ENERGY MANAGEMENT
POWER UP TO DRIVE ENERGY CONSUMPTION DOWN
For commercial Facilities Managers (FMs), meeting the energy efficiency challenge is about more than just installing a meter and providing occasional reports to the company board – it’s about actively engaging the wider workforce to trigger a change in behaviour, says Nigel Crunden, business specialist at Office Depot.
Wasting energy is wasting money. According to calculations from the Carbon Trust, for every £1 saved on energy costs, most UK businesses would have to make £10 worth of sales to generate the same £1 of profit – demonstrating that there is a financial as well as ethical advantage to reducing energy usage. Many companies are falling short through failing to implement strict processes to reduce consumption and then communicating its importance to the workforce.
FMs can therefore play a key role in proactively managing this, as well as encouraging a change in behaviour throughout a business.
DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY
FOR FMS Naturally, the Facilities department is the first port of call in terms of taking responsibility for putting energy saving programmes in place. This means that FMs should have a direct responsibility for putting the following regular checks in place:
• The regular review of procurement processes to ensure that any machinery or equipment that is ordered operates in the most energy efficient way
• Making use of natural light by switching off light bulbs near windows and conducting regular walk-throughs of the premises to ensure this is being adhered to
• Where smart systems that control light and heating depend on occupancy, ensure these are fully functioning
• Replacing and repairing
malfunctioning equipment as faulty systems can use up more energy
• Ensuring that FMs are able to remotely monitor any spikes in energy usage through software such as Business Management Suite (BMS), which can be deployed to analyse consumption levels
It is all very well having a schedule in place to regularly carry out these checks, but FMs must ensure team members strictly adhere to it. Technology can play an important role here too. By using remote monitoring systems, FMs can check the energy consumption of a particular site or department at the touch of a button and focus their efforts on priority areas. This provides a baseline from which to monitor task consistency over a specified period of time and also allows FMs to collate data to report back to Operations Managers or the Board.
ENGAGING THE
WORKFORCE However, driving energy consumption savings successfully should be a collective effort that involves every member of the wider workforce and the way in which they are engaged in this represents the difference between success and failure.
Here are some examples of day-to- day actions that all staff should be adhering to:
• Ensuring machinery and computers are fully powered down or set to energy saving mode at the end of the working day
• Being absolutely certain that the last person to leave a building or
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department has switched off all lights and computing hardware such as photocopiers and printers
• If any other kitchen appliances are used, for example hot drink dispensers in break rooms, these should be switched off too
Underlying this approach to managing energy output should be an inherent appreciation of the role that employees play in helping to limit waste. This can be facilitated by an Operations Manager that buys into its importance and regularly communicates this to staff. This is where FMs can really add value by strategically liaising with Operations Managers to ensure they are on board and willing to devote time to properly engaging the workforce. For example, by equating the cost savings made by reductions in energy usage to the potential for hiring more staff or increasing budgets, FMs are more likely to get the buy in of the wider business that they need.
GUARANTEEING THE FUTURE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND
THE BUSINESS Creating a sustainable business is not just about reducing carbon emissions, but also creating an efficient, self-sufficient wider workforce that understands the value of reducing energy consumption. This means that as well as playing a direct role, FMs can put in place successful engagement programmes with support from senior operational executives, who can then help disseminate its relevance and significance.
www.officedepot.eu twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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