The British summer is nothing if not unpredictable, but we can usually count on sizzling temperatures for at least part of the season.
While energy efficiency may not be the first thing that springs to mind for business owners during the summer months, they might be surprised at just how much scope there is for making cost savings at this time of year.
So these steps to summer energy efficiency will also ensure that everyone stays, cool, comfortable and productive:
Cool it!
Checking the ventilation and cooling system and thermostat is the obvious place to start. Like the boiler and heating system, it should be serviced regularly to keep it running efficiently. For systems containing refrigerant over 12kW of cooling capacity, it is a legal requirement that they are checked every five years.
Programme the thermostat for cooling to come on just before the start of business and shut off at the close of the working day. This will help to avoid cooling the area unnecessarily.
“When you are running your cooling systems, be sure to keep windows and doors shut,” says Liz Ainslie, environmental consultant with Hosking Associates.
“This is especially important if your company has a loading bay door. There’s no point in setting your temperature to arctic levels if you are letting hot air in the building.”
Even during the summer, it’s important to check that all the pipework and water heaters are insulated. This will help to keep the heat in check during the summer instead of leaking into the work area.
Lights out
Switch off all unnecessary lighting and equipment when not in use, and not just when the business is closed. Many shops and offices have computers or other equipment turned on all day when it’s only used for a short time at the end of the day. This is particularly important from 3pm to 7pm when peak-energy use takes place.
If natural light is plentiful, try turning off some or all of the artificial lighting in your office, says Adrian Lewis, commercial director at Activ Absence.
“Not only will it save your business money, but a lot of people don’t actually like working under fluorescent lamps, so take advantage of this,” he says.
Windows
Large unprotected windows can be the bane of office life, especially during the height of summer. If you have very sunny south-facing windows, invest in solar window film. This will help keep the heat out but still let the light in, keeping your energy use down.
If windows cannot be opened then consider moving occupied desks or workspaces away from windows as direct light will make them feel warmer. Where there is a large amount of glazing consider adding external shading or brise soleil.
Barny Evans, energy and sustainability associate at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, says: “Where possible, planting deciduous trees outside in front of the glazing will mean in the summer the leaves will reduce solar glare, while in the winter the leaves will fall allowing extra light into the workplace.
Check your energy bills
Many organisations aren’t aware that special rates and charges typically make up 25% of their total electricity bill, so understanding their utility pricing structure is essential.
Scott Petersen, an energy consultant at Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions, says: “Some companies are on high tariffs because they simply renew their supply contract when it arrives, instead of negotiating with their power provider. There may also be ‘peak demand’ charges based on a building’s consumption when grid-wide energy use spikes. Being able to temporarily reduce consumption during these times of the day can often result in savings of more than 5% of total electricity costs.”
Summer could be the time to think about upgrading or replacing old, inefficient equipment, heating and cooling systems, as well as fridges and other appliances, with more modern, energy efficient equipment delivering a financial payback that can be measured in months.
Without the need for any capital investment, optimising your building by re-tuning your building controls and assessing heating and hot water temperature set points can have a big impact on reducing costs, adds Petersen.
More efficient electrical equipment, such as LED lighting, new servers, laptop or thin client computers have the dual benefit of reducing energy consumption for their use and also reducing the heat gain from them, and therefore cooling load and temperature in the building.
Where you have equipment that generates a lot of heat try to locate it outside main occupied areas (you could put it back in the occupied areas in the winter to reduce heating demand).
People
Making your staff aware of energy efficient practices can also help; not turning the thermostat down too far, not opening windows when the cooling is on, not leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms, and not leaving computer monitors and photocopiers on standby will all contribute to lower energy costs.
Where there are work activities that are strenuous or use equipment that generates a lot of heat try to ensure these are carried out at the end or start of the working day when it is cooler.
USB fans are a good way of providing local ventilation to people using computers without creating big airflow or using too much energy.
When staff are at work, allow the dress code to reflect the temperatures. “There’s no point in cooling a work space so much that everyone reaches for their jackets,” says Ainslie.
Iain Walker, head of SME sales and marketing at E.ON says: “Energy savings can improve not only the finances of your business but also the perception of you and your products among customers. Our customers often find that once they start making changes to buildings and technology they also change their behaviours to operate more efficiently.
“Even with the best equipment and the best controls in the world, unless you care about energy use and are prepared to do something about it, you won’t make all the potential savings you hope for.
“The bottom line is that to save energy - and ultimately money - you and your colleagues need to care about reducing waste. Educating your team about the consequences of poor energy habits – or posting the successes of internal campaigns – is a big part of improving things, as is laying down the ground rules on what should be done and by whom. People need to be encouraged to switch things off, and are sometimes not sure if they’re “allowed” to do it.
To help with relevant advice, E.ON offers all its business customers an Energy Toolkit to give customers their own analysis complete with an online web portal showing energy consumption and costs as well as a series of energy saving actions that could have significant impact on a business’ bottom line.
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with E.ON, sponsor of the Efficiency hub.
