BSEE ENERGY MANAGEMENT
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GETTING TO GRIPS WITH ENERGY The foremost challenge for FMs
With energy costs persistently rising, continuing concerns over resilient energy supplies and increasing levels of statutory obligations connected to emissions and climate change policies, facilities managers will have to face many challenges. Authors
Andy Lewry and Cameron Steel discuss how facilities managers can prepare for these.
managing energy, whilst within smaller companies it is typically the case that this will fall into somebody’s role as an additional responsibility.
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For successful outcomes, coordination within the different parts of the business is crucial. An energy manager may be tempted to turn off services; however, for a business to operate successfully it is essential to provide staff with conditions that promote efficient and effective working practices. Such dilemmas are not uncommon in business but doing nothing and carrying on as normal – typically classified as ‘business as usual’– is not an option when rising energy prices and security of supply pose major risks to business and need to be managed.
ow energy management is undertaken varies depending on the type of organisation; larger estates and corporations will have a duty-holder with a clearly defined role for
b) have clear aims and objectives that are ‘SMART’ in nature; and
c) be flexible enough so that it can adapt to business needs.
User behaviour
People are energy management’s biggest and best resource, but if badly managed can also be the biggest obstacle. Technology is only an enabler and for energy management to really work the management and staff need to be on-board.
Site induction, education, training, feedback and updates will all assist. Directors should champion energy management and the associated initiatives; managers should own the procedures; and users need to be incentivised.
Measures for achieving good energy management
Passive measures – design and building fabric
Modern building designs are normally governed by building codes which require an overall building energy performance that can be achieved by passive design, and the use of low carbon technologies and renewables. Sustainability design tools such as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM -
uFigure 1: Energy trilemma – reproduced from the IET’s Guide to Energy Management.
The challenges Ownership
An organisation must plan to effectively address any challenges that might be encountered. Often these plans are driven by compliance – to meet statutory requirements and adhere to policies, for example health and safety or environmental management
Energy management needs similar levels of ownership and responsibility throughout the organisation – from board level to the shop floor. The strategy and plan need active boardroom support or the initiative will stall at the technical level and not result in organisational culture change.
The aim should be to ensure that it is embedded in the management practices and becomes the ‘new’ ‘business as usual’. An energy management strategy needs to be carefully linked to the overall business strategy so that it does not become a constraint; after all “process is king” and this activity should support good business practice.
System
For energy management to succeed there must be a management system that closely assesses what, where, why and how the energy is used. Careful monitoring and analysis will identify areas and opportunities for improvement. A robust energy management system should: a) have policies and processes that meet business needs;
26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2017
http://www.breeam.com/) help shape new installations and refurbishment projects. ‘Performance gap’ issue will probably arise if handover, operation, maintenance and commissioning issues are not considered and the use of assessment methodologies such as BREEAM-In-Use will help.
With older structures this is not always as straightforward. Although building science dictates that the fabric should be dealt with first, the economics don’t usually add up unless you have already planned an upgrade and all you’re doing is upping the specification – this is normally a comfort or protecting the asset. Both are a legitimate part of the business case as they ensure the value of the asset and, if rented out, maintain rental values and reduce void times.
Active measures
If the occupants are continually demonstrating poor user behaviour – for example, opening windows and using portable heaters – this is
usually a sign of a poorly controlled building Controls are normally the answer – but is the choice of controls depends on the functionality required.
Checks and balances
Without monitoring and analysing both the existing situation and the feedback that informs any subsequent improvements, a management plan will fail. Energy management, though, needs to be seen as more than just checking the meters and correlating the bills; although this may be essential to initially sell the philosophy and to generate initial savings.
Processes to check meter readings and to observe the general patterns of use and operational energy consumption trends will help to highlight problem areas and any unusual energy activity or specific event – for example spikes in the daily usage are indicative of poor control and/or failing plant.
Regular energy audits can highlight particular areas for improvement and should be used to influence user behaviour and to implement measures or better working processes.
Procurement
The most immediate challenge might be choosing an energy supplier and selecting the correct tariff. Matching the tariff to the business load profile can be difficult and estimating future needs may require outside expert help.
As energy management systems develop, and projects that will save energy are identified, further procurement challenges are likely to relate to ensuring that the best solution is purchased, whether that be user focused (such as training) or a technology offering. Enthusiastic sales representatives may focus only on their particular product or service, whilst not necessarily looking holistically at the overall installation and how it is used. Taking a short-term view or cut-price approach, i.e. value engineering, is normally a false economy. No-cost or low-cost solutions such as behaviour changes are not silver bullets or single-shot solutions; they need to be continuously reinforced or the working culture will slip back to its previous state and savings will eventually be lost.
Conclusion
The reality is that the business may not always prioritise investment in energy saving measures and any business case needs to be robust, taking into account reduced maintenance and increased productivity. Such factors will minimise risk to the owners by protecting the asset and, if the building is rented out, ensure high rental values and low void times.
uCameron Steel and Andy Lewry were part of the IET working group responsible for producing a Guide to Energy Management. The Guide provides tools to assist energy managers and engineering staff to understand their own particular processes and responsibilities and the correlation between their respective duties.
uFigure 2: Design factors for energy management systems – reproduced from the IET’s Guide to Energy Management.
www.theiet.org/resources/ standards/
em-guide.cfm
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