Since 2021, businesses and households around the world—most notably in the EU and US —have been living under the possibility of an energy crisis. Now, with energy shortages and staggering price rises coming into play, a cold and dark winter is looking even more likely.
With this in mind, our attitudes toward energy consumption and waste have to be a little different.
As a facility manager, one of the easiest, most important, yet least recognized ways to save energy is to reassess your indoor air quality and HVAC systems.
Here’s a quick overview of why this matters.
Thousands of office buildings across the UK are losing £60 million in wasted energy every year. That’s enough to power more than 100,000 homes
How are governments softening the impact of the energy crisis on businesses?
In the US and EU, there are government initiatives designed to mitigate the impact of the crisis. However, the vast majority of these measures are aimed at households, not businesses.
Nevertheless, there is a substantial energy-saving opportunity for companies that can soften the impact of the crisis on households.
What’s more, countries like Italy, France, and Germany have proposed legislation that should benefit organizations with buildings and facilities.
What role should businesses play during the energy crisis?
Governments around the world, especially in the EU, are looking to adopt a demand-reduction strategy (alongside energy diversification, rationing, and boosting gas storage)21.
This means that a key focus will be to encourage households and businesses to avoid unnecessary energy use.
Some experts even speculate that the rationing of electricity may become a necessary measure this winter, which could lead to the possibility of selling and reallocating excess energy that businesses don’t use to households that need it.
There have also been predictions that schools and commercial offices across Europe will be closed during the colder months.
If this becomes a reality, businesses will need
to play a critical role in making sure that there is enough spare energy for vulnerable households.
A key focus will be to encourage households and businesses to avoid unnecessary energy use.
How can Airthings for Business help companies cut energy costs?
As a facility manager, you can prepare for the energy crisis by finding intelligent ways to monitor and control your energy usage. The same principle also applies to office managers and building owners. After all, the cheapest energy is the one we don’t use.
According to a study conducted by multinational construction firm Skanska, tenants are, on average, responsible for 14% to 65% of an office building’s total electricity consumption. However, these figures can easily be reduced. Energy waste is common in most commercial buildings because preset timers or manual controls are often used to manage HVAC systems.
This makes them energy-inefficient and expensive to operate. And because factors like changing timetables, flexible working, and real-time fluctuations are not taken into account, energy is almost always being wasted.
So how can you solve this problem without sacrificing the health and wellbeing of your buildings’ occupants?
Tenants are, on average, responsible for 14% to 65% of an office building’s total electricity consumption.
Previously, it was difficult to have good indoor air quality and an energy-efficient HVAC system at the same time. Now, with smart IAQ monitors from Airthings for Business, you can benefit from both with ease.
Our Airthings for Business solution works by providing live indoor air quality and occupancy data, which can be used to automatically optimize your HVAC system in real time.
On average, Airthings for Business customer saves up to 20% on energy costs
Case Study: Proptech Bergen
When a 4000m2 commercial building in Norway was turned into Proptech Bergen, most of the workspace had been unoccupied for five years. Much of the property’s technical equipment was old, outdated, or broken. But the property’s conversion into a modern office community didn’t begin with expensive refurbishment or laying miles of cable.
Instead, the owners of Proptech Bergen installed Airthings for Business monitors in every room to understand how the property’s existing HVAC system could be improved. This allowed them to cut energy costs by 20% just by dropping nighttime and weekend temperatures by 4° degrees, saving them from having to spend an additional €18,000 on HVAC specialist visits.
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