Industrial Services, Projects, Equipment, Controls & Consultancy

AUTOCLAVE OPERATING COST SAVINGS

Suffering from autoclave operating energy cost increases…

Energy prices have increased 90% over the last three years. UK industry paid £29 billion more in energy costs between 2021–2024 compared to the four prior years. See below

iSpecc have been addressing this problem. We now have a number of solutions that deliver savings of up to 22%+ on energy utilised by autoclaves. We have been working hard to develop new controls standards, advanced algorithms, operating methodology and AI to provide significant savings.

RESULT FOR AEROSPACE AUTOCLAVE SAVINGS….

 The Autoclave utilization increased from 63% to 96.2%, resulting in a 52% increase in the Autoclave’s utilization.

1. The sustainability department reported on a potential energy savings of 3 households a month, or 36 households of savings a year.
2. Cycle runs reduced from 18 to 15 per month.
3. Saving of ~40 autoclave hours per month.
4. The solution was set up in 2 weeks.
5. Simulations performed to support future growth and reduce delivery risk.
6. The production teams fully adopted the solution after JUST a few hours of training

Is it time to work smarter? iSpecc have the solution. 

UK ENERGY PRICES

Source: Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Since 2021, the average electricity price for UK non-domestic users has increased sharply from 14.81 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2021 Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) to a peak of 28.39 pence per kWh in 2023 Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) – a rise of over 90%.

💰Total Cost Impact

• UK industry paid £29 billion more in energy costs between 2021–2024 compared to the four years before the pandemic
• The steel sector alone saw £1.8 billion in extra energy costs, despite a 40% drop in output

🏭 Why the Spike?

• UK electricity prices are heavily influenced by wholesale gas prices, which set the marginal price for electricity 97% of the time
• The UK’s reliance on gas-fired generation makes it more vulnerable than countries like France or Germany, which lean on nuclear and coal

⚡ Electricity Prices (Non-Domestic Sector)

• In Q1 2021, the average electricity price was 14.81 pence per kWh
• By Q4 2023, it peaked at 28.39 pence per kWh—a 91% increase
• In Q4 2024, it eased slightly to 25.97 pence per kWh, but still 75% higher than in early 2021

🔥 Gas Prices (Non-Domestic Sector)

• In Q1 2021, the average gas price was 2.50 pence per kWh
• It rose to 7.18 pence per kWh in Q1 2023—nearly 3× higher

By Q4 2024, it settled at 5.52 pence per kWh, still more than double the 2021 level