Energy savings at Epoke A/S

Epoke A/S is a leading manufacturer of equipment for winter road maintenance headquartered with own factory in Denmark. Epoke A/S has in-house development of software, electronics, hydraulics, mechanics, etc. The factory meets all Danish environmental protection requirements.

Over the past 2-3 years Epoke A/S has invested heavily to improve its ”green image”.

Below is a list of measures initiated since the start of year 2008. The Epoke management team has a strong focus on the improvement of environmental issues.

Epoke A/S develops and manufactures electronic components and holds a license as a certified manufacturer.

All electronic components are lead free.

An Epoke-spreader consists of approx 90-95% steel, which can be reused after endured life. All electronic components may be dismounted and returned to Epoke A/S, who will then dispose of these in an environmentally correct way without costs for the customer.

Epoke A/S company vehicles are now modern diesel cars with particle filters. All Epoke service vehicles are Euro 4 or Euro 5 engine Mercedes Benz.

Energy saving measures initiated and carried through by Epoke A/S since 2008:

2008 New type of paint (Natural gas)
The painting department has worked to implement a new type of paint in cooperation with paint supplier Teknos. The properties of the paint have resulted in a reduction of the oven temperatures of 15°.
This has further resulted in a 22%-reduction of heat consumption used for heating the ovens, equal to:
158,000 Kwh per year =
Annual heat consumption of 10 ordinary households




2008 Light control (Electricity)
Installation of timers in terminal boards to control the light during the nighttime hours have resulted in the following savings:
16,000 Kwh per year =
Annual electricity consumption of 4 ordinary households


2008 Compressor (Electricity)
In cooperation with an energy savings contractor Epoke A/S has purchased a new frequency-controlled compressor. The advantage of this specific compressor type is that it only produces the amount of air needed. The compressor is new developed by the company Atlas Copco, and Epoke A/S is among the first 3 customers in Denmark. The compressor was elected ”product of the year” in 2008 by the German magazine P&A (in the category ”pumps and compressors”) – among other things due to the low energy level.
Savings achieved:
285,000 Kwh per year =
Annual electricity consumption of 71 ordinary households.



2008 – today – Compressed air leakages (Electricity)
Increased focus on leakages of the compressed air system. Routine checks of the system are carried out 6 times per year. As a result errors and leakages are discovered and corrected significantly faster than in the past.
Savings achieved:
30,000 Kwh per year =
Annual electricity consumption of 7.5 ordinary households


2009 Utilization of surplus heat from compressor (Natural gas)
Utilization of surplus heat from compressor through injector bags have resulted in the following savings:
141,000 Kwh per year =
Annual heat consumption of 9 ordinary households




2010 Purchase of new cleaning/degreasing machine for hydraulic parts (Electricity)
Energy consumption was a strong parameter in connection with the purchase of a new machine for the cleaning of hydraulic parts. We chose a DF 1300 cleaning machine from Hesø, because the tanks are extra well insulated so that the heat in the 2 tanks is kept constant for a long time. The water capacity of the 2 flushing tanks is smaller compared with the old tanks, which means less water to be kept warm and thus energy savings. The machine features an on/off timer, which means it shuts off after work hours and on weekends.
Savings achieved:
24,000 Kwh per year =
Annual electricity consumption of 6 ordinary households

2010 Test hall (Heat and Water)
In 2010 a new test hall was built for testing of spreaders after assembly. The test hall is insulated in accordance with all current standards. The hall is equipped with a system, which through biological processes purifies the water thus permitting it to be reused in subsequent testing processes. This ensures that no water is led into the sewer system. Furthermore, the test facilities feature an advanced ventilation system, which makes sure that 65% of the air, which is sucked out in connection with the liquid spreader tests, is reused for heating.
Savings achieved:
40,000 Kwh per year =
Annual heat consumption of approx. 3 ordinary households
100,000 liters of water =
Annual water consumption of ½ ordinary household
 

2011 Grid Manager (Electricity) – NEW PROJECT
Measuring equipment to monitor large consumers of energy. This equipment is presently installed to monitor compressor, light and ventilation. It may also be used to trace unnecessary energy consumption during time periods on weekends and during the nighttime. It is expected that additional energy savings of up to 20% are possible on large consumers of energy.
For further information about Grid Manager, please see www.gridmanager.dk.

Conclusion
Total energy savings achieved since October 2008:

Energy source	Total savings	Savings equal to annual consumption of:	Total CO2 Savings
Heat	339,000 KWh	21 ordinary households	70 t
Electricity	355,000 KWh	89 ordinary households	166 t
Water	100 m3	½ ordinary household

Total CO2 savings = 236 t = annual emission of approx. 23.6 persons.
(Average emission: 10 t/person)