FEATURE GREEN ISSUES
Focusing on sustainability and boosting energy effi ciency isn’t just about the environment – it makes fi nancial sense too. Phil Lattimore reports on why green is good
Pretty E
Energy-saving methods are scalable
– down to the smallest car parks – and can be applied to existing car parks as well as new facilities
nergy doesn’t have to cost the earth for parking operators. While the price of electricity continues its relentless climb, for many businesses the solution to rising bills increasingly points to embracing greener, more sustainable solutions. From implementing energy effi ciency measures to introducing renewable microgeneration systems, many in the parking sector are now focused on delivering a sustainable future for the profession through technology and building solutions.
Over recent years, designs for new car parking facilities in the UK have progressively incorporated construction techniques, technologies and systems for minimising carbon impact, while refurbishments of existing facilities have also provided the opportunity for many operators to tackle carbon footprints by introducing technologies such as energy effi cient lighting, ventilation systems and presence sensors.
Financial advantages But as well as having a benefi cial environmental impact, this drive to reduce carbon emissions also offers a clear fi nancial advantage. Increasing energy effi ciency through the latest technology –
GREEN
whether via a switch to LED lighting, the use of building management systems, the installation of voltage optimisation or other measures – means operators can dramatically slash the amount of energy their facilities use. And with electricity a large component of the running costs in any car parking facility – and electricity prices on an upward trajectory for the foreseeable future – going green can have a sizeable impact on the bottom line. Kelvin Reynolds, director of policy and public affairs at the British Parking Association (BPA), sees energy consumption as one of the key issues for car park operators, from both an environmental and a cost perspective. ‘New car parking facilities are doing what many other buildings are doing – becoming more
24 JUNE 2013
www.britishparking.co.uk
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