May 2022 – Energy Scouts of Schneider Polska plan LED lighting in production facilities

With 203 employees, Schneider Polska Technika is one of five factories belonging to the Schneider-AluTeam group. The company in the small town of Ostrów Mazowiecka, located in northeastern Poland, was opened in 1995. Steel elements and structures, such as trailers and semi-trailers for trucks but also agricultural equipment, are manufactured at the Ostrów plant and exported worldwide.

The three-member Energy Scout team Edyta Grabowska and Adam Karczmarczyk, both production specialists, as well as Ewelina Krajewska, management assistant, developed a concept for modernizing the lighting system in the plant’s production halls as part of the Young Energy Europe program. Until now, the factory halls have been illuminated by conventional metal halide lamps, which consume a lot of electricity. In the future, efficient and thus energy-saving LED lamps will illuminate Schneider Polska’s halls.

Automatic control of light intensity according to requirements 
A so-called DALI control system (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is used in the new lighting concept. The DALI control system makes it possible to control different groups of lights. Thanks to the system, it is possible, for example, to reduce the light intensity in certain work areas that are not currently being used or to adjust the light intensity depending on the time of day.

233 lights with an average wattage of 222 W will be replaced by the planned new LED system with 255 lights and an average wattage of 65 W. Replacing the lighting will significantly reduce electricity demand. The old lighting used 339,000 kWh of electricity per year; the new lighting system will reduce electricity demand to 81,500 kWh per year.

High electricity demand also leads to high CO2 emissions – in the electricity producers’ power plants, which are often fired with fossil fuels. Currently, CO2 emissions are 290 tons per year. With the new LED system, CO2 emissions are estimated at 70 tons per year. The modernization will therefore reduce CO2 emissions by 220 tons per year and reduce electricity consumption by 76%. Taking into account the monthly savings and the cost of the total investment, the investment will pay for itself in just 39 months.

One project – three benefits
By modernizing the lighting system, the company gains three benefits at once. It reduces CO2 consumption, enables cost savings and increases the working comfort and safety of the employees in production through better light conditions.

The jury awarded the team third place as part of the annual Energy Scout award ceremony in Poland.

Lighting

  • Industry sector: automotive supplier
  • Energy source: electrical energy
  • Energy saving potential: 257 MWh/a
  • CO2 saving potential: 220 tons CO2/a
  • Potential cost reduction: 27,110 €/a
  • Investment cost: 94,710 €
  • Payback period: 3.3 years
  • Company:
    Schneider Polska Technika Samochodowa i kontenerowa Sp. z o.o.
    Stacyjna 14
    07-300 Ostrów Mazowiecka
    Poland
    www.schneider-fc.com/de/
The Energy Scouts searched for ways to save energy in various areas of the company - and they found something in the production halls. (©Schneider Polska)
76% electricity savings with improved illumination - LEDs make it possible. (©Schneider Polska)
The Energy Scout Team: Adam Karczmarczyk, Ewelina Krajewska and Edyta Grabowska (from left to right) (©Schneider Polska)