Ingenious ventilation solution at Copenhagen Central Station
The shops and restaurants at Copenhagen Central Station cut power consumption by two thirds by installing new energy-efficient fans from ebm-papst in the existing application.
ebm-papst product manager Henrik Dahl Thomsen
It takes a good deal of creativity to save energy in a modern shopping centre housed in a heritage-listed 100-year-old concourse such as the Copenhagen Central Station. The job can’t be done simply by adding insulation or closing off doors. As a result, the search for energy savings quickly fell on improving ventilation in the shops and restaurants. Fitting a modern ventilation system into the cramped, old equipment rooms was impossible, thus leading to the decision to modernise the existing ones. The old AC fans were replaced with ebm-papst EC fans and energy consumption measurements were conducted before and after the refitting. The results showed savings equal to what a new facility would have provided – at a lower price. The investment paid for itself in less than a year.
As good as new
“The ebm-papst solution at the Central Station is ingenious,” says Property Manager Kim Jensen, who works for the company Steen & Strøm, which operates 16 shopping centres in Denmark, including the Central Station Shopping Centre with its approximately 20 shops and restaurants.
“Many suppliers of finished ventilation systems could have achieved similar savings, but the limited amount of space in the old equipment rooms under the station makes installing a completely new ventilation system down there impossible,” explains Kim Jensen, continuing, “this is what makes the ebm-papst solution so brilliant. What’s a ventilation system really made of? Just cabinets – and when you put new fans in the old cabinets, the result is in fact a completely new ventilation system.”
Quick, easy and inexpensive
Five fans were replaced at the Central Station in two days by three workers from the firm Energy & Environmental Engineering, which has done similar rebuilds elsewhere. Switching from AC to EC fans has led to direct energy savings of 66%, which means the investment paid for itself in less than a year.
An additional 10-15% in savings were gained by reviewing and adapting the individual systems to the actual needs; some were merged and others could be completely removed from use. All restaurants and shops are ventilated from two equipment rooms, one of which achieved a savings of at least 78% and the other of about 40%.
Renovating the ventilation system by combining the old and the new has lead to yet another victory at the Central Station. The advantages can definitely be felt when it’s time to read the electricity meter.
Summary
All restaurants and shops are ventilated from 2 equipment rooms. Rebuilding the ventilation system and tailored adjustments have meant massive savings. Parts of the existing system were merged or taken completely out of service.
As good as new
“The ebm-papst solution at the Central Station is ingenious,” says Property Manager Kim Jensen, who works for the company Steen & Strøm, which operates 16 shopping centres in Denmark, including the Central Station Shopping Centre with its approximately 20 shops and restaurants.
“Many suppliers of finished ventilation systems could have achieved similar savings, but the limited amount of space in the old equipment rooms under the station makes installing a completely new ventilation system down there impossible,” explains Kim Jensen, continuing, “this is what makes the ebm-papst solution so brilliant. What’s a ventilation system really made of? Just cabinets – and when you put new fans in the old cabinets, the result is in fact a completely new ventilation system.”
Quick, easy and inexpensive
Five fans were replaced at the Central Station in two days by three workers from the firm Energy & Environmental Engineering, which has done similar rebuilds elsewhere. Switching from AC to EC fans has led to direct energy savings of 66%, which means the investment paid for itself in less than a year.
An additional 10-15% in savings were gained by reviewing and adapting the individual systems to the actual needs; some were merged and others could be completely removed from use. All restaurants and shops are ventilated from two equipment rooms, one of which achieved a savings of at least 78% and the other of about 40%.
Renovating the ventilation system by combining the old and the new has lead to yet another victory at the Central Station. The advantages can definitely be felt when it’s time to read the electricity meter.
Summary
All restaurants and shops are ventilated from 2 equipment rooms. Rebuilding the ventilation system and tailored adjustments have meant massive savings. Parts of the existing system were merged or taken completely out of service.
- Equipment room 1: Consumption reduced from 8-10,000KW per month to 1,700KW for savings of at least 78%.
- Equipment room 2: Total savings of approximately 40%.
