Renewables
New Apex VO unit cuts housing electricity bills and carbon footprint
Up to 20% energy savings can be achieved by housing associations using the new Voltage Optimisation (VO) unit from Apex Energy UK. The easy-to-install Apex VO unit has been introduced to help reduce energy consumption levels as well as the costs and carbon emissions associated with residential property stock.
MainProduct availability comes as electricity demand and cost increases are set to rise year-on-year
The incoming voltage for all UK properties varies between 216V and 253V and all domestic electrical equipment, with the CE mark is designed to work within this range but critically the optimum and most efficient supply voltage for these appliances is 220V.
When the voltage to an appliance exceeds 220V, excess heat and vibration can significantly reduce the operational lifespan of electrical appliances and will increase running costs.
The Apex VO unit is simply installed between the main meter and the distribution board. This ensures that the voltage supplied to all the electrical appliances is optimised, immediately reducing costs and providing energy saving benefits - cost savings will be between 8% and 20% per annum and potentially £6,000 over 25 years*, providing a return on investment within three years.
Apex also calculates that the carbon footprint will be reduced by up to 20% using its new technology.
At the heart of each unit is an advanced electronic control unit (ECU) which uses ‘intelligent’ technology to constantly monitor and manage incoming and outgoing supply voltage, load and current to ensure electricity is being used as efficiently as possible.
The unit can be installed by a qualified electrician in new build properties or retrofitted into existing housing stock with the minimum of disruption and no modifications to the existing distribution board is required.
The Apex VO unit protects sensitive electrical devices from damage caused by voltage surges and features a self monitoring, interactive display for ease-of-use.
State-of-the-art safety features also include a low voltage threshold (LVT) facility to ensure optimal voltage does not fall below a minimum level and a high current threshold (HCT) which automatically detects any over current. Should any of these conditions occur optimum switching threshold is incorporated which eliminates any interruption to the supply voltage as well as power spikes and transients.