Welcome to Powered by Paul – a bite-sized blog series where our Technical Director, Paul Boylan, shares sharp insights on energy efficiency, sustainability, and smarter systems.
Each post is short, practical, and pulled straight from the field—no fluff, just expert perspective from someone who lives and breathes efficient energy.
Engineering, operations, sustainability — Paul Boylan has always been hands-on when it comes to making systems smarter and greener. His recent focus has been on driving real-world energy efficiency through smart initiatives, awareness, and practical action. Whether it’s boosting corporate responsibility or scaling sustainable solutions, Paul’s about connecting the dots and making it happen.
As Co-Founder and Technical Director of Vivid Edge, he helps organisations sidestep the “race to the bottom” by accessing high-performance energy solutions — without tying up capital. His work helps customers achieve savings, resilience, and real climate impact from day one.
Now that you’ve met Paul and what drives his work, it’s time to dive into his latest insights.
This page is updated regularly.
Paul’s latest posts always appear first, so check back often for fresh takes on energy efficiency, sustainability, and smarter business solutions—served short and sharp.
Powered by Paul
Grid Services as a Service - the Missing Piece in Energy Strategy?
2025.04.29. Paul Boylan
The recent widespread grid failure across Spain and Portugal, as well as the recent power failure at Heathrow serve as a stark reminder of how fragile our energy infrastructure can be and how vulnerable we remain. As demand rises, weather extremes intensify, and renewables grow in share, the grid is under unprecedented strain and resilience has never been more critical.
Increasing energy efficiency remains vital!
That said, “when” and “how” we use energy is just as important as how much we use. That’s where Grid Services “as a Service” comes in.
At Vivid Edge, we work with grid services specialists to help clients unlock the hidden value of flexible energy assets… i.e. chillers, compressors, heat pumps, BESS, and HVO-fuelled backup generators all of which (depending on size) can be configured to support the grid through demand response and load shifting strategies…
These clean tech services not only provide the essential (efficient) heating, cooling, power, and resilience that your operations rely on every day, they can also be used dynamically to reduce carbon, support the grid, and potentially generate revenue.
By aligning energy use with grid needs, (especially during peak demand or high renewable output), it is possible to:
💡 Lower costs via avoided peak tariffs
💡 Monetise flexibility through capacity/grid support schemes
💡 Reduce emissions by shifting load to cleaner energy windows
💡 Enhance energy security and resilience
And the best part? We support this in a service model, so clients can access the tech, software, and strategy without the upfront capital or complexity.
If you’re already thinking solar, heat pumps, refrigeration upgrades or battery storage, why not go a step further and make those assets work smarter with the grid?
Flexibility = Opportunity.
Resilience = Security
Ready to consider a new approach?
Another Bright Tip from Paul – Scroll Smart, Save Smarter
Smarter Cooling, Cleaner Future - Why It’s Time to Rethink Refrigeration
2025.04.25. Paul Boylan
Refrigeration as a Service… Smarter Cooling, Cleaner Future
At Vivid Edge, we’re seeing a transformation in how organisations approach cooling. Refrigeration can often be amongst the highest energy users on-site (especially in sectors like food production, retail, pharma, and logistics). But it’s often overlooked.
The cost of doing nothing is rising… with electricity prices fluctuating, F-Gas regulations tightening, and net zero commitments looming, ageing refrigeration systems are not just inefficient, they’re becoming real liabilities.
The good news? New-generation refrigeration systems are smarter, cleaner, and more efficient than ever.
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios) have improved significantly, thanks to advanced compressors, better controls, variable speed drives, and smarter monitoring. These innovations carve an opportunity to realise real optimisation.
Furthermore, the heat that refrigeration systems reject can now be recovered and reused. Instead of dumping waste heat into the atmosphere, that energy can provide space heating or preheat hot water, reducing fossil fuel use elsewhere on site.
In other words, modern refrigeration isn’t just about cooling… It can be part of a broader “integrated” energy strategy.
That’s why at Vivid Edge, we can support Refrigeration upgrades under our “Refrigeration as a Service” (RaaS), taking that capital cost and turning it into an operational expense while giving you a high efficiency, low carbon, resilient new system that works for your business.
Alternatively, we can bundle refrigeration into a broader suite of measures under our Energy as a Service package, where HVAC, heating, lighting, compressed air system upgrades and renewables interventions are all optimised together for maximum impact.
Why now?
- Energy savings of 15 – 40% are possible with modern, optimised systems.
- F-Gas compliance is critical! New rules are restricting high-GWP refrigerants
- Heat recovery turns a waste stream into a valuable resource
- No upfront capital cost with our “As a Service” model
- Potential to participate in and benefit from some “Grid Services” schemes
In many respects, your refrigeration system upgrade can serve as a strategic asset.
Ready to cut carbon and costs?
