AIR CONDITIONING
Summer energy best practices
How can building owners and office managers do their part to both reduce energy consumption while also lowering electricity bills? Guido de Sanctis, services business leader for Trane Europe, has narrowed down the four best practices that, combined, consistently deliver 10-25% energy savings.
S
ummer is here, and the current heat wave in Europe has created unforeseeably high peak daily temperatures. So, it’s no surprise that electrical demand has gone up during these warm summer months as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment kicks into high gear to keep building occupants cool. According to the European Union (EU) Commission’s experts on energy efficiency, buildings are responsible for 49% of the world’s energy consumption, and about 40% of commercial building energy consumption is from HVAC systems. It’s an annual conundrum, as building operators struggle to maintain the balance between cost, efficiency, and comfort.
Conscious cooling
Practice system scheduling by adjusting thermostat temperatures according to building occupancy schedules. Flexi time, work-from-home and busy travel schedules bring variability to building occupancy rates. Fewer people using heat- generating computers and other equipment creates another opportunity to reduce HVAC system operation. Office managers and building operators are encouraged to check with department heads or HR to find out how many people are actually in the building at any given time to ensure the HVAC systems aren’t running wastefully for full occupancy.
How cool is comfortable? It should go without saying that if people are huddled in sweaters during August, you can safely raise the thermostat set point a degree or two. Be sure to move sensors around to get better readings; a sensor placed in direct sunlight may give an inaccurate reading for a large open workspace.
Shift energy demand
While you are reviewing scheduling and setpoints, look for ways to shift energy use to off-peak working hours. This practice is in line with the
24 September 2018
European Commission’s Heating and Cooling Policy and is being carried out in accordance with the Commission’s Energy Efficiency Directive, which recently set an updated energy efficiency target of 32.5% for the EU for 2030.
How do you know when your building uses the most energy? Utility bills typically provide some information. There are energy visualisation tools that create a picture of hour-by-hour energy use. Once you know when the building is using energy, it is easier to figure out why. Then you can collaborate with other managers to shift energy- intensive operations to off-peak hours. Or, if you can’t change when equipment is used, you may be able to change when the energy is created. For example, you can implement thermal (ice) storage to freeze ice at night to cool the building during the day.
Rentals
Using outdated HVAC equipment can also have a negative impact on cooling efficiency, as well as comfort of your employees. Older equipment is likely not working at peak performance efficiency. This can significantly decrease your overall energy efficiency, especially when the equipment is in high use during the warmer months. Short-term HVAC rentals offer an easy solution providing fast, cost-effective and efficient cooling technology to ensure that your building is operating at peak performance. Renting can also help cut costs of updating older equipment, and mitigate the risk of equipment failure, which is more common in outdated models.
HVAC rental services are a great option even if your buildings don’t typically use air conditioning. Your employees will be happier and work better in a temperate environment and seasonal cooling solutions efficiently ensure that indoor conditions are maintained at a constant temperature. Finding a balance between comfort and efficiency can be
hard, but not using air conditioning and sacrificing employee comfort is unnecessary when efficient solutions are available.
Evaluate for service
As summer goes on, it’s a good idea to give HVAC systems an overall review and restore them to the original performance standards. A few minor flaws may not seem like a big deal, but when the system is working hard and energy costs are high, the little anomalies end up costing a lot. It’s always better to anticipate rather than react to a problem. Here’s what to look for:
■ Manual overrides keeping settings out of spec ■ Outdated or poorly located sensors in reconfigured spaces
■ Valves and dampers that are stuck open, causing the endless cooling of hot, humid air
■ Dirty or clogged condensers creating non- optimal refrigerant operation
Check the system every few months at least. If you’re still operating in manual mode, that can mean a clipboard check of every thermostat, sensor and piece of equipment. The process can be much more streamlined in connected buildings that can detect system flaws in the data on a continuous basis. Time and budget constraints can be barriers to progress. However, doing everything at once or doing nothing at all are not the only options; starting with small energy projects can be the perfect solution. By recognizing strategies for energy reduction, you can start with the most beneficial projects, build momentum for future energy projects, and ultimately develop a measurable continuous improvement plan. As the European Commission and other stakeholders strive to reach their ambitious energy-reduction targets, we must all work together to preserve the environment and realise a more sustainable future.
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