Element Six (E6) develops and manufactures synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide solutions used in a broad range of applications, with several facilities operating across the globe. Their Irish site is located in Shannon near the airport in Co. Clare, with approximately 500 people employed at the Shannon site.

  • €56,000

    energy cost savings

  • 271 Tonnes

    CO2 reduction

  • 90%

    of oil use eliminated from the site

Key Achievements

Data on energy efficiency levels is now being provided for

Delivery of a more comfortable working space at lower temperatures

Zoned areas for temperature control now in place to reduce fossil fuel consumption

Background

Element Six (E6) develops and manufactures synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide solutions used in a broad range of applications, with several facilities operating across the globe. Their Irish site is located in Shannon near the airport in Co. Clare, with approximately 500 people employed at the Shannon site.

Element Six are part of SEAI’s Large Industry Energy Network (LIEN).

LIEN members are companies with an annual energy spend of €1 million or more. SEAI work with these companies to improve their energy performance.

The Project

E6 has a corporate goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.

To realize this goal, E6 opted to implement the Energy Management System (EnMS) ISO50001:2018 standard on their site, which is a process for continually improving energy performance.

Establishing an EnMS requires you to:

  • Develop and implement an energy policy
  • Identify your main energy users
  • Set energy objectives and measurable targets
  • Implement and operate programmes to meet these objectives and targets
  • Check and take corrective action as required
  • Review your system continually and improve where possible

Continual improvement ensures you remain alert for new opportunities as they arise and exploit all areas where energy savings can be achieved.

 

In addition, E6 also chose to install a heat pump, along with new fan coil units and to implement the zoning of heating areas to reduce their fossil fuel consumption.

Implementing the Energy Management System (EnMS) ISO50001:2018 standard on the Shannon site raised the overall awareness of energy consumption.

The project went well. Designer Group and the installer worked well with our production staff to make the disruption as painless as possible. Designer Group also managed the grant aspect for us and the feedback on this front was excellent.
Steve Gorvel, Engineering and Facilities Manager, Element Six

Measures included

  • Implementing the EnMS ISO50001:2018 standard on the Shannon site for continually improving energy performance
  • Installing a heat pump which recovers heat from the production processes at Element Six, with new fan coil units
  • The zoning of heating areas to reduce fossil fuel consumption

Element Six are now discussing energy more regularly and are monitoring data related to energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Element Six’s heat pump installation, which recovers heat from production processes, has so far avoided 271 tonnes of CO2 emissions and eliminated 90% of their oil consumption.

What's next?

Following their first achievements in fossil fuel reduction, Element Six’s next steps will be further oil consumption reduction on site through the installation of a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system and carrying out an energy efficiency audit to upgrade their thermal energy efficiencies with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. Element Six have commissioned an audit of the site looking at solar opportunities which could potentially deliver 9% of their annual electricity consumption using an on-site generated solution.

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