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Rising MHE energy costs

04.04.2022
Rising MHE energy costs - Monday, 04.04.2022

From 1 April 2022 new government legislation will have a major impact. Non-agriculture businesses can no longer use red diesel to power materials handling equipment (MHE). In its itself, this development represents increased costs. Now, unprecedented and exceptional increases in the cost of white diesel, and in turn LPG gas, will send bills even higher. So, how can you tackle rising MHE energy costs?

 

Switch to electric trucks

One way is to make the switch. Change from IC engine trucks to electric-powered machines. Clearly, this is a big step. So, it’s important to assess the benefits. Are standard lead acid batteries the best solution for your operation? Or are lithium-powered systems or other battery technologies requiring regular opportunity charging a more cost-effective option?

 

Electricity supply

Certainly, the other key factor is the situation in Ukraine. We have no idea about potential electricity supply cost increases. So, irrespective of the technology you choose, consider the cost of recharging batteries.

 

Recharging considerations

Fundamentally, recharging battery-powered MHE is determined by two important considerations. Firstly, how much power the machine draws during operation. Then, there’s the percentage of inefficiency of the charger. Take lithium and any system requiring regular opportunity charging. The amount of energy returned determines the cost of this energy replacement. Equally, the Kw unit cost of electricity when taken from the AC mains supply has a bearing.

 

Time of day

Often, companies access low-cost energy at certain times of the day. It’s about peak time and off-peak time electricity costs. Of course, these times can vary. It depends on the user’s contract with their power supplier. In general, peak time electricity from 06.00 to 22.00. Off-peak times are between 22.00 and 06.00. This is important. Off-peak electricity can cost 28%-32% less than at peak rate.

 

Rising MHE energy costs

Operating over a single or two shift period? We can help you to reduce energy costs. The solution is our high efficiency TCHF smart charger. It’s 23% more efficient than a standard low frequency charger. Adding our Trak-Air system delivers a further 11% efficiency. A key benefit is that the TCHF Trak-Air can recharge a battery fully in six hours. This includes end of charge rest. So, it fits within the 22.00 to 06.00 off-peak period. As a result, businesses save an extra further 30%. This is on top of the other savings.

 

Weekly planner

For added flexibility, there’s the TCHF and TCHF Trak-Air system weekly planner. This allows charges to be pre-set individually. You can set it for every day of the week. So, no matter what time you connect the charger to the battery, it only operates within the pre-set times. Businesses benefit from full use of lower cost electricity. 

 

Examples

As a guide to costs here are some examples. The basis is 5.5 days’ work per week. The work is carried out over 51 weeks per year. Peak rate electricity is £0.15p per Kw unit. Off-peak electricity is £0.11p per Kw unit.

                                                                        LF charger      HF Charger     TCHF Air +Off-Peak

Counterbalance          48v 625Ah                   £1,900.00        £1,457.00        £930.00

Reach Truck               48v 775Ah                   £3,172.00        £2,429.00        £1,550.00

VNA                            80v 620Ah                   £2,379.00        £1,821.00        £1,162.00

 

Free energy audit

Ready to tackle rising MHE energy costs? We can help. Email sales@hoppecke.co.uk to apply for a free energy audit.