ADVICE & OPINION
Technology for
a smarter world
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JUNE 2020 21
FMJ.CO.UK
THE ENERGY MANAGER
ASSOCIATION’S VIEW
GILLIAN BROWN, ENERGY MANAGER AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW & EMA BOARD DIRECTOR
As the lock
down took hold
with very little
notice, many
of us walked
out of buildings
completely for
weeks on end.
In many cases,
buildings were
shut completely
with no people
entry possible,
however
much of the
equipment
within these buildings had to continue to run as normal.
Whether this was a lab or IT equipment, archive stores,
swimming pools or animal centres, these functions
utilise much of the energy consumption whether people
occupy the building space or not.
As workplaces are slowly reopened there are several
changes which need to be considered to ensure social
and physical distance measures, where possible,
are adhered. Workplaces are now being asked to
fundamentally change the structure and set up of o ice
space, shi patterns along with entry and exit times
and spaces. These changes are expected to a ect the
energy consumption of buildings and therefore will have
an impact on achieving energy and carbon reduction
targets already in place within several organisations.
These changes to when and how we occupy a building
will likely increase energy consumption and therefore
carbon emissions from many buildings. As a very basic
minimum, it would be expected that extended opening
hours would lead to HVAC systems running for longer
periods of time. Electricity consumption will increase as
electrical equipment will be required to run for extended
periods to allow more flexible working and changes
to shi patterns. IT equipment will require increased
processing power for more people working remotely.
Fans and motors will have longer run times as air
changes are increased during working hours, along with
the potential to increase overnight purging of air.
It will take time to fully understand how these
changes will tangibly a ect the energy consumption
and resultant carbon emissions from buildings over
the longer term. In the short term, there are some basic
actions we can take to ensure we manage this change.
Firstly, upskilling sta to understand the e ect that this
new norm will have on energy consumption. Whether
people are back in full time, reduced hours or simply
working from home more, enabling them to have a
heightened awareness of their energy consumption
and specifically what is being le on and why will help
reduce wasted energy. As spaces are expected to be less
frequently used, asking sta to undertake simple actions
such as turning o IT equipment, printers and o ice air
conditioning will increase energy ‘ownership’.
Secondly, for energy and building professionals,
working together to share experiences and good practice
will help everyone move through this new challenge
together. Organisations such as the Energy Managers
Association (EMA) can facilitate knowledge sharing,
provide good practice examples and help connect likeminded
professionals facing the same issues to create
collaborative and innovative solutions.
Lastly, reviewing energy and carbon targets to account
for these new changes will allow organisations to be in a
better position when reporting changes to consumption
and emissions. The volume of energy and carbon
savings achievable in the short term is likely to decrease
and this needs to be realised and accounted for.
THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY EXPERT’S VIEW
PETER NISBET, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MITIE
ENERGY
We’ve all seen
reports in
recent months
highlighting
the positive
side-e ects
that lockdown
restrictions
have had on our
environment.
Fish swimming
in the canals
of Venice and
pollution-free skies in Central London, come to mind.
This has been reflected in our work with customers. By
creating tailored building hibernation plans, we’ve seen
energy consumption reach lows that have never been
achieved before, even during bank holiday shutdowns.
However, experts across the board agree that these
recent improvements are temporary. Ambitious
sustainability targets set by businesses pre-coronavirus
are here to stay, so companies mustn’t be lulled into
thinking that they can sleepwalk into meeting these
audacious, and important, goals. Companies currently
considering their back to business plans need to ensure
they’re embedding environmental commitments into
them from the outset. In short, committing to a ‘green
recovery’.
There are three key stages to this. Firstly, setting a clear
strategy. Many businesses are transforming how they
use buildings for the foreseeable future, so it’s important
to revisit existing net zero carbon strategies and consider
how they may need adapting. Using data from the
lockdown period can help identify opportunities to
FM CLINIC
Gillian Brown
Peter Nisbet
Connecting
people,
property and
data for peak
performance
Concept Evolution
CAFM / IWMS
FSI GO
Mobile Workforce apps
Concept Advantage
Workplace apps
Celebrating
30YEARS
in 2020
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