Features

Two years after the introduction of the ESCOT system, Brian Jones, MD of Sinergy Ltd., comments as this highly innovative meterless energy data collection system approaches maturity.

ESCOT has wide acceptance with many installations in Local Authorities, Manufacturing & Agriculture, Banks, Hotels, Hospitals, Universities & Research and even Switch Panel Manufacturers. All share the benefits of fast and ultra low cost installation compared with conventional sub-meter systems.

No voltage connections needed

The system novelty is that it simply uses clip-to-cable transducers that do not need a local 3 phase or single phase voltage connection. ESCOT transducers differ from split core CT’s, their voItage output signal is directly proportional to the current and power factor of the measured load and can travel over a kilometre without any loss of accuracy. The voltage reference component for the true KW calculation is injected at the main system hub known as an ESCOT Collator, this is achieved simply by connection to a single phase socket and an automatic phase vector allocation gismo in the Collator firmware.

OK some folk may criticise that the system assumes that common voltage reference is relevant for the whole building. In fact long term experience points to accuracies between 1-2.5% compared with fiscal metering. What conventional sub-metering system can improve on this?

The benefits of simply clipping to distribution cables and running low-cost Belden type signal cables over ceilings, in existing trunking &/or up & down risers to a Collator, far outweigh the cost of making the individual 3 phase connections required by conventional meters.

Wire is cheap, It only fails when it is cut

Ethernet, Low Power Radio, GSM/GPRS or ZigBee style data transmission systems all have their place, but all add cost and problems. Signals have to be wired to an Ethernet node, then there can be capacity difficulties, all to be sorted with the System Administrator who usually has different priorities!

Radio suffers from range limitations particularly when aerials get blocked or the local taxi firm is illegally causing interference. GSM modems also have occasional transmission problems plus the nuisance of airtime contracts required for the SIM card.

Wired signalling may be old technology but it is extremely reliable, cheap and independent.

To further simplify installation Sinergy offer a custom made multicored cable with colour-coded twisted pairs so only one cable run is needed for a 3-phase meterpoint location.

ESCOT application & software

Energy Managers that use ESCOT systems have very busy lives, they have to prove the return on investment for any sub-metering system employed. A large amount of metering data can spew out from their PC. However this creates many many opportunities to pursue down stream saving strategies.

The basic ESCOT software produces an on-line display and a daily CSV file of amps, PF, KW, KWh, and Volts for each of up to 288 metering points.

Sinergy have listened to their customers and have collaborated with established M&T software companies such as Optima and EFT to simplify and condense the time needed to fully understand the energy use pattern. More importantly is the capability of relieving Energy Manager’s communication responsibilities by automatically producing and e-mailing specific cost centre reports to appropriate personnel. ESCOT Manager, designed by EFT, was chosen by Sinergy because of its automatic data collection, and simplicity in use. High-speed operation allows relevant data to be extracted by a couple of mouse clicks for standard or advanced reports for individual or virtual meter points. The number of points determines the software cost, there are no training or annual service charges.

For further information contact Brian Jones.
e-mail: bj@sinergy-meters.com
Tel: +44(0)1663 764 833, Mob: +44 (0)777 1751 999
Web: www.sinergy-meters.com