Bronze impellors.
The new pumps were connected to the existing Grundfos CUE352 multi-pump controllers, allowing their output to respond more closely to the flow rate required by each pool. A digital flow meter was installed on each pool and the control output from that unit was then connected to the controllers. Flow rates were recalibrated and a night setback was introduced between 10pm and 5am, reducing output when demand was lower.
Post-installation monitoring recorded an 82% energy reduction for the teaching pool and a 47% reduction for the main pool. Together, the two systems are now using 128,352.25 kWh less energy every year, representing a combined reduction of 62%.
This is delivering an annual energy cost saving of £21,819.88 and preventing 31.44 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, approximately the equivalent to taking 16 cars off the road each year. Overall system efficiency has increased from approximately 35% to 77%.
Based on an expected minimum pump lifespan of ten years, the current performance equates to more than £218,000 in energy cost savings and approximately 10 fully loaded shipping containers worth of avoided CO₂ emissions.
key services delivered
We recently had new swimming pool pumps installed by Broadwater Technologies, and the results have been extremely impressive. The energy savings were instant, which was one of the biggest benefits we noticed straight away. The new pumps are not only more efficient, but they have also given us access to fantastic data and insights that allow us to better understand and manage the performance of our swimming pools. We have been so impressed with the results that we have already placed orders for a further three of our swimming pools to have the same technology installed. We would have no hesitation in recommending Broadwater Technologies. The installation has delivered real, measurable benefits for us, and we are very pleased with the decision to invest in the new pumps. A great service, excellent results, and a partnership we are very happy to continue.
