During recent years, Wellspect has implemented several significant measures at their HQ in Mölndal, in order to reduce their energy consumption. In this interview, Magnus Hjalber, Senior Manager for Facilities Management, explains more.
Could you tell us about these new measures which have been implemented on the site?
To start, we have renovated our main building’s façade and windows in order to reduce energy consumption, as well as regularly upgrading our ventilation units. Furthermore, a new energy policy has been implemented, which among other things has led us to placing higher demands on our machine suppliers, both in terms of energy efficiency and energy metering. Our department for production development is working on increasing our use of electric motors instead of using pneumatic control, as electricity has a significantly better efficiency than compressed air.
What has been done during 2020?
We have been using energy from renewable sources for the past five years. To further reduce our environmental footprint, solar panels have been installed on one of our buildings which have a capacity of 27.7 kW. We have also replaced some windows in parts of the production, which resulted in a saving of 20,000 kWh /per year. A new air compressor was installed, which will provide better efficiency, and we have invested in a speed-controlled compressor to reduce energy use by a further ten percent. Lighting in our warehouse has been replaced with LED lighting, a saving of 35,000 kWh / year. Charging poles have been installed to promote our staff's ability to choose an electric car and we are also increasing the number of measuring points of electricity consumption in order to be able to prioritize the right actions and be able to visualize consumption in real time. We have also developed an energy survey to provide additional basis for improvement.
Solar panels have been installed to the HQ building in Mölndal, Sweden.
How do you see the development going forward?
There is an increased interest among our customers when it comes to the product life cycle. Energy use is a key issue in this, so the need for continuous improvement is further increasing. Many of our employees are invested in the environmental issue, not least when it comes to energy use. We are proud of this and we want to be an attractive workplace that clearly cares about these important issues. I myself use an electric hybrid car and have solar panels at my house and think it is important to set a good example both privately and in my role as property manager. I think it is important that we as a company contribute to a sustainable society.
