"We replaced old radiators with modern dark radiators and saved over 46 percent energy."

With around 90 employees, eepos is one of the industry leaders in the field of ergonomic workplace equipment and has branches on five continents. The core of the eepos portfolio consists of smooth-running aluminum crane systems based on a modular principle. In the automotive and mechanical engineering industries, these have become the quasi-standard for innovative lifting solutions in the range up to two tons. With a new, highly efficient infrared hall heating system from KÜBLER, eepos is now also marking a milestone on the way to becoming a climate-neutral company at its Wiehl site.

The goals: Reliable operation and maximum efficiency

"Our old infrared heating system was getting on in years, some of the devices were already defective and spare parts were hard to come by. In addition, the radiators were no longer optimally positioned with regard to the production and logistics layout, which had changed in the meantime," explains Michael Voigt, Head of Quality Assurance and Facility Management at eepos GmbH Wiehl. The hall buildings at the site have been heated with dark radiators since 1992. Since then, the devices have been repeatedly repaired and replaced, but it finally became clear: if operational safety and economical heating operation are the top priority, there is no way around a new heating system.

Technical solution: The MAXIMA high-efficiency line

As part of the comprehensive refurbishment project, the existing dark radiator system in the 2,100 m² production and storage area was replaced with infrared heaters from KÜBLER's MAXIMA high-efficiency range. With an efficiency of 80 percent, this is probably the most economical dark radiator system currently on the market. Optimized for the use of methane, liquid gas or biogas - and of course H₂-ready.

A total of nine infrared heaters were installed, spread over two hall areas with a total of four heating zones, which have to meet different requirements. These include the storage and production area, pre-assembly and final assembly as well as the door area. During the layout planning for the new installation of the KÜBLER system, the positioning of the radiant heaters was also adapted to the current conditions. This was an important detail, as it meant that the number of heaters required could be reduced by 10 percent from the outset.

"This is amazing. Less than two minutes after the hall doors are closed, it's pleasantly warm again, no matter how cold it is outside."

CO₂ avoid instead of compensate

The operational CO₂-emissions are systematically recorded at eepos on the basis of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard and have so far mainly been offset by the purchase of climate protection certificates. With the new, highly efficient KÜBLER infrared heating system, however, emissions of primary greenhouse gases will be sustainably reduced in the future, thus permanently lowering the cost of certificates.

Automatically on course for efficiency: the CELESTRA heating control system

The new heating system is controlled by the modular, intuitive KÜBLER CELESTRA digital cockpit, the key to the efficiency targets of GEG and ISO 50001. eepos decided to integrate the following modules on the basis of an individual needs analysis: E.M.M.A. for active energy management in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. SmarTec, a self-learning savings program that regulates the optimum time to switch on the heating systems depending on the outside temperature. And finally WinTec for convenient system access from any PC workstation.

"Personally, I'm particularly impressed by the easy, intuitive operation of the system. Adjustments can be made in no time at all. You really don't need an instruction manual, everything is practically self-explanatory. And thanks to the WinTec module, I can make all the settings from my laptop. It couldn't be more convenient."

Future already built in - the innovative retrofit option for electric operation

If required, the standard version of the KÜBLER MAXIMA used at eepos can be upgraded to an e-hybrid system with a retrofit kit. This provides an additional 10 kW of electrical heating power per unit. Automatic switchover to green PV power when available included. This is efficiency rethought.

Mission accomplished: 46.5 percent energy savings

Before the refurbishment measures were implemented, the energy consumption of the existing infrared heating system was just under 350,000 kWh per year. According to the consumption forecast, replacing the old system with modern KÜBLER MAXIMA infrared dark radiators already resulted in potential savings of around 38 percent. However, this impressive figure could be significantly exceeded during operation, as the highly efficient MAXIMA infrared heating line has unprecedented efficiency reserves. A real game changer.

In conjunction with the optimized positioning of the spotlights and thanks to minimal convection losses, the average hall temperature was reduced by an additional two degrees - without any loss of comfort for the employees. This effectively reduced energy consumption by a further 8 percent. All in all, a total saving of around 163,000 kWh per year or 46.5 percent compared to the initial consumption. And thanks to the optimum efficiency of the KÜBLER system, one heating zone can now even be switched off completely at times. Potential for additional savings.

The same applies to dark radiators: it's worth changing

Dark radiators generally consume less energy than conventional technologies. However, modernization with the latest generation of high-efficiency infrared systems is also worthwhile here. Enormous savings potential can be realized with little effort. An investment in the future that pays for itself within a few years and secures eepos a pool position on the way to becoming a climate-neutral company. For the benefit of the environment, the company and its employees.

The bottom line

The installation itself was possible without interrupting ongoing production and was completed in three weeks. Including renewal of the gas and electrical supply lines.

Although we also renewed the entire gas and electricity supply line at the same time, our renovation project went extremely well. All the work was completed as planned within three weeks - without interrupting production."

 We ask Michael Voigt what his experiences are with the new infrared heating system at eepos. His answer: "With the old system, we often had to set the temperature to 24 °C or 25 °C in order to end up with reasonably pleasant temperatures in the hall. With the KÜBLER heating system, 19 °C is enough. In fact, at the suggestion of the employees, we were able to lower the effective target temperature by 2 degrees without any loss of comfort."

On the contrary. The employees are really happy with the new heating system. What's more, it now only takes one or two minutes for the hall to be pleasantly warm again when the doors are opened in cold temperatures. Previously, this would have taken forever. All in all, eepos is extremely satisfied. Michael Voigt:

"The fact that we were even able to significantly undercut the ambitious savings forecasts during operation was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Our investment will have paid for itself within a few years."