Optimising the energy efficiency of buildings is the number one opportunity for cutting energy costs and reducing carbon emissions. Done properly, savings of the order of 20-50 percent can be achieved with commercially attractive paybacks. So why has this so rarely been achieved?
Upgrading a property portfolio of mixed building types and ages to achieve net zero-carbon and reduce energy costs is a serious challenge. It is also a major cost saving opportunity because the energy infrastructure can be old and inefficient. Before looking at how to go about improvements, however, it is worth considering how so much energy is wasted and why previous attempts at improvement may have failed.
Optimising the energy efficiency of buildings is the number one opportunity for cutting energy costs and reducing carbon emissions. Done properly, savings of the order of 20-50 percent can be achieved with commercially attractive paybacks.
So why has this so rarely been achieved? Admittedly, it is not easy to get right. It is essential to correctly identify and prioritise what to do, and what not to do, before making changes. Seemingly obvious solutions are often seriously suboptimal, or even make matters worse, if the underlying causes are not properly understood.
Understanding the causes demands a forensic study. To accurately determine where savings can be made you first have to find out what is not working efficiently, by how much and why. It is essential to ensure that the actual energy efficiencies are measured.
For information and advice on saving energy in buildings, this is a really useful article, written by John Treble, Founder and Director of The Green Consultancy. ‘Saving energy – towards Net Zero carbon’ . The article was published in the Summer 2020 issue of the Independant Schools Bursars Association magazine about schools but could equally apply to any property portfolio of mixed building types and ages.
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