Case Study: DCS Group Energy Project with Stakelums Hardware

Due to a number of factors including ongoing increases in energy costs and internal company strategic goals, Stakelums Hardware approached DCS Group. A number of sustainability and energy saving objectives were identified for 2022 & 2023.

Energy monitoring

Firstly, to establish baseline energy usage and identify where savings could be made, smart meters were installed on all their electrical boards. Once the meters were commissioned, DCS were able to see exactly how much electrical consumption there was every hour.

The benefit of being able to see energy consumption in this granularity is that it identifies where the highest energy usage is and at what times of the day. Importantly, it also identifies any unnecessary out of hours consumption. If a solar project is planned, metering gives an accurate usage figure and thus gives a strong indication of the most suitable size solar system. Stakelums Hardware were given access to the DCS energy savings portal which allows them to log in and monitor their consumption on an hourly/ daily basis.

Energy Event and Controls

The next stage in the energy journey was to carry out an Energy ‘Event’. An Energy ‘Event’ is essentially a date that is agreed upon by all members of staff where everyone makes a conscious effort to switch off all unnecessary appliances and equipment. Once this had taken place, DCS conducted an exercise to determine the savings from eliminating unnecessary power during the night and weekends. Typical savings from an energy event and controls are between 15-20% of the overall annual consumption. Cost effective, simple controls were then installed which tie in with the intruder alarm. Once the intruder alarm is activated at night, it automatically switches off all of the identified, non-essential equipment and power and maximizes energy savings on yearly basis.

On site generation

Once electrical usage on site had been minimised, the next step was to correctly size and install a solar system to provide onsite generated electricity. Based on DCS metering data they installed a 204 kWp (DC) solar system with 160 kw inverters (AC). This solar system was installed in September 2022 and has since generated a sizable portion of Stakelums Hardware’s energy needs. This includes lighting, heating, cooling, and other operational requirements, thereby significantly reducing their dependence on the grid and non-renewable energy sources.

Since being installed in September 2022, the solar system has generated 165,000 kWh of electricity for Stakelums Hardware. The graph above shows the amount of electricity that Stakelums Hardware imported from the Grid on a monthly basis from January 2023 to September 2023 which has direct correlation to the Electricity that was generated from their Solar system over the same period of time. Before the energy journey with Stakelums began, they had a baseline electrical consumption of around 300,000 kWh per annum, since the installation of metering, smart controls and solar this has dropped to 120,000 kWh, an annual saving of over 50%.

Stakelums recently got approved for grid exportation which will allow them to sell any unused electricity back to the grid which occurs on weekends when the store load drops dramatically. After the completion of works, Stakelums receive quarterly reports which analyze their energy consumption and outline savings and other key performance indicators. Beyond the immediate impact on their energy consumption, such an installation serves as a symbol of environmental stewardship within the community.

Stakelums testimonial:
In late 2022 we engaged DCS Group to put a strategy in place to manage and reduce our energy consumption and costs. DCS Group had a clear process to firstly reduce our consumption with controls which was significant and secondly installing the correct size solar system. They also worked with us to get grant approval for the project. This has resulted in a whopping 55% reduction in energy consumption and costs. DCS Group were a pleasure to work with, achieving everything they said they would in a professional manner. It was one of the best things we did for the business and really opened our eyes to our energy consumption. We have also done our bit for the planet. – Joe Connolly, Stakelums Hardware.

Contact Caroline Sugrue at [email protected] for more information.

This Business Support article featured in the November/December 2023 issue of The Hardware Journal