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
  • Sections
  • Topics
Know How
Sections
Explainers
Sustainability
Energy management
Environmental Quality
Energy Management Systems

Energy efficiency: The easy way to save

Open-access content Wednesday 10th August 2016 — updated 4.00pm, Tuesday 26th May 2020
Energy

This is where we highlight specific technological solutions to typical facilities management problems. Email explanations you'd like to see to 

[email protected]



11 August 2016 | Brendon Airey


Some organisations are loath to commit significant capital expenditure to energy-efficiency measures, but - says Brendon Airey, energy manager at Cloudfm - there are plenty of lower-budget opportunities that can make a significant impact. Here are six to consider


1 Get a better deal

You'd be surprised how many companies don't obtain the best possible energy price from their supplier. I've seen companies on worse tariffs than my domestic rates.


The more energy a business uses, the better its negotiating power, since the contract will be worth more to the supplier. It's often the case that a fixed-term deal has expired, leaving the company on an outdated tariff - and given that there has been a massive reduction in energy prices over the past year or so, it's a particularly good time to renegotiate your energy deal. It's usually just a case of asking, too.

2 Control your lighting
Up to 60 per cent can be squeezed out of the energy consumption of a lighting system with the right controls. If it suits the application (and the available budget), there are fully automated building management systems which will 'learn' the requirements of the workforce to optimise energy savings. Even simple localised controls (such as switches and sensors) can have a significant impact, and might be the most cost-effective option.

3 Review your HVAC system
Does it need renewing with a more modern and efficient system or just better maintenance? A lot of efficiency can be lost through shoddy maintenance and poor controls. Consider whether extraction and air conditioning filters and ducting need cleaning, or whether a wet heating system needs flushing and dosing with inhibitor (an electrolytic scale inhibitor would be a savvy choice).

4 Think smart
Smart controls can also save energy (and therefore money) by tailoring the environment more closely to the required comfort levels - perhaps through a BMS that links lighting, heating and cooling to the security entry card system, so that only occupied working areas are illuminated and maintained at the designated temperature, even tailoring temperatures and light levels to individual preferences.

5 Joined-up thinking
Although this is a checklist of easy wins, the maximum benefit can be obtained by taking a more strategic approach, so that further cost savings may be made in implementation through linking projects together. If you're changing the lighting in a warehouse then at the same time you might use the scissor lift to clean the skylights and fix any leaks, which means the cost of the cherry picker may be offset against a number of jobs, rather than just the lighting upgrade.

6 Tailor your equipment
Lighting can be a very subjective matter, and what is right for one environment might not be right for another. For example, colour rendition can be very important in maximising sales of merchandise, or when working in a manufacturing facility where colour-matching is important (such as dying textiles), so price becomes secondary to the light quality, whereas in a warehouse storage environment, where workers don't spend a lot of time, price is likely to be the more pressing factor. 

Also filed in
Topics
Know How
Content
Explainers
Sustainability
Energy management
Environmental Quality
Energy Management Systems

You might also like...

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

Today's top reads

 

Latest Jobs

Regional Facilities Manager

Borehamwood
Circa £47,000 + Decent Package & opportunities
Reference
59410

Facilities Manager

Hertfordshire
Up to £75,000 + Decent Package
Reference
59408

Facilities Manager

Guildford
Up to £45,000 + Package & Opportunities
Reference
59407
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

© 2023 • 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