Your Local Electrician & Electrical Contractor

• Why Voltage Reduction?
• How Does Voltage Reduction Work?
• Voltage Reduction & The IEE Wiring Regulations
• Voltage Reduction Solutions
• Lighting Voltage Reduction Case Study

Voltage reduction installations from our electricians can provide useful energy saving opportunities for both commercial and residential customers. Voltage reduction and other voltage control options provide many advantages which our electricians can discuss with you in more detail. Voltage reduction is ideal in combination with other Energy Saving Electrical Installations.

Why Voltage Reduction?

Residential and commercial customers operate electrical equipment which is designed to accept various input voltages, however if the actual supply is greater than required for normal operation, the electrical equipment will use more power than required. This, as your local electrician will confirm, reduces life expectancy and subsequently increases the costs of operating the electrical equipment.

These benefits in conjunction with the energy saving capabilities of voltage reduction are encouraging the increase in voltage reduction installations by electricians. Energy Saving Legislation and the Carbon Reduction Commitment are also increasing the demand for voltage reduction.

How Does Voltage Reduction Work?

Voltage reduction installations by electricians work by a process of cutting the power to electrical equipment. With a lamp there is a small loss of brightness, however the longevity of the lamps life will increase. For electric motors there will be a longer life expectancy too as your local electrician will confirm. Voltage reduction is a viable solution because most consumers' electrical supply is consistently at higher levels than required.

Voltage Reduction & The IEE Wiring Regulations

The 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations (BS 7671:2008), specifies that for a consumer installation the voltage drop should be at a maximum value of 3% for lighting and 5% for all other uses. For supply from a public LV distribution system the maximum values rise to 6% and 8%. The 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations play a vital role in the electrical industry and as such our electricians will provide more information on how they impact on your specific electrical installation.

Voltage Reduction Solutions

Supply Transformer Tap-Down

Our electricians can assist you with this option if the location has its own high or medium voltage transformer. There should also be suitable tap settings on the transformer that will allow the electrician to reduce the voltage by the required amount. The electrician will set the taps of a supply transformer to tolerate the variations in voltage supply from the grid.

Fixed Ratio Voltage Reduction Transformer

On the main circuit supplying the site a fixed ratio voltage reduction transformer can be installed by an electrician or electrical contractor, if a tap-down of the supply transformer isn’t possible. Our electricians can install a variety of different versions that will be applicable to customer’s specifications.

Fixed ratio transformers generally have a number of tap settings, which provide options for voltage reduction at the time of installation by the electrician.

Voltage Stabilisers

Our electricians can fit Voltage Stabilisers to ensure voltage is maintained at the correct level, regardless of the changes in supply from the grid.

Voltage Stabilisers or otherwise known as voltage regulators ensure that the phase voltages are properly balanced. Our electricians will explain further how this improves efficiency and reliability.

Lighting Voltage Reduction Case Study

German based supermarket chain Lidl has seen impressive results following a voltage reduction installation by electricians from another electrical contracting company. The energy consumption for indoor lighting was reduced by approximately 20%.

The electrical installation by electricians included a three phase autotransformer, with an efficiency of more than 97%. The electrical system protects fluorescent lighting from high voltages, which includes mercury vapour and sodium based discharge lamps. The electrical installation ensures smooth illumination levels and reduces the line voltage to a level in accordance with the specification of the lighting system.

Such electrical systems are suitable for multiple commercial premises such as public buildings and office locations that consume a good proportion of lighting during the day and night. Other suitable locations for electricians to install such equipment include car parks, airports, warehouses and logistics companies.

The 20% reduction in energy consumption equates to approximately 10,000 kWh annually and a 5 tonne reduction in CO2 emissions per year.

Given the extent of the Lidl operations they have the potential to save approximately €2 million per year, when correctly installed by electricians. If this system was deployed in 80% of the stores there would be a reduction of 11,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions annually.

A specifically designed voltage reduction installation by electricians can provide significant savings of approximately 20%; however a simple voltage reduction installation can still provide savings of between 5-10%. Energy consumption reductions and extended product life cycles provide good advantages for voltage reductions installations by electricians.

Contact us for more information to see how our experienced electricians and electrical contractors can assist you in voltage reduction and other energy saving electrical installations.

Request an energy saving installation today.