Pumping up carbon savings

With pumps accounting for 20% of the world’s energy consumption, Peter Reynolds of Grundfos advocates the use of variable-speed pump technology wherever possible. He is director of sales for commercial building services and says, ‘We have the variable-speed product in place to meed virtually every specification. ‘However, what we need is for consultants and contractors, as well as building owners, to accept that they have a role and real options available to them in terms of reducing the overall energy consumption in their buildings.’ Variable-speed pumps have the potential to offer up to 76% saving over their fixed-speed counterparts. Peter Reynolds says that Grundfos has been actively promoting variable-pump technology for many years and has received many accolades for its approach. He also says that the UK lags behind other European countries in its take-up.