Energy efficiency can often be improved through nil and low-cost solutions. Small changes in user behaviour or slight adjustments to controls and plant equipment can significantly reduce energy costs for an organisation. Our Technical Energy Centre team explains how this can be achieved.
Calls
One of the most successful methods of reducing energy consumption is to speak to the users on site and change their behaviour. Our Technical Energy Centre (TEC) is remotely connected to thousands of sites, across the UK and Ireland, monitoring real-time energy consumption from main and sub-meter data. Weather data and building information is also collated and analysed within our energy data to provide a detailed understanding of building performance.
Our bespoke reporting system then identifies high energy consuming sites. Where controls cannot be adjusted through a Building Management System (BMS), we will call the site to try and resolve the issue remotely. In doing this, we are proactively responding to high energy consumption before the client is even necessarily aware it is happening.
User behaviour is a very common cause of high energy consumption. Plant rooms being left in override, or lighting and heating switching off outside of scheduled times of operation can have a massive impact on energy consumption. In a period of six months we helped one client achieve a saving of £130,000+ by calling multiple sites and asking them to switch their controls back to a timeclock.
Site Surveys
Utilising bespoke software, our TEC team performs an array of functions on behalf of our clients on a proactive and reactive basis including remotely adjusting control settings, reporting on energy consumption, energy saving initiatives, M&V, forecasting, cost benefits of new technologies, and M&T of operational and behavioural measures.
Thousands can be saved from calling a site that has been flagged as a high energy user. ETS achieves further savings by combining calls with site surveys. Our Senior Consulting Engineers come from a background of engineering, energy compliance and energy management allowing them to quickly identify possible energy efficiency and operational issues.
A site visit provides additional information about a buildings performance which is difficult to realise remotely. Valuable information about plant room performance, maintenance and operational efficiencies is fed back to the team along with identified energy saving opportunities. This is then reported back to our clients in the form of corrective actions; there are two types of corrective actions – Operational and Control Initiatives, and CAPEX.
Operational and Control Initiatives
Operational and controls initiatives include controls misuse, closing fridge doors, full reset of control parameters, controller interrogation and sensor remedials. When requested, ETS’ in-house controls engineers interrogate controls on site or our building services auditors provide full reviews of energy intensive assets. Clients can save a significant amount of money through making continual improvements to operational inefficiencies, which can often extend to behavioural change programmes. During a seven-month period in 2017 – 2018, one client saved over £200,000 through operational and control corrective actions alone.
CAPEX
This type of corrective action requires capital expenditure and typically affects more than one site, therefore tends to be project based. Examples include upgrading lighting to LED or improving control settings. We provide full equipment lifecycle analysis to give a clear picture of the cost benefits, and our experience in design and systems integration ensures clients are presented with the best options available on the market.
A Unique Approach to Energy Management
Energy management can be very complex, especially when managing a multi-site portfolio. Many of the solutions available on the market will only provide tools to report on energy consumption, with very little consideration given to the end user who then faces the challenge of making sense of the energy data presented. Our TEC team not only reports on energy consumption but provides guidance and expertise to make improvements to operational inefficiencies.
You don’t need to spend thousands to reduce energy consumption. Speak to our team today on 0117 379 0850 or email enquiries@eneryg-ts.com.