Energy
| Saving energy, saving money |
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| Written by Dave Farebrother, 2007 | |
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Big strides towards more sustainable building operation can be achieved at no cost, or very low cost, in almost every case. Dave Farebrother offers some practical advice. What are some basic practices for saving energy?How can staff be encouraged to participate in energy-saving ventures? When you last watched a TV documentary about the disappearing polar ice caps, did you take advantage of the advertising break to go out into the kitchen, fill the kettle and make a cup of tea? So did thousands of other people. Did it occur to you that your actions might be contributing to the problems you were witnessing on your screen? When you went into the kitchen was the light already on? Did you fill the kettle with water, or add just enough to make a single cup? It is this disconnect between our own behaviour and the phenomena we worry about on a global scale that is one of the biggest barriers to taking meaningful action in our homes and in our places of work. When people say that it will cost too much money to tackle climate change, does it occur to them what the cost might be of not doing something? Perhaps the reason they think this way is that they are too close to the problem: not seeing the full picture leads to some erroneous assumptions. Ultimately, environmental impacts tend to boil down to waste - over-exploitation of resources, throwing things into landfill, pollution; excess energy use. Any good businessman will tell you that eliminating waste saves money and is good for business. So why is there a blind spot when it comes to the environment? Energy is a particularly good example. It is a bottom line cost to any business: in other words, lost profit. Reducing energy usage means paying out less money, which means more profit - and at the same time you can benefit the environment. Sometimes decisions not to improve energy efficiency are given justification on the grounds of capital cost. That's a position that can usually be argued against, as sound financial analysis will often reveal that energy efficiency is one of the most effective investments to be made. But there is also a range of measures that can be taken that cost little or nothing other than a bit of time and effort - oh, and some commitment. Ideas into practiceRegis House is a 1990s air-conditioned office building of a little over 6500sqm, with full BMS control. In 2004 Land Securities decided to enter this property into the inaugural European Energy Trophy competition. The rules were simple: save as much CO2 as possible over the course of one year without any capital investment in new plant or controls. Having spent 16 years as an energy manager with Land Securities before concentrating on wider issues of sustainability, it was clear to me that the keys to efficient operation are awareness and motivation. My successor in the energy hot seat, Foon Tse, and the Building Manager, Steve Devonshire, were willing recruits to the cause and put in place an approach whose ultimate success exceeded all expectations. Like all good marketing campaigns it began with a logo, Reggie, a cheeky cartoon chappie with a lamp stuck on his head. Reggie appeared on the vivid red t-shirts that we made our maintenance, security and cleaning staff wear as part of the awareness-raising process. Steve personally approached the office manager at each tenant in the building, explained what we were trying to do and sought their buy-in. Foon sat down with our maintenance contractor and agreed an enhanced programme that would ensure they paid even greater attention than usual to set-points and running hours. Perhaps most importantly of all, we secured permission from our tenants for cleaners and security guards to turn off lights in areas that were not occupied. A newsletter was produced explaining the initiative and we reported progress on a monthly basis. To cut to the chase, after 12 months the level of CO2 emissions was reduced by 29.2 per cent, equivalent to knocking £44,000 off the energy bill, and Regis House came second in the competition. Our expenses were just over £200 for a few t-shirts. Why would anyone not want to do this? Of course, not every building will be able to achieve reductions as great as 29 per cent, though a few may even achieve more. However, there will be very, very few locations where savings of 5 per cent are not readily achievable; and it is likely that 10-15 per cent, perhaps even 20 per cent, will be well within reach. So, let's take a look at some of the simple techniques that can be used to reduce energy wastage. Switching offIt does seem a bit obvious, doesn't it, but this is the simplest and most effective way to save energy. But care is needed in how to present and implement a switch-off campaign; some people still labour under the misapprehension that it is about turning off lights and heating so that staff are forced to work in the dark and the cold. This is precisely what must not happen. Efficient use of energy in buildings is about providing the right conditions at the right times. The trick is to not light, heat, cool or ventilate areas that are not occupied, particularly outside of normal working hours. There are various ways to achieve this: time clocks, presence detectors, full BMS or automated controls and, of course, the old fashioned on/off switch. Empower security guards and cleaners to turn lights off in unoccupied areas outside of normal working hours. It might be necessary to provide a little bit of training, but the end result will be worth it. The keys to making switch-off campaigns work are awareness and repetition. Make sure staff and service partners know what you are trying to achieve, why and how. Make it fun; launch the campaign with a quiz or give a prize to the floor that cuts usage the most. It is important to maintain the momentum. It is no good launching the campaign and then forgetting all about it. Report back the results on a regular basis, so that staff can see what effect they are having, and refresh the campaign at intervals with new posters, all-user emails or spot prizes. A slightly more complicated aspect to switching off equipment is to ensure that operating hours are appropriate. This requires the building manager or maintenance engineer to check, on a daily basis, that the occupation times and run-hours programmed in for that day match and that they suit the requirements of the occupiers. In an all too common scenario, plant over-run will be requested in advance, the late meeting or event will then be cancelled but nobody remembers to tell the engineer, so the plant runs to heat or cool an empty floor. Setting levelsEnsure that heating and cooling set-points are appropriate and are checked on a regular basis. If staff are happy, try turning the heating thermostat down by one degree. If nobody complains about the cold, turn it down another degree and so on until people notice. A one-degree difference in the set-point can make a 10 per cent difference to the energy required for heating. Of course, the same applies in reverse for cooling. Ventilation rates are also important. Frequently, temperature set-points will be increased because somebody complains about being cold but in reality they may feel cold because of a draught, and all that happens is that the heating and cooling systems end up fighting each other and waste a lot of energy. Lighting levels will also invariably be wrong. Fine work, as in a factory, requires high Lux levels but only in the localised working environment. Even in offices, consider a lower background lighting level with increased illuminance on desks. Task lighting not only helps reduce waste, it gives occupiers greater control over their own working space and that tends to make people more comfortable and happier, thereby improving morale. MeasurementMeasuring what you use enables you to gain better control. Ensure consumption is monitored as regularly as seems practical or necessary. With BMS controls, usage can be constantly monitored and half-hourly electricity meters enable next-day downloads of data. To avoid data overload it is perhaps best to only use Day+One exception reports, picking up when usage patterns deviate from the predicted norms - but do try to look at consumption trends monthly or weekly, depending on how much energy you use. Measurement on its own achieves nothing, of course; you have to make use of the data. Trend analysis is fairly simple but if you don't have the knowledge to draw deeper conclusions from the data, it will be worth enlisting some expert help. MaintenanceWell-maintained plant runs more efficiently, so ensure equipment is regularly and effectively looked after. Maintenance is also about ensuring that sensors are working and are correctly calibrated. This is an ongoing process, not something to be done once and then forgotten. The daily health checkOur experience on the frontline reminds us regularly that there are a few things the facilities manager or energy manager can do in any building, which should start to produce noticeable savings very quickly. These include:
About the authorDave Farebrother is Assistant Director Environmental Services at Land Securities Group. Please visit www.landsecurities.com / |
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