The maintenance and monitoring by Aimteq of the BMS (building management system) at the UK facility of KBR, has contributed to the site saving nearly £22,000 in energy consumption during 2017. Beyond the contribution towards financial savings, KBR is also impressed with the reduction in carbon emissions and the comprehensive level of reporting provided by Aimteq.
The history of KBR in the UK can be traced back through the two businesses which gave the company its name — MW Kellogg and Brown & Root, which together share a rich British heritage spanning nine decades. Today, KBR is a giant in its sector, with operations in 40 countries and approximately 34,000 employees worldwide. Among the organisation’s core business streams is serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full life cycle of defence, space, aviation and other government programmes and missions. These programmes range from R&D, through systems engineering, test, evaluation and programme management, to operations, maintenance and field logistics.
BMS replacement
The company’s UK headquarters can be found in Leatherhead, Surrey, where a phased upgrade of the BMS system had recently taken place, prior to the commencement of Aimteq’s maintenance contract.
According to Steve Bennett and Keith Tyndall from KBR’s Real Estate Services, the BMS on site was first installed around 1998, although the main plant controls have recently been upgraded as part of a three-year phased program. In the time since 1998, the BMS has migrated from a Landis & Staefa Visonik system to a Siemens Desigo Insight.
“We didn’t really have any issues with the operation of our BMS, we just felt that we were not making full use of its capabilities and thought a fresh pair of eyes could make new suggestions for improvements.
Also one of the drivers for changing suppliers was the potential to achieve reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions, which are both part of a wider corporate strategy at KBR focussed on sustainable operations.
“At KBR we are committed to pursuing sustainable environmental solutions to offset human activities that may contribute to global warming,” he says. “Year after year we have been recognised by the Carbon Trust for reducing our carbon footprint.”
Aimteq worked up a proposal that set out how KBR could achieve and maintain its environmental objectives, reduce energy consumption, and proactively analyse performance data to avoid systems failures and reduce overall operating costs.
“Aimteq proved both flexible to our specific requirements and competitive on cost, so we had no hesitation in appointing them to the project,” says Mr Bennett.
Impressive returns
One year after Aimteq were appointed the BMS is providing some impressive returns. For instance, the site, which comprises two main buildings, has already reduced its energy consumption by 243,953kWh in this period, equating to a financial savings of £21,955.81 and a reduction in carbon emissions of 100.5kg CO2e. On average, the site is saving 7.68% on its energy bills every month. As a point of note, because only the main meters can be monitored at KBR it is impossible to say categorically that the savings are 100% attributable to the new BMS. However, KBR suspects that the majority of the savings could be attributed to Aimteq’s activities over the previous 12 months.
“We are very happy with our decision to change the BMS supplier, not just because we are achieving our desired outcomes, but with the service provided by Aimteq,” explains Mr Bennett. “The energy saving initiatives identified and implemented throughout the last twelve months have contributed to the monthly energy savings, and we have experienced a distinct improvement in service delivery.”
Aimteq’s Remote Operations Centre (ROC) saves energy and prevents costly site visits by analysing and reporting on millions of data points each week. In total, the ROC is connected to over 1600 sites across Europe, which now includes the Leatherhead facility of KBR. Reports can range from pump/motor efficiency, occupancy profiling, sequencing strategies and start-stop planning, through to energy-saving strategies, operational status monitoring, sensor calibration and sub-metering.
“We particularly like the site analysis report, PPM service sheet, remedial works sheet and Aimteq’s energy-efficiency recommendations,” concludes Mr Bennett. “We would definitely recommend Aimteq to others and will use them in the future for our BMS related works.”