A quick guide to low-carbon tech at devas club

CREW was recently awarded £27,000 by the Wandsworth Local Fund to install another package of energy efficiency measures at the Devas youth club in Battersea. This second phase of our project with the club includes yet more LED lighting, along with secondary glazing and destratifiers and will be closely followed by phase 3 – a heat pump system – in autumn 2020 (following our upcoming share offer!)
 
To bring you up to speed with what’s been going on behind the scenes, we are shining the spotlight on these different areas of tech (some of which you may recognise, and others which may be brand new!) and how they will benefit the club and the local area.

LED lighting

LED lighting perhaps needs no introduction, especially since we wrote a post about the benefits a few months ago… Nonetheless, lighting is a real low-hanging fruit when it comes to energy efficiency and LEDs are the most efficient option. They use almost 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 years! We will be installing LED lights on the ground floor of the building and LED floodlights in the main hall. Our service will include the replacement of fittings where required to ensure maximum efficiency of lights over their lifespan.

Destratifiers

Much more complicated is the destratifier. (The dictionary doesn’t even recognise the word!) In environments with high ceilings and heating with hot air systems, hot air rises to the very top of these large rooms, meaning heating systems have to work harder to maintain a warm temperature at ground level. The Devas Club’s ceilings are approximately 8m high. Here, heat remains trapped and unused and it is destined to escape through the roof and walls, thereby increasing the building’s heat loss. Destratifiers push this hot air back down into the used space to make sure the heat is not as easily lost and the temperature stays the same throughout the room.

See the handy video below for a full explanation.

Hydromx
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We will be replacing water and glycol in Devas Club’s heating system with a nanotechnology solution called Hydromx. Hydromx®, is a heat transfer nanofluid that uses nano-particles. These particles are suspended in a stable state to increase the speed of heat transfer, by heating up (or removing heat from) the fluid and transferring energy in a shorter amount of time, thereby requiring significantly less energy (and saving money). Using Hydromx will cut heating demand by 25% and extend main appliance life. This will also reduce operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.
 
Secondary glazing

Finally, we will be installing secondary glazing on the windows in the main hall to reduce heat loss, thereby keeping the space warmer in winter, cooler in summer and (as a secondary effect) reducing noise pollution (e.g. in sports sessions in the main hall) for the neighbouring community.
 
Impact on the local area and community

Making Devas Club more energy efficient will improve both the environmental and financial sustainability of the club, facilitating increased investment of existing income into the essential services provision to the local community. The project will not only improve sustainability, but also make the spaces in the building more comfortable to occupy (temperature, luminosity) encouraging greater use of the building throughout the year.
 
This project will also contribute to Devas’ target of 5% reduction p.a. in CO2 emissions over the next three years and help engage young members in the process!