As climate change continues to shift from the realm of theory to reality, the world has begun to acknowledge the urgent need for action. Conversion to more sustainable energy sources and technology are at the top of the agenda. The challenge lies in the fact that most sustainable technologies are still in the development phase and not yet capable of making any real impact. If global industry is to take immediate action, it will need to rely on today's technology. But few are aware of the options already available.

That is the where 'Meet the Energy Challenge NOW' comes in: it provides a platform for Grundfos to showcase the enormous and often overlooked energy-savings potential within pump systems, which currently account for 10 per cent of the world's total energy consumption.

Reaching new target groups
With 'Meet the Energy Challenge Now', Grundfos wades right into the energy debate, by highlighting how replacing pumps with more efficient models could immediately reduce C02 emissions - with the added bonus of slashing energy costs.

In collaboration with Kunde & Co, Grundfos targets a diverse selection of groups ranging from technicians and installers, to corporate social responsibility (CSR) personnel and politicians. A key challenge was that these target groups had little prior knowledge of Grundfos or pumps in general. This meant the communication material has to explain an extremely complex and often technical story in a concise and understandable way.

Being essentially an information platform, 'Meet the Energy Challenge NOW' employs a selection of elements including a technical brochure, concept folder and a handbook for CSR personnel. The project website grundfos.com/energy provides an in-depth overview of the issues involved and includes interviews with leading climate scientists from all over the world.

Pinpointing the key energy offenders
The project entailed a massive research and data collection effort. Some of the information collected included motor efficiency facts and figures as well as the vast body of relevant legislation. A key finding was that the electrical motors used to drive pumps represent the single largest opportunity to reduce energy consumption, much more so than other, better known 'green' solutions, such as energy-friendly light bulbs or household appliances. Making that fact known became a major facet of the project.

An untapped potential
In 'Meet the Energy Challenge NOW', Grundfos highlights how pumps represent a largely overlooked opportunity to reduce energy consumption. This boils down to many pumps being incorrectly sized for their installations, while the motors that drive them waste energy by constantly running at high speeds no matter what the actual requirement.

Grundfos BlueFlux® - a helping hand
To help decision-makers choose energy friendly pump solutions, Grundfos has created the BlueFlux® label. This designates pump and motor solutions with the capacity to reduce energy consumption, sometimes by up to 60 per cent. The regularly updated label also informs pump users that the product it is attached to lives up to Europe's increasingly strict energy efficiency standards.