Energy

Energy policy

Energy is essential to Northumbrian Water’s business, from treatment of water and wastewater to heating, lighting and transport, addressing energy consumption is one of the key ways we can reduce our impacts.

The water industry is a major user of energy in its treatment processes and where we can’t use gravity to move water around the network.  Our policy is to reduce emissions (direct and indirect) and costs attributed to our energy usage and to educate our customers and employees to the energy implications of water.

Our emissions are primarily generated from two sources, the direct and indirect emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the use of fossil fuels and secondly from emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from wastewater treatment and sludge disposal processes.

Energy action plan

The company is managing energy consumption and cost through seven strands of activity.

• Physical efficiency of pumps and equipment.

• Optimisation of our networks.

• Procurement.

• Billing management/monitoring.

• Procedures and standards.

• Employee awareness.

• Renewable energy generation.

We will reduce costs by:

• Efficient and innovative purchasing of energy (flexible purchasing).

• Optimising fixed energy supply costs (e.g. service capacity).

• Operating equipment in lower tariff periods.

• Reducing grid electricity import during Triad warning periods (generation, load shed).

• Using generating assets at high tariff periods (peak lopping).

We will offset costs by:

• Using generating assets for Strategic Operating Reserve (STOR) contracts.

• Claiming Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) on renewable generation.

• Claiming Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) on compliant equipment installations.

We will reduce kWh’s, indirect CO2 emissions and cost by:

• Optimisation of plant and process operation.

• Improving the physical efficiency of equipment.

• Using the most efficient equipment and equipment combinations.

• Training our staff to be aware of energy saving opportunities around plant and offices.

We will reduce indirect CO2 emissions and cost by:

• Increasing output from our existing renewable generators.

• Expanding our renewable generating asset base.

We will reduce indirect CO2emissions by:

• Purchasing Climate Change Levy (CCL) exempt grid electricity.

• Self generation of power on site.

Energy KPIs

• Monitor, and report externally on an annual basis the amount of energy required to supply 1Ml water.

• Monitor, and report externally on an annual basis the amount of energy required to treat 1Ml of sewage.

• Monitor and report externally on an annual basis the amount of renewable energy generated (GWh).

• Monitor the total renewable energy used (GWh) and as a % of the total energy used to ensure utilisation of this source of energy.

Energy case study

Layer Treatment Works

Employees at Layer de la Haye treatment works realised that too many lights were left on overnight so they came up with a few ideas to reduce energy wastage and help the environment.

Gary Banks, the treatment works manager said: “The problem with a large works is that it’s difficult to have one person responsible for making sure all lights are off at the end of the day.  We had to make it everyone’s responsibility, a real team effort, to change current behaviour.  For this to happen everyone had to have the same level of knowledge.  It had to be easy to identify the location of light switches as well as which ones had to be left on for health and safety reasons.”

An audit of all lighting in the works was carried out to find out how many lights could be switched off.  The survey also noted that some strip lights could be replaced with new tubes that emitted the same level of light, but used less electricity, making even more savings. 

A system was created so that light switches could easier to identify.  Martin Measor explained “To make identification simple we produced coloured surrounds for each switch.  We used a colour coded system with green for switch off and red for leave on.  This makes it easy to identify the location of switches and everyone instantly knows which lights can be switched off without causing problems to the works.”

These small measures have resulted in CO2 to the equivalent of a hatchback car being driven eight and a half times around the M25 motorway being saved at the treatment works each night.