Grundfos' Sustainable Manufacturing & Energy Efficiency

Manufacturers are thrusting the energy transition into the forefront of their operations. That’s the case at Grundfos, the largest pump manufacturer in the world, which is being led by Glynn Williams, Area Director for Commercial Building Services.

Williams joined the company in 1999 and now holds this position for North West Europe, as well as retaining the position as country lead for the UK. He has more than three decades of experience across the industry, having kicked off his career in 1988 as a Technical Sales Representative with BSS. He has first-hand experience of the company’s approach to innovation in pursuit of climate change and environmental solutions.

“It's undoubtedly the people who make Grundfos such a remarkable and successful organisation,” he said.

Here, he tells us more. 

Decarbonisation and energy efficiency at Grundfos

Grundfos is taking innovative approaches to address the energy challenges faced by our customers by offering cost-effective energy solutions that prioritise efficiency and sustainability. 

“We support companies in their ambitions to grow in a sustainable manner,” says Williams. “When the leading soft drinks manufacturer, Britvic, experienced a surge in demand that required higher energy consumption, they approached Grundfos for support on how to achieve their operational goals without compromising their sustainability ambitions.” Grundfos responded with an advanced custom turnkey solution: four booster sets and an improved cooling system to increase Britvic’s production. 

“The energy solutions helped Britvic increase their production and reduce wastewater and energy usage, thereby helping the soft drinks giant to minimise their carbon footprint and cut energy costs.”

In addition to working with customers to develop solutions to their energy challenges, Grundfos conducted research and worked with its partners to better understand the roadblocks that consumers and businesses face when it comes to energy efficiency. 

“Most recently, we commissioned research from leading polling providers JL Partners to gain a better understanding of the prevailing challenges, attitudes and motivations that consumers around the country have towards household energy efficiency.”

Grundfos' approach to low-cost, high-impact solutions

Research shows that the median amount households are willing to spend on improving their energy efficiency is no more than £500 (US$635) per year. This underscores the importance of ‘low-hanging fruit’ energy solutions; measures that are cost-effective and deliver high-impact. 

Grundfos is actively working with partners across industry and government to help households access these low-hanging fruit solutions, such as optimising a heating system by updating an old circulator pump or ensuring a system is properly balanced. 

“While these measures are often overlooked for more conventional, costlier upgrades such as home insulation, they are highly effective in helping households optimise their energy use and slash their energy costs,” Williams says. “For instance, with just 10% of the UK's heating systems being properly balanced, many of the UK’s homes are running old and inefficient heating systems. For an initial investment of approximately £120 (US$152), the simple adjustment of properly balancing a heating system has the potential to save up to 20% of yearly utility bills.”

Williams is adamant that the road to decarbonisation does not have to be costly and time-intensive for households. 

“By developing smarter energy solutions and advocating for low-cost, high-impact measures, we aim to help households gain control over their energy use in a bid to reduce their emissions and cut costs.”

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