Dubbed SRF Optimiser, this web-based decision-support tool has been designed to evaluate truck operators’ opportunities for fuel saving, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and minimising energy consumption – as well as the associated cost savings.
Professor Phil Greening, from Heriot-Watt University, makes the point that, by analysing the investment and likely payback period for each carbon reducing measure, fleet engineers can prioritise best approaches.
“[This tool] can calculate real cost, carbon and energy savings for many types of road freight operation, enabling a fleet manager to carry out ‘what-if' studies free-of-charge,” states Greening.
“And it could also avoid uneconomic investment in new equipment,” he adds.
The new SRF Optimiser portal uses operators’ own fleet data to calculate carbon emissions based on the latest DEFRA carbon emission factors, he explains.
It can analyse numerous factors proven to influence fuel economy – including aerodynamic devices, driver behaviour improvement schemes and alternative fuels, including bio-diesel and CNG/LNG.
It can also be used to generate necessary inputs for the ESOS (Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme) fleet emission reporting.
The SRF Optimiser User guide can be downloaded at www.csrf.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/SRF-Opti....
The free to use SRF Optimiser can be found at the login page http://www.csrf.ac.uk/srf-optimiser-2/