ACS wins recognition for making the business case for R22 efficiency

Specialist supplier Air Conditioning Solutions (UK) Ltd (ACS) has received an Award from Mitsubishi Electric for its work with the Connells Group on R22 replacement – in the first year of the new the Green Gateway Awards, which see the manufacturer recognise the important contribution of its partners in encouraging energy efficiency in the built environment.

ACS has been working with Connells since 2000 and has helped the Group achieve estimated run cost savings of over £150,000 a year, whilst cutting carbon emissions in each upgrade branch by more than half.

“We know that there are still thousands of businesses out there that have yet to grasp the full implications of the ban on R22,” explained Martin Fahey, Sustainable Solutions Manager for Mitsubishi Electric.  “What ACS has done is work with its customer to develop a planned schedule of replacement that fits in with Connells’ business plans.

“We wanted to recognise the success of this approach and acknowledge the fact that ACS has highlighted how savings can be achieved by planning to be more efficient.”

ACS has over 20 years’ experience of the design, installation and maintenance of heating, cooling and ventilation equipment and could see what the implications of the R22 ban would be on its customers.

“In the case of The Connells Group, the estate had a real mix of equipment from all the major air conditioning manufacturers, due to the historic development and expansion of the Group,” explained ACS Commercial Director, Neil Moran.

“We undertook an initial assessment of ten branches that The Connells Group chose at random to produce a detailed report comparing the potential savings of a phased replacement programme against the likely repair and running costs of existing kit.”

The report helped secure agreement for a full design specification and Connells and ACS started looking at replacement options whilst assessing the best ways of keeping disruption in each branch to a minimum. In all, 203 branches are affected across the Group’s network. Work on the replacement programme started in October 2012 and is scheduled to run until the end of 2013.

ACS used Mitsubishi Electric's Audit Tool software that assesses the running costs, CO2emissions and maintenance expenditure of existing equipment and compares it to modern, inverter-driven replacement systems. The results from the Audit Tool helped justify the investment and convinced the Group that a phased programme was the right way to go.  The analysis demonstrated that annual running costs would be reduced by 61% - from £250,859 to £98,872, whilst carbon emissions would drop 60% - from 1,249,242kg to 493,760kg.

There are estimated to be over 750,000 R22 systems still in use in the UK, so the complete ban on the use of this refrigerant at the end of this 2014 poses a real challenge for businesses that will face maintenance issues with old systems.

“ACS has shown that by talking to customers about tackling this issue, it is possible to make a real, hard business case for expenditure on new equipment,” added Fahey. 

ACS also received a £1,000 donation from Mitsubishi Electric which has been donated to the Dunstone Bennett Centre in Northampton. The voluntary organisation exists on donations only and operates as an after care organisation for cancer patients who are in remission and equally important for providing a service to family and persons connected with people who have the illness. They offer support not only to the patients but more importantly to the people who act as careers or who are directly affected by the patients illness.

Ends

Picture caption (l to r): Mitsubishi Electric’s Martin Fahey congratulates ACS Managing Director, David Knibbs and Commercial Director, Neil Moran on securing their award

Note to editor:

Founded in 1921, Mitsubishi Electric is a global, market leading, environmental technologies manufacturer, producing an advanced range of heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment. The company realises that ensuring the right solutions are selected for each individual building, requires collaboration by all involved. Mitsubishi Electric has therefore changed the way it does business to ensure engagement with all involved in delivering sustainable buildings so that together, we can make a world of difference.

For further editorial information please contact:

Russell Jones                                                          Email: russell.jones@meuk.mee.com
PR & Communications Manager                             Telephone: 01707 278772

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