Strategies for energy efficiency and sustainability in facilities management

Facilities Management

Energy efficiency and sustainability are becoming increasingly important topics in the field of facilities management. Not only do these strategies help to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, but they also save money on energy costs and improve the overall comfort and productivity of building occupants. Here are some strategies that facilities managers can implement to improve energy efficiency and sustainability in their buildings

Strategies For Improving Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

1. Conduct regular energy audits: An energy audit is a comprehensive assessment of a building’s energy use. It can help identify areas where energy is being wasted and provide recommendations for cost-effective improvements. Facilities managers should conduct regular energy audits to keep up-to-date on the building’s energy performance and identify improvement opportunities.
2. Implement building automation systems: Building automation systems can help to optimize energy use by controlling lighting, heating, and cooling systems. These systems can also provide real-time data on energy consumption, which can help facilities managers to identify areas where energy is being wasted.
3. Use energy-efficient lighting: Lighting is one of the biggest energy consumers in a building. Facilities managers can improve energy efficiency by upgrading to energy-efficient lightings, such as LED or CFL bulbs. They can also install occupancy sensors, which automatically turn lights on and off based on occupancy.
4. Optimize HVAC systems: Heating, ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are major energy consumers in a building. Facilities managers can optimize these systems by regularly maintaining and servicing them and upgrading them to more energy-efficient equipment.
5. Promote energy-saving behaviors: Encouraging building occupants to conserve energy can have a significant impact on a building’s overall energy consumption. Facilities managers can promote energy-saving behaviors by educating building occupants about energy conservation and by providing incentives for energy-saving actions.
6. Invest in renewable energy: Facilities managers can invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to reduce the building’s dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.
7. Daylighting: By maximizing the use of natural light, facilities managers can reduce the need for artificial lighting, which can significantly reduce energy consumption. This can be achieved through the use of skylights, light wells, and other daylighting strategies.
8. Green cleaning: By using environmentally-friendly cleaning products and techniques, facilities managers can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals used in the building, which can improve indoor air quality and reduce the environmental impact of cleaning.
9. Smart grid integration: Facilities managers can integrate their building’s energy systems with the larger smart grid, which can help to optimize energy usage and reduce costs. For example, by using smart grid technology, a building’s HVAC system can be automatically adjusted to take advantage of low-cost off-peak energy.
10. Green landscaping: Facilities managers can use sustainable landscaping techniques, such as drought-tolerant plants and rainwater harvesting, to reduce water consumption and improve the overall aesthetic of the building’s exterior.
11. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure: Facilities managers can install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, to encourage the use of electric vehicles and reduce emissions from transportation.
12. Building retrofits: Facilities managers can retrofit older buildings with energy-efficient systems and technologies to improve energy performance, and make them more sustainable.
13. Energy storage: By installing energy storage systems, such as batteries, facilities managers can store energy during off-peak hours, when energy is less expensive, and use it during peak hours, when energy is more expensive. This can help to reduce energy costs, and improve grid stability.
14. Demand response programs: Facilities managers can participate in demand response programs, which are programs that incentivize building owners to reduce energy consumption during periods of peak demand. By reducing energy consumption during these periods, building owners can help to stabilize the grid and reduce costs.
15. Real-time energy monitoring: By installing real-time energy monitoring systems, facilities managers can track energy usage in real-time, which can help to identify areas where energy is being wasted, and take action to improve energy efficiency.
16. On-site power generation: Facilities managers can install on-site power generation systems, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and combined heat and power systems, which can help to reduce the building’s dependence on the grid and improve energy security.
17. Building envelope improvements: Facilities managers can improve the building envelope, which is the outer layer of the building that separates the interior from the exterior. By improving the building envelope, such as adding insulation, facilities managers can reduce heat loss and improve thermal comfort, which can help to reduce energy consumption.
18. Green leases: Facilities managers can use green leases, which are leases that include provisions that encourage energy efficiency and sustainability. For example, a green lease might include a provision that requires the tenant to use energy-efficient equipment, or a provision that requires the tenant to recycle.
19. Building commissioning: Building commissioning is the process of verifying and documenting that a building’s systems and equipment are designed, installed, functionally tested, and capable of being operated and maintained to meet the owner’s project requirements. This process ensures that the building systems are working as intended and can help to identify and resolve any issues that may be affecting energy efficiency.
20. Building information modeling (BIM): BIM is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building. By using BIM, facilities managers can simulate the building’s energy performance, identify areas where energy is being wasted, and optimize the building’s design for energy efficiency.
21. Energy performance contracting: Energy performance contracting is a financing mechanism that allows facilities managers to invest in energy-efficient upgrades without using their own capital. Under this type of contract, an energy service company (ESCO) will design, install, and maintain the energy-efficient systems, and the building owner will pay for the upgrades through the energy savings generated by the new systems.
22. Distributed energy resources: Distributed energy resources (DER) are small-scale energy generation and storage systems that are located near the point of use. By using DER, facilities managers can reduce the building’s dependence on the grid, improve energy security, and reduce costs.
23. Building analytics: Building analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data from building systems to improve building performance. By using building analytics, facilities managers can identify areas where energy is being wasted, and take action to improve energy efficiency.
24. Green procurement: Green procurement is the process of buying products and services that have a lower environmental impact than comparable products and services. By using green procurement, facilities managers can reduce the environmental impact of the products and services they buy, and set an example for other organizations.

Conclusion

Implementing these strategies can help facilities managers to improve energy efficiency and sustainability in their buildings. Not only do these strategies help to reducethe environmental impact of buildings, but they also save money on energy costs and improve the overall comfort and productivity of building occupants. It is important for facilities managers to stay up to date on the latest technologies and best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability, as these are constantly evolving fields. By taking a proactive approach to energy efficiency and sustainability, facilities managers can help to create more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings for the future.