Another Bright Tip from Paul – Scroll Smart, Save Smarter
Cut the Speed, Cut the Cost: Inside the Motor Efficiency Fix
2025.04.23. Paul Boylan
🚨 Oversized motors = oversized energy bills
For decades, pumps and fans in commercial buildings have been routinely oversized, running at full speed regardless of demand. It was the norm but it’s no longer necessary.
Today’s high-efficiency induction motors (IE3–IE5) paired with variable speed drives (VSDs) are changing the game. By matching motor speed to the actual load, you can unlock significant savings and the “Cube Rule” explains why…
The “Cube rule,” or affinity law, for Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) on pumps and fans states that the power consumed by a pump or fan is proportional to the cube of its speed. This means that a small reduction in speed can lead to a significant decrease in power consumption, making VSDs an effective way to save energy
Flow rate ∝ speed… Torque ∝ speed²… and Power ∝ speed³
Simple example – Assuming an annual AUP of €0.25/kWh and annual operating hours of 4,160 hours, reducing the speed of a 22 kW extraction fan (FL efficiency 90%) by 20% delivers an annual saving of ~ €12,400, which is a 48.8% reduction in energy cost, under the Cube rule.
- It’s not just speed control: Additional savings are achievable…
- Better motor sizing (no more “just in case” oversizing)
- Advanced impeller and fan blade design (more efficient movement)
- Real-time optimisation through BMS and smart controls (demand based savings)
- Reduced wear & tear means reduced maintenance and extended asset life
At Vivid Edge, we help organisations capture these savings through our Energy as a Service (EaaS) model, supporting site-wide upgrades with no upfront capital.
- These “Bundled solutions” include
- Heat pump migrations
- Chillers/Refrigeration system upgrades
- Compressed Air upgrades
- HVAC upgrades
- LED lighting upgrades
- Solar PV coupled with Battery energy storage
- Energy monitoring and optimisation tools
These aren’t small wins… they’re strategic moves toward a lower-carbon, lower-cost future.
Another Bright Tip from Paul – Scroll Smart, Save Smarter
Still Lighting the Past? Time to Flip the Switch
2025.04.16. Paul Boylan
Lighting as a Service
💡 Still lighting the past? Time to catch up.
It still surprises me how many buildings and car parks are stuck using fluorescent tubes, incandescent bulbs, or sodium lights. Even some of the early-gen LEDs are now falling behind the curve.
You don’t have to wait until the lights fail to upgrade…. chances are you’ve already passed the tipping point where a retrofit makes sense.
Modern LED lighting systems are streets ahead — smarter, cleaner, more efficient.
They:
✅ Slash energy use
✅ Cut emissions
✅ Reduce maintenance
✅ Improve lighting quality
✅ Enhance working environments including security
✅ Support your ESG story
Even early LED installs are now being replaced with next-gen LEDs and intelligent controls. These systems only use energy when you actually need light. It’s a game-changer.
And if upfront capital is an issue? That’s where Lighting as a Service comes in.
At Vivid Edge we deliver:
- Lighting energy and cost savings
- Maintenance-free lighting for up to 10–15 years
- Emergency lighting and controls included
- No capex required — just a service agreement
Lighting might not be your biggest energy load, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. It’s often one of the easiest wins with fast payback and long-term impact.
Let’s stop lighting the past — and start lighting the future.
Another Bright Tip from Paul – Scroll Smart, Save Smarter
Heat Smarter, Not Harder: Why Heat Pumps Are the Future
Paul Boylan
Heating as a Service
Embrace the Future with Heat Pumps! At Vivid Edge, we’re powering the shift away from fossil fuels with cutting-edge heat pump solutions. As businesses tackle Scope 1 emissions and electrify their heating, heat pumps are leading the charge and for good reason.
Heat pumps are renewable by design, moving heat from natural, endlessly replenished sources like air, water, and the ground. It’s not just smart … it’s the right thing to do. Heat Pumps are not as complicated as you might think
While critics may argue that heat pumps increase reliance on electricity, almost every modern heating system, including gas or oil boilers, depends on electricity for controls and circulation. If there’s a power outage and you don’t have a generator, your fossil fuel boiler can’t distribute heat either.
So, at Vivid Edge we offer Heating as a Service (HaaS), a flexible, low-risk way to upgrade your heating. We also integrate heat pumps into our bundled Energy as a Service (EaaS) that can consider a broader suite of upgrades (e.g. Lighting, HVAC, Compressor, Solar and more!)
Why Heat Pumps?
- Ultra-Efficient – Transfer heat instead of generating it. That means serious energy savings.
- Low-Carbon – Ditch the fossil fuels and cut emissions while running on clean electricity.
- Multifunctional – Can heat (and cool) buildings, provide Domestic hot water… one system, many roles.
- Cost-Smart – Reduce running costs and tap into grants or incentives.
Ready to cut carbon and costs? Contact us ..
Let’s build a cleaner, greener future together.
