Skip to main content
Facilitate Magazine: Informing Workplace and Facilities Management Professionals - return to the homepage Facilitate magazine logo
  • Search
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @Facilitate_Mag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management Logo of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
    • Comment
    • People
    • Reports
    • Research
  • Features
    • Analysis
    • Features
    • Round Tables
    • Webinars
  • Outsourcing
    • Contract Finder
    • Contracts
    • FM Business Models
    • Interviews
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Opinion
    • Procurement
    • Trends
  • Know-How
    • Explainers
    • Legal Updates
    • White Papers
  • Jobs
  • Topics
    • Workplace Services
      • Hospitality
      • Catering
      • Cleaning
      • Front of House
      • Grounds Maintenance
      • Helpdesk
      • Mailroom
      • Manned Guarding / Security
      • Pest Control
      • Washroom Services
      • Disaster Recovery
      • Specialist Services
    • Professional Performance
      • Behavioural Change
      • Continual Professional Development
      • Education
      • Management
      • Recruitment
      • Training
    • Workplace Performance
      • Benchmarking
      • Health & Wellbeing
      • Operational Readiness
      • Procurement
      • Security
      • Workplace User Experience
      • Workplace Culture
    • Compliance
      • Health & Safety
      • Risk & Business Continuity
      • Standards
      • Statutory Compliance
    • Building Services
      • Architecture & Construction
      • Asset Management
      • Building Controls
      • Building Fabric
      • Drinking Water
      • Fire Protection
      • HVAC
      • Landscaping
      • Mechanical & Electrical
      • Building Security
      • Water, Drainage & Plumbing
    • Technology
      • Building Information Modelling
      • CAFM
      • Data & Networks
      • Document Management
      • Information Management
      • Internet of Things (IoT)
      • Software & Systems
    • Energy management
      • Energy Management Systems
      • Electricity
      • Gas
      • Solar
      • Wind
    • Sustainability
      • Environmental Quality
      • Social Value
      • Waste Management
      • Recycling
    • Workspace Design
      • Agile Working
      • Fit-Out & Refurbishment
      • Inclusive Access
      • Lighting
      • Office Interiors
      • Signage
      • Space Planning
      • Storage
      • Vehicle Management / Parking
      • Washroom
    • Sectors
      • Corporate Office
      • Education
      • Healthcare
      • Manufacturing
      • International
      • Retail
      • Sports & Leisure
      • Regions
  • Buyers' Guide
Quick links:
  • Home
  • News
Webinars
Information Management
Energy Management Systems
Environmental Quality

IWFM webinar report: How to launch a decarbonisation plan

Open-access content Friday 10th December 2021
Authors
Bradford Keen
web_agents-of-change-1.png

Agents of Change IWFM webinar participants [from top]: Peter Brogan, Beth Goodwin, Reid Cunningham and Stuart Wright – B. Keen

“Start with where you want to end up. Set your target and date and work backwards to determine what you need to get there. Identify risks and areas for error.”

That’s the advice from Bethany Goodwin, senior account manager and NHS specialist at Inenco, who was a panellist at the recent IWFM Turbulent Times Webinar – Agents of change: from net zero promises to genuine progress’ with Inenco.

Although Goodwin’s advice is an effective compass to navigate the decarbonisation journey, Reid Cunningham, strategic development director at BAM FM, warned that any “decarbonisation plan is going to be highly specific to an organisation and the sites that it occupies”. Nevertheless, he suggested a few focus points for organisations to get started:

  • First, reduce energy consumption (insulation, LED lighting, an efficient BMS); 
  • Next, consider energy demand; and
  • Then look at energy procurement – there are 100 per cent green energy tariffs (renewable energy) in the marketplace.

Carbon neutral versus carbon net zero

“Carbon neutral was really about knowing what your emissions were and then buying offsets to make sure they were, in theory, removed,” said Stuart Wright, operations and net zero delivery director. “Carbon net zero is about reducing your emissions – and everything is aimed at reducing emissions. 

“At the end of the day, you will have some residual emission; [with] current technology, no one could run into that localisation completely without emitting carbon. You then have to have a plan to remove that carbon.” 

Wright suggested to his fellow panellists that more effort needs to be applied to finding an effective alternative to gas heating for commercial properties.  

