CORMS
The Centrica Case Study
Centrica was formed in February 1997 following the demerger of British Gas plc. The
Centrica property portfolio is diverse and volumous as it supports a business which is truly a
conglomerate undertaking many different activities. Buildings totalling nearly 3 million ft2
across more than 300 properties include not only offices and call centres, but also data
centres and power stations.
The challenge laid down by Centrica was simple, with the following
targets set:
- 15% reduction in energy usage over 3 years;
- Reduce maintenance base costs year on year;
- Extend and preserve asset life;
- Deliver significant uptime for building operations;
- Provide a united maintenance strategy to all properties within the portfolio;
- Recover costs within three years
The cost to implement the system in 2005 was £1.4m. The estimated savings for year one
was in the region of £1m. This gave a comfortable pay back of 18 months with year on year
savings. The pay back achieved was twice as fast as originally signed-off.
Furthermore, the system with its reliance on state of the art technology has greatly reduced
the need for skilled engineering labour which is not only costly, but in severely short supply,
in London and the southeast in particular.
CORMS News
Exception reporting
Energy exceptions can be highlighted and escalated to the operations team automatically and instantly - no longer is it necessary to wait until the month-end (or longer) to spot a problem, the response, and energy saving, can be instant.
Energy profiling
By relating recorded consumption data to known equipment loads, areas of suspiciously high or inconsistent usage can be highlighted promptly for closer analysis. Recommendations for improvements can then be submitted to the operations team for consideration, with an accurate indication of the saving potential.
Using CORMS, target profiles are developed for areas of usage, allowing for variations in weather/temperature and other operational considerations. These profiles provide the basis for ongoing monitoring.
See CORMS at Nemex 1-3 May 2007
Soaring energy costs and security of supply issues mean that the environmental and commercial need for energy efficiency has never been greater. PBE Systems will be demonstrating the new energy management and reporting features of Process InSight as part of the CORMS brand.
PDA access for engineers
Field engineers can access essential information for a site through a standard PDA. Decisions can be made without having to travel to the site, allowing the correct personnel and parts to be sent to carry out a task.
Automated Helpdesk
The CORMS automated helpdesk takes care of forwarding any site alarms to managers and engineers as required. An audit trail of alarms is provided through a secure web interface.
