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When we talk about energy management, we are not just referring to the usage of energy in your buildings. We are discussing implications and results as well. Energy management involves monitoring energy usage throughout your building, controlling where it is needed and when, and conserving it where possible. This control leads to far-reaching benefits to both the environment and your bottom line.
The importance of energy management begins with the basic fact that by knowing where your energy is being consumed and at what scale, you can target where it is being wasted and adjust as needed. This in turn provides a savings that can range from modest to significant portions of your energy budget. As well, by lowering your energy usage, you effectively reduce your carbon footprint, which has enormous benefits. A reduction in carbon emissions means reduced damage to our planet and atmosphere, lower carbon taxes (currently depends on what state / province you reside in), a lower dependence on rapidly depleting fossil fuels, the meeting of any outstanding legislative requirements that are or may be implemented in the future, and an overall promotion of green, sustainable living. To cap it off, by lowering your energy usage, you effectively lower the possibility that a future shortage in supply or rapid increase in pricing will have a negative, possibly destructive impact on your business.
Begin with proper metering of your total energy consumption on 15 or 30 minute intervals. By taking readings consistently at this frequency, you are better able to notice any patterns of waste that are taking place during the daily routines of your building equipment and occupants that would not become apparent were one to physically read a meter once a day or even less.
Your next step is to use this data to find and implement energy-saving strategies where they are needed. The easiest way to make an initial and drastic change in energy usage if it is not already implemented is to put all HVAC equipment on a time-of-day schedule. If equipment / lighting systems need to be on 24 hours a day, then there is nothing to be done about that. However, most equipment is only needed during occupancy hours, give or take an hour or two. With lighting systems, having them set on a motion detection system allows them to shut off automatically when not required, saving a lot of excess energy that would otherwise be wasted needlessly. If there are areas without automated control, encourage staff to shut off lights or equipment after use. Through proper metering, these spikes in energy usage can be easily noted and quantified both before and after solutions have been put into effect.
For larger scale renovations such as equipment upgrades or insulation installation, by monitoring the energy used vs. the energy that could potentially be saved by doing the proposed upgrades, you can calculate the buy-back period and use that to decide whether it will be worth it in the long run. Also, using the energy metering system after installation will give you the numbers to prove the benefits of the upgrades and re-evaluate the time frame for your buy-back period.
Once you have implemented your solutions, follow up. Keep staff aware of the changes that have been undertaken, and remind them that you need their continued support and assistance in making these changes permanent. Keep an eye on the time-of-day schedules and fine-tune them after witnessing their performance over a suitable time period. Ensure any recently adjusted settings or timers have not reverted back to their factory defaults for any reason. Something as simple as a power outage may cause issues that may be overlooked if a close eye isn’t kept.
Energy monitoring is an on-going process that requires someone with initiative to tackle a possibly large-scale project. Decide how far you’re willing to take it and commit fully to achieving that goal. Energy monitoring is not a one-off, it’s a fundamental building performance platform that will allow you to save money, protect the future of your business and contribute to the healing of the environment.
Contact us to learn more!