“A lot of large commercial buildings run their boilers throughout the summer, purely and simply to provide hot water in the washroom,” Wright explained. “If you can provide a small electric heater in a washroom, you move the regeneration source of that heat to green electricity, so no carbon is emitted. You can turn your boilers off instead of running them in the summer. There's an investment required of course.”

Finding the right carbon reduction tool 

Energy reduction, rather obviously, depends on having an accurate idea of the amount of energy an organisation is using and when it is being used. For many businesses, however, this data remains a mystery.

Cunningham said: “Often, when we say to customers, what energy data have you got, we would receive monthly bills. The quality of that data is extraordinarily poor.” Far better, he explained, is to have half-hourly data. “There are lots of tools out there that will help you do this.”

Cunningham said when Bam FM started relying on more frequent data intervals, the company saw some buildings would “come alive” around midnight or 1am. Without that granularity – compared to monthly bills or weekly meter readings – “you stood no chance of making any informed management decisions about where you could make energy efficiency improvements.”

The number of data points will rise exponentially, of course – Cunningham said in the past he’d be analysing 36 data points and now that number is more than 5 million – but available tech will help to make sense of that data.

Sensors linked up to an effective BMS is essential, said Wright. “Having variable speed drives, having some sort of machine learning in your BMS so that it starts to understand what's the outside temperature, what's the floor load in terms of people – do I really need to start that at six in the morning? Can I start it at seven? There’s a lot of measurement data.” 

In October of this year, Aviva turned down the setpoint temperatures of its buildings by 1.5°C to around 19.5°C. Comparing October 2021 with October 2020, the company has saved 100 tonnes of carbon equivalent in terms of gas heaters. “That’s a no-cost change,” Wright said. Key has been working with building occupants, explaining the thinking behind the change and encouraging them to adopt similar practices as they would at home, such as by wearing warmer clothes.

Image credit | B Keen

 

 

 

Today’s top news stories

web_modern-offices-reflections_credit_iStock-495049108.png

BPF calls for targeted tax breaks to speed decarbonisation of property industry

A property membership body is calling on the government to introduce tax credits for investment in new technology and equipment to make existing buildings more environmentally friendly.
Tuesday 5th July 2022
Open-access content
web_Globe-melting-on-hot-stone_Credit_iStock-1317974818.png

Trade body and private sector respond to CCC report on net zero goals

A trade body has expressed concern that the government’s intention to achieve net zero is in danger after a report published last week saying little progress was being made.
Tuesday 5th July 2022
Open-access content
web_Verified-Supplier-Badge.png

CHAS launches verification service for FM materials suppliers

UK supply chain compliance consultant CHAS has introduced Verified Supplier, a service to enable facilities management material suppliers to demonstrate their commitment to safe and ethical operations.
Tuesday 5th July 2022
Open-access content
web_Justin Galliford_Norse Group CEO.png

Norse Group forms new company with Midlands councils

Norse Group has created a new joint venture with two Midlands councils to take charge of housing repairs and maintenance, capital project management and FM services.
Tuesday 5th July 2022
Open-access content
web_Aerial-of-building-in-London_credit_r.nagy_shutterstock_53351908.jpg

Office vacancy rates stabilise across Europe

Office vacancy rates stabilise across Europe
Research
Reports
Monday 4th July 2022
Open-access content
Kevin Fong

IWFM Conference 2022: Kevin Fong OBE

IWFM Conference 2022: Kevin Fong
Monday 4th July 2022
Open-access content
Filed in:
News
Also filed in:
Webinars
Information Management
Energy Management Systems
Environmental Quality

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Today's top reads

 

Latest Jobs

Project Leader (Maternity Cover One Year Contract)

Cambridge
Circa £50,000 Pro Rata + Benefits & Opportunities
Reference
56378

Maintenance Supervisor

Surrey
Up to £43,000 + Excellent Package & Opportunities
Reference
56376

Regional Facilities Manager

South West England
Circa £40,000 + Benefits & Opportunities
Reference
56375
See all jobs »

 

 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to print

Sign up to receive our bi-monthly magazine

Subscribe
Facilitate magazine cover, June 2020
​
FOLLOW US
@Facilitate_Mag
Facilitate Magazine
Facilitate Magazine
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel: 020 7880 6200
​

IWFM

About IWFM
Become a member
Qualifications
Events

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to Facilitate Magazine
Write for Facilitate Magazine

General

IWFM Jobs
Help

© 2022 • www.facilitatemagazine.com and Facilitate Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