Keeping it simple but trustworthy is the way ahead when it comes to energy management. Andy Douglas, Managing Director, Timeguard, discusses the options.
he latest EU directive designed to reduce energy consumption is to force companies to complete an energy audit. The 'Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme' (ESOS) applies to companies in the private sector with over 250 employees or with turnover exceeding €50 million and a balance sheet bigger than €43 million: it has a submission deadline of 5 December 2015. Of course, there is a school of thought that says every business, no matter how big or small, should have an energy audit. Unfortunately, the directive will not force companies to implement any of the recommendations made within the report which may end up, like thousands of others over the years, just gathering dust on the shelf where companies have either simply shown scant regard to implementing any of the energy saving measures identified or not had the budget available to do so. Arguably, ESOS may stimulate positive action as, unlike surveys like those paid for by the Carbon Trust, these audits are not ‘free’ and as organisations will be paying for the survey, they will want to see a return on their investment. A potential danger I see is that inexperienced energy consultants quote a
T
low cost energy audit that does little more than provide a ‘tick in the box’ that the organisation has complied with the directive. What you really need are sensible ideas, fully costed so you can see what return each will deliver and on what timescale. LED lighting is always a good headliner for any audit, because it delivers massive and instant savings, but it does call for an investment in new fittings. Often audits will recommend a building control and energy management system, however, the initial expense and concern about getting locked in to a supplier may be a deterrent.
The quick wins
The thing to remember is that energy saving can be common sense and inexpensive: there are always going to be a lot of quick wins available starting from the good old expedient of switching things off when you aren’t using them! Timed control of heating, lighting and climate is easy now: whether it is a switch programmed to turn on and off at a
Unless everyone reduces their
energy consumption, the UK risks power outages.
– Lord Rupert Redesdale, Energy Managers’ Association.
specific time or a PIR detector set to turn the power off after an area has been vacated. At the end of the day, even the most sophisticated control system is relying on a switch or actuator. By opting for local distributed switching, you simply move the focus of control back to YOU. Interestingly, the energy used by IT equipment is now under the spotlight thanks to campaigning by the Energy Managers’ Association. Yet how many offices still hum with the sound of PCs, printers, faxes, fans etc, left on overnight?
Perhaps that is tomorrow’s battle for facilities and energy managers!
Added levels of sophistication In modern workplaces, staff are more likely to work flexibly, calling for heating and lighting in parts of the building outside of ‘normal’ hours, and for PIR detectors that know when they are there and can switch the heating and lighting on only where and when it is needed are increasingly popular. We’ve moved on from the days of movement detectors, to having devices that can detect the smallest movement of someone working at a keyboard that are affordable and a practical option for any building. The levels of detection are obviously reflected in the price, so be sure to specify correctly. Useful options are devices that provide the best of both worlds and at very attractive pricing. There’s precision presence detection in its immediate area, say a pod of desks, and motion detection to react to people walking across a wider area. So, the lights come one when you enter the room and stay on after you sit down. Whichever option you choose, remember to check that it is rated to handle the switching surge of LED lighting. “Suitable for LEDs” is not the same as rated for LEDs” if you want to make sure it lasts.
Building energy management: think KNX Building energy management systems are increasingly targeting medium and smaller-sized commercial users. There is, however, a certain reluctance to becoming tied in to proprietary systems and maintenance and management contracts, which has opened the doors to KNX. KNX is not only a completely open source solution, with gateways to DALI, Openthem etc, but also an infinitely scalable one, capable of managing projects from modern office complexes to your top floor. With open source KNX control, you can connect any one of hundreds of compatible devices to a single, scalable IP backbone and control them all from a single computer interface. You can
18 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2015
manage a room, a department, a storey or a whole building but maybe introducing KNX gradually as the budget and logistics of having an area out of use for even a day or two may dictate this.
The key to KNX success is the availability of such a wide range of powerful and flexible controls, because hundreds of manufacturers’ devices are guaranteed to work with each other via the KNX protocol. Among these is Timeguard parent company Theben AG, one of the earliest and most consistent champions of KNX across Europe, which offers controls in both KNX compatible designs and ‘ordinary’ versions. For instance, our top-end, high- performance presence detectors cater for spaces ranging from individual offices to warehousing and sports halls and are is designed for energy-efficient, presence- dependent control of lighting and air conditioning, in prestige buildings where looks matter, but budgets still count. Square detection fields avoid "blind spots" and the need for overlaps in the space, and so reducing the number and cost of presence detectors required.
Keeping it simple
The best way to achieve savings through building controls is to make them easy to use so they will actually be used, and to their full potential. We’ve enjoyed massive success with our “big screen” time switches, because they are designed to make it easy to see what the programming is and easy to change it if need be. Simples! We were also delighted to receive one of our biggest orders from a top boiler manufacturer that was replacing its former over-specified timers with ones which focused on the relatively simple job in hand but with the branded quality assurance needed before they put their name on them. Keeping it simple but trustworthy seems to be the way ahead. So make sure your energy audit keeps one eye on the quick wins that come from effective time control.
www.timeguard.com
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