The Power of Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings

The Significance of Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings:

Commercial buildings are responsible for 40% of America’s total energy consumption, and 72% of commercial sector energy consumption. Read on to discover why these buildings are so energy intensive, and how we can create more energy efficiency in commercial buildings to both reduce carbon emissions and slash consumer’s energy spend. 

Commercial buildings include offices, schools, universities, hospitals, hotels, shopping centers and more. Commercial buildings tend to be energy inefficient due to the way these buildings are designed and utilized. They often contain multiple zones, rooms, and open-concept spaces which all need to cater for optimal human comfort and productivity - for example: good lighting and adequate heating, cooling, and ventilation. Presently, 30% of the energy generated by commercial buildings is wasted either because of outdated technologies, energy escape, or inefficient heating and cooling systems.

Key Areas for Energy Efficiency Improvements:

Lighting

Lighting accounts for about 18% of energy consumption in commercial buildings. Luckily, lighting adjustments are one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Additionally, lighting improvements can easily be retrofitted to existing buildings and improvements can be implemented in stages over time.

Key areas for improvement include:

• Improving the types of lighting used - for example, LED lights consume about 90% less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs and last 15 times longer.

• Installing dual switches to control the number of lights that are on. For example, you may want to use fewer lights on a bright summer day than in the depths of winter.

• Implementing automatic sensors like motion detectors. This can be helpful at night-time, or in rooms that are used sporadically - such as bathrooms or meeting rooms. 

Plug load

Plug load refers to how many devices are plugged into power outlets at any one time. This can include refrigerators, computers, monitors, printers, and server rooms, as well as employee's personal electronic devices. Plug load currently accounts for about 32% of a commercial building’s energy usage and the load is increasing year on year.  A study by the U.S. General Services Administration reports that this can be improved by up to 48% by implementing a few free or cost-effective solutions:

• Enabling power-management features on company devices. This alone can reduce computer energy usage by 60% after-hours

• Powering down office equipment at night 

• Switching regular plug strips for timer-based plug strips

• Switching from desktop computers to laptops - laptops use 78% less power, potentially saving thousands each year in energy bills

• Being mindful of Energy Star ratings when replacing outdated office equipment

Heating & Cooling

Heating and cooling account for a further 40% of commercial building’s total energy consumption. Here too there are some cost-effective strategies that companies can easily implement, like:

• Making sure your insulation is up to scratch. If this foundation isn’t in place your heating and cooling efforts will simply escape into the ether.

• Upgrading glazing on old windows

• Keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible

• Understanding your building’s orientation. Just adding blinds and other window dressings can greatly impact the temperature in a room 

• Using programmable thermostats to control temperature

• Choosing an ‘economy’ cycle if your HVAC system has one

• Regularly cleaning filters to improve efficiency

It’s also worth considering whether your system is in need of an upgrade. Updating your systems can have a profound impact on your bottom line and your carbon footprint. If your employees are using space heaters to keep warm in winter, it’s a pretty good sign that it’s time to invest in better solutions!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, keeping buildings cool can also greatly increase energy consumption. In fact, commercial chillers are the single largest energy consumer for commercial buildings. They function by first cooling water, then passing the cooled water through each room to cool the air, before returning to the chiller to repeat the process again. This is an incredibly energy intensive process and, with the changing climate, the use of commercial chillers is set to drastically increase.

One of the best ways to offset this cost, is to invest in a good thermal energy storage solution like Nostromo’s IceBrick system. Nostromo’s technology works by freezing water into IceBricks during off-peak hours when energy is cheap and renewably sourced. The building can then release this stored energy when needed - typically during peak hours when costs are high. When the IceBricks defrost their cold water passes through the chillers to cool the building, eliminating the need for the chillers to turn on. The IceBrick solution can be easily retrofitted onto existing buildings and can come in a range of capacities to suit each building’s individual energy requirements. It also has a life-cycle of more than 25 years, which substantially offsets the initial purchase price.

Key takeaway

Commercial buildings account for 40% of America’s total energy consumption. By making cost-effective changes to your lighting, reducing your plug load, and optimizing your heating and cooling systems you can greatly increase the energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Slash costs and reduce your carbon footprint by implementing this list today.