Practical guide for the implementation of industrial and commercial hot water energy savings

When proposing hot water energy saving programmes for Industrial or Commercial applications using Heat Pumps, the first and most important task is to understand the end user expectations and requirements of his energy saving programme. Requirements differ from one industry to the next. Hotels cannot afford to be without hot water at ANY time, whilst Mining change-house facilities require instant hot water at the start and end of shifts to cater for large numbers of people showering simultaneously during a short period of time. Whilst a Heat Pump installation may be technically sound and achieve the required savings from month to month, there are many pitfalls that await the unwary and unprepared supplier. In this paper these issues will be illustrated via a practical case study of a 15 Heat Pump installation programme in a large Johannesburg Hotel. This installation is currently performing 100% to expectation as per the Eskom appointed M&V team of Tshwane University of Technology Report, achieving over 60% annualised saving and reducing the required peak period load. However, many other issues had to be overcome due to the layout of the Hotel plumbing and water ring mains.