How To Reduce Energy Consumption in a Commercial Building

How can you reduce energy consumption in a commercial building?

With the price of electricity starting to climb, reducing energy consumption and finding ways to increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings has become a popular way to reduce costs, and ultimately increase business profits.

In this article, I will discuss the most basic ways to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency in a commercial building.

The fastest way to increase a building’s energy efficiency is to get energy-star-rated equipment. In this article, we’ll be taking a whole-building approach, not just equipment but also the building’s design as well as employee culture.

Addressing every aspect of energy consumption will help you reach significant energy savings.

How to Reduce a Building’s Energy Consumption

Building Design

There are several ways to reduce a building’s energy consumption and improve energy efficiency by reviewing and updating a building’s design.

1. Landscaping: Most businesses consume a lot of energy to cool and heat a building. Plants and trees provide shade and can minimize weather to help reduce your building’s energy consumption. By planting deciduous shrubs and trees on the South and East side of a building, they will help shade and protect the building during the hot summer months. This will reduce the cooling load on the air conditioner. And in the winter, they will allow the sun to naturally heat your building reducing the heating load. Evergreen trees can be planted on the North and West side of a building to block hot or cold wind throughout the year and provide shade during the summer. Well-planned landscaping can improve a building’s temperature by 10-15 degrees.
2. Natural light: Next to HVAC costs, lights also use a lot of energy. Making use of natural light is a great way to reduce lighting costs. Skylights and windows on the North side of a building will allow natural light to come in, without heating the building. Windows on the South side of a building should be equipped with canopies or overhangs so that direct sunlight does not warm the building during summer while still taking advantage of natural light.
3. Insulation: A well-insulated building goes a long way in reducing a building’s overall energy consumption. Ensuring all doors and windows are properly sealed and ensuring the building is well insulated can help keep cool air inside during the summer, and warm air inside during the winter. Taking advantage of natural weather patterns by opening windows to allow airflow can also help reduce a building’s energy consumption during months that offer mild and comfortable weather.

Energy-Efficient Office Equipment

1. Programmable thermostats: A well-programmed thermostat can help keep a building comfortable during work hours, and a different temperature during hours when the building is not in use. During the summer and winter months, a building HVAC system works hard to keep the building at comfortable temperatures. By adjusting a thermostat a few degrees warmer during summer months, and a few degrees cooler in winter months, you can reduce a building’s energy consumption during these critical periods. A programable thermostat can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 30%.
2. Energy efficiency appliances: Energy-star-rated office equipment will help significantly reduce energy consumption. As energy-efficient technology is constantly evolving, it is best to consider renting or leasing equipment as opposed to purchasing it outright. This will allow you to swap out equipment every few years to take advantage of the most energy-efficient appliances. The use of power strips and timers can also be used to reduce the amount of energy that is consumed by appliances while they are not in use (also known as vampire appliances).
3. Lighting: To understand how much of a building’s energy is consumed by lighting, consider a building and how many lights it has, and how long they are turned on. LED lights can help reduce a building’s lighting costs by 75% while also producing less heat. By installing light motion sensors, lights can automatically turn off in a building’s common areas when not in use. In areas that are well lit by natural light, the use of light dimmers can help regulate the amount of light emitted by light bulbs.

Office Culture

1. Employees: A building that has many employees will benefit if the employees are made aware of energy-saving efforts. It’s not uncommon for employees to leave lights on in common areas, to use space heaters when the temperature is too cold, to leave back doors open, and so forth. But by including them as a solution to reducing a building’s energy consumption, they will play an important role.
2. Maintaining equipment: Maintaining a building’s HVAC system, as well as appliances, will help the equipment operate at its best and ultimately help reduce energy consumption. Usually, the first people to notice broken equipment are employees and office staff. Energy efficiency can be improved by keeping an open information line on any non-optimal performing equipment and keeping a regular maintenance schedule.

There are many ways to reduce a building’s energy consumption. At Bio Developing, we help building owners and business owners find the best and most cost-effective methods to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency.