Your office is wasting energy. How can you manage it better?

Historical data like utility bills are important for an energy audit. However, occupancy data of the building and its correlation with energy consumption can provide useful insights. Behavioral changes are also a major cause of energy waste and should be carefully observed during the energy audit.

To audit energy use in your office: Gather information about the building and current energy use. Analyze past utility bills to determine energy usage patterns. Conduct an energy audit to identify areas for improvement in lighting, heating and cooling, and office equipment. Develop an action plan prioritizing items based on potential savings and cost. Implement measures like installing energy-efficient equipment and adjusting thermostat settings. Monitor energy usage regularly and track savings. Review your action plan periodically to identify new opportunities for energy savings.

Keep Maintenance Up to date on existing AHU equipment. (Sadly, generally ignored unless there is a problem) All Filters clean. All Refrigeration Gas pressures at parameters.(On DX systems). All AHU fan belts tight. All cooling coils clean. (All strainers clean). Examine that Cooling coil valves are operating as intended, on maintenance checks. Sensors calibrated. Update or Modify Control Sequences as Needed For example. If an on/off schedule is programmed for a AHU. In it's programming include automatic analysis of it's performance. (If the space is supposed to at a cooling temperature setpoint from 7am to 5pm. The schedule automatically modifies itself to comply with this. AHU start's earlier in summer and later in winter.)

Check out how to optimize the energy elements. For lighting for example, verify their quantity and illumination with respect to the area they are covering. The same approach goes for AC units

To improve energy management in your office, start with an energy audit to identify inefficiencies. Upgrade to energy-efficient LED lighting, install occupancy sensors, and optimize HVAC systems. Promote energy awareness among employees and encourage simple habits like turning off lights and equipment when not in use. Invest in energy-efficient equipment, set computer power-saving settings, and upgrade insulation to minimize heat loss. Monitor and track energy usage, and set clear reduction goals to foster a culture of conservation. These measures collectively reduce energy waste, lower costs, and contribute to a more sustainable workplace.

Upgrading office equipment can be an effective way to reduce energy consumption and save money on utility bills. One could choose energy-efficient models,When purchasing new equipment,such as ENERGY STAR certified. Multifunction devices, such as printers that also scan and copy, can help reduce the number of devices in your office and save on idle baseload of electricity. Make sure to enable power management settings on all office equipment. Old equipment that is not energy-efficient are to be planned to be replaced with new energy efficient models.

Corporate managers for their offices might find themselves in a dilemma on when is a good time to replace office equipments vs contributing more plastic waste & etc in the name of being energy efficient. Replacing energy inefficient lightings with efficient LED lighting is almost a no brainer exercise but becomes a tough decision for equipment such as refrigerators in the pantry or microwave ovens etc that unless it comes to its end of life, will certainly not be a popular opinion to replace for small incremental energy efficiency improvements.It will be great if some fundamental class on what to choose for the office appliances so that energy efficiency and practicality can be inculcated to office managers to right from the start.

Upgrading equipment is critical in improving energy consumption, as ineffective equipment will never yield satisfactory results. To keep the approach economically viable, the ROI has to be calculated.

A great option if the financials will allow. Noting the payback period in the energy audit is key. If equipment is in need of upgrading, this is the perfect time for an energy efficient switch. One most common is lightbulbs (switch to LED), home appliances, and in the office can from computers to kitchen (high usage).

Smart thermostats are a great tool since they will allow total transparency of the heating situation. Again, any assumption that data can be replaced leads to more reliable results. However, their usage is also limited: If crucial factors, such as proper isolation or an effective heating system, are lacking, then the effect of the thermostats is irrelevant. It is an excellent tool after you mastered the basics.

Studies have shown that smart thermostats can help you save up to 8% on your heating and cooling bills. This is because they can learn your schedule and preferences and automatically adjust the temperature when you're away or asleep.

When managing a small space, a smart thermostat is already a good idea to regulate heating according to actual needs. (Be sure to use quality temperature sensors, and place them in a location where the temperature is representative of the space being heated, to avoid any conflicts, because in most cases, if employees don't trust the measurement, they force the thermostat into manual mode). When managing several buildings, intelligent thermostats have even more advantages, as they not only regulate heating, but potentially also continuously balance the hot water network, increasing distribution efficiency.

Optimizing lighting in an office can help reduce energy consumption and create a more comfortable work environment. The most direct way is to maximise natural lighting. This comes as a tradeoff as increased dependency on natural lighting may cause poor lighting scenario on days which solar irradiance is poor. There may also be energy loss due to increased window area with poor insulation. Energy efficient light bulbs such as LED lamps should be used in order to minimise energy usage. Usage control via motion sensors and behavioral change can also help the optimise the energy consumption due to lighting.

Lighting today is an almost irrelevant contribution. Modern lighting systems are now at approximately 10 to 30 times more effective than the old light bulbs. The main contribution remains heating and heavy machinery.

Lighting accounts for a large portion of a building's energy consumption, sometimes up to 20% or more. By optimizing your lighting, you can achieve significant energy savings, often ranging from 25% to 75%. This translates to substantial cost reductions on your utility bills.

"Green habits" are more challenging to implement than commonly expected due to an economic phenomenon called "tragedy of the commons". While it is relatively easy to convince people of the urgency to act, encouraging real change is more difficult, because people tend to excuse their own behaviors as in: "I am only a small fraction of the society. My bad behavior does not have any influence". Good motivators can be a culture of leading by example, where people feel that the changes to be implemented are organic; or personal benefits for good behavior (e.g. there are companies giving non-smokers extra days off in order to compensate for smokers breaks)

Das Sensibilisieren der Mitarbeitenden ist eine absolute win-win-Situation. Die Mitarbeitenden profitieren dabei von Energietipps, welche sie zu Hause anwenden k?nnen. Das Unternehmen profitiert von Sensibilisierten Mitarbeitenden. Im Endeffekt wird dadurch viel Energie und damit Betriebskosten gespart. Ich habe sehr gute Erfahrungen mit 2-3 Stündigen Workshops gemacht. Dabei erhalten die Teilnehmer Infos und Impulse und erarbeiten dann in Gruppen Energiesparmassnahmen für das Unternehmen. Ideal sind 15 Teilnehmer aus unterschiedlichen Abteilungen. Natürlich sollte der Workshop professionell durch einen Experten geleitet werden.

At P&O, we've found that encouraging green habits among our staff significantly reduces office energy waste, much like how behavioral-based safety principles enhance workplace safety. By shifting our focus to behavioral-based energy efficiency, we've implemented simple yet effective practices. Employees are encouraged to turn off lights and electronics when not in use and to utilize energy-saving modes on devices. This approach has led to a more energy-conscious culture, mirroring the success we've seen in safety through similar behavioral strategies. These small changes, driven by individual actions and awareness, collectively contribute to a reduction in our office's energy consumption, aligning with our broader environmental goals.

Our daily habits, from how we use appliances to our transportation choices, have a significant impact on energy consumption. By adopting green habits, we can collectively make a substantial difference. For example, switching to energy-efficient light bulbs can reduce household energy use by up to 25%, while using public transportation or carpooling can significantly cut down on transportation-related emissions.

At P&O, enhancing energy efficiency through employee engagement is a key focus, mirroring our success with BBS. We actively integrate behavioral-based energy efficiency (BBEE) into our culture. This involves regular training sessions and workshops to educate our team on energy conservation practices. We encourage employees to take ownership of their energy use, much like we do with safety practices. By fostering a sense of responsibility and awareness, we've seen a noticeable shift in behaviors - like conscientious use of resources and proactive suggestions for energy-saving measures. This employee-driven approach reduces energy waste but also strengthens our commitment to environmental sustainability as part of our corporate ethos.

Consider implementing smart sensors (ioT) and AI-driven systems to monitor and control energy usage in real-time and introduce "Green Challenge" among employees, encouraging them to suggest and implement energy-saving ideas.

You should insulate the structure design as heat can't be absorbed or emit as it will helpful in green infrastructure plus the behavioural encourage of user of premises to put their part and better use of surroundings. The accurate calculation of energy consumption should be adhere to and compare it with present and past data comparison.

We need to must follow first green building protocols to reduce the energy consumed and utilized plus smart windows must installed and thermal insulation.

As soon as your energy bill exceeds 100 k€ a year, don't hesitate to invest in a BMS to monitor what can be monitored, or even to install some metering to watch your Significant Energy Usages. (Try to follow a multisite approach inside your company to ease reporting and foster good practices exchanges) To enhance your energy monitoring in the long term, follow ISO 50001. If you'd like more details for industrial buildings and processes, please don't hesitate to contact me.