Case Study - WA Police

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WA POLICE

Synopsis
Many organisations believe that energy efficiency can only be achieved over the long-term and with considerable capital outlay and a large investment of time and resources. The facilities management team of the WA Police Service has, however, shown that a little innovation combined with a minimum of financial investment can result in energy savings within the short-term.

Despite having a limited use of the buildings at the Police Headquarters site, the team was committed to improving the energy efficiency of the facility. It identified three projects with the highest potential for success: a lighting retrofit program, the replacement of an obsolete cooling tower and a review of the air conditioning facilities in the computer room.

Over two thousand light fittings were upgraded and fitted with tri-phosphor tubes, with the existing diffusers and reflectors being re-used. The increased lighting levels delivered by the tri-phosphor tubes allowed the number of tubes to be reduced and resulted in energy savings. The results were much better than expected, as the upgrade achieved a 16% reduction in energy consumption and a cost saving of over $64,000, equating to a 4.2 month payback period. Due to the longer operational life of the tri-phosphor tubes, there are also additional maintenance savings and environmental benefits.

Resetting the operational air temperature levels for the air conditioners in the computer room, is expected to save over $31,000, or realise a 6.3% reduction in energy consumption in the first year.

The final project, the replacement of a cooling tower that failed to maintain cooling water temperatures, has also added to the energy savings. The new cooling tower supplies water to the chillers at the optimum temperature to reduce the number of chiller start-ups, ensures optimum chiller operating levels and reduces the operating times of the cooling tower fans and chilled water pumps.

It is estimated that these measures will result in an annual energy saving of $96,000 and a 22.7% reduction in energy consumption.

This project demonstrates how a little innovation and a minimum of investment can provide exceptional energy efficiency, even in the short-term.

Table showing the energy efficiency measures with the related costs and savings

Energy efficient measure	Cost ($)	Projected annual savings ($)	Reduction in energy consumption (% per annum)	Payback period (months)	Reduction in CO₂ emissions (Tonnes per annum)
Light fittings upgraded to tri-phosphor tubes	22,720	64,585	7	4.2	750.9
Resetting operational levels of the air conditioners in the computer room	None	31,000	6.3	Immediate	294.6
Replacement of obsolete cooling tower	Not provided	Not quantified	Not quantified	Not estimated	Not quantified

For further information view the Western Australian Police Service case study. (PDF 18 KB)

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