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ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Wispeco Aluminium’s Drive Towards Green Manufacturing
Wispeco Aluminium aspires to “Go Green” and we take up our responsibility to set an example as leading aluminium extruder in South Africa. We would like to mention the benefits of aluminium with regards to Green Manufacturing, as well as the measures Wispeco Aluminium is taking to engage in the process of becoming more “Green”.
Drive 1: Recyclability
Aluminium is fully recyclable, keeping its original strength characteristics when recycled. Wispeco Aluminium has its own remelting facilities where recycled aluminium is melted and cast into billets for extrusion. More than half of the aluminium used in the manufacturing of Wispeco’s extrusions is recycled aluminium.
Drive 2: Energy Efficiency in the Manufacturing Process of Recycled Aluminium
Producing aluminium billet from recycled material uses only 5% of the energy to produce virgin/primary billet through refinement of alumina and reduction of alumina into aluminium.
Drive 3: CO₂Emissions
As can be seen in the table below, the carbon dioxide emissions of aluminium production is four times lower than that of steel production and 1.5 times less than that of uPVC production.
|
Product |
Crawford Embodied CO₂emissions (kg) |
Index |
|
Aluminium |
238 |
1.00 |
|
uPVC |
360 |
1.51 |
|
Structural Steel |
956 |
4.02 |
Table 1: Environmental Comparison of Window Materials [AAAMSA Selection Guide June 2008]
Drive 4: Corrosion Resistance and Durability
The corrosion resistance and durability of aluminium is excellent, making it a popular choice in green building. The resistance can be increased, along with enhancing theappearance,through surface finishing such as anodising and powder coating. Wispeco Aluminium offers anodising and powder coating at our SABS approved factories.
An undeniable advantage of using aluminium is the fact that it is largely maintenance free. According to the Aluminium Federation of South Africa (AFSA), the oldest known aluminium structure in South Africa is the Jeppe Street post office. The aluminium was installed over 70 years ago and is still performing the service intended.
Drive 5: Strength-to-Weight Ratio
Aluminium has very good mechanical properties and a high strength-to-weight ratio. Wispeco Aluminium manufactures lightweight aluminium railings that are used in large transport vehicles, which results in a lighter load and lower fuel consumption than what would have been the case when using a heavier material like steel.
Drive 6: Thermal Efficiency
Wispeco has designed and developed a range of thermally efficient windows and doors, suitable for single and double glazing. As a result of its thermal efficiency properties, the product keeps warmth in during winter and coolness in during summer, reducing the use of air conditioning and heating systems – and thus saving energy. The proven U-factor results confirmed that the 520 system is currently the most thermally efficient aluminium window and door system produced locally. The 520 window system is the latest European style window to be manufactured with imported Roto Hardware.
Configuration |
Width/Height (mm) |
Area (m²) |
U-Factor |
SHGC |
|
Tilt & Turn Window |
1185 x 1485 |
1.76 |
3.67 |
0.524 |
Drive 7: Ecospecifier Listing
Wispeco has been awarded EcoSpecifier accreditation due to the large recycled content in its aluminium products.
Our product has been assessed by Ecospecifier and meets the criteria to be listed as a member of their association. A pre-assessment was conducted by the GreenRate Green Building Scheme and the product was found likely to contribute to the achievement of Green Building rating tool credits.
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