Month: May 2017

An energy audit is a formal survey, analysis and inspection of a building or company’s energy flows, processes, systems and conservation efforts. The Department of Energy encourages home energy audits for the sake of money and efficiency. All organizations should get regular energy audits to uncover problems, fix issues and maximize sustainability.

Commercial Energy Audit Basics

Energy audits involve a professional inspector who assesses buildings, systems and programs for cost savings, waste reduction and sustainability opportunities. These formal audits result in an audit report that may contain accomplishments, recommendations and non-compliance findings. Energy audits will almost always identify redundancies, uncover managerial mistakes and reduce energy costs.  Each building is different, so audits each come with unique risks and opportunities.

Energy Audit Inspections

During the energy audit, an energy auditor will visit the site. They will most likely start off the event with an introductory meeting that will review goals and intentions.  A site inspection will include assessments of lighting, air conditioners, machine controls, refrigeration equipment, air compressors, heating and ventilation systems and anything else that is using energy. Remember, energy sometimes refers to power from either electronic or pneumatic systems. Production facilities often use air hoses to power machinery, so tiny leaks are equally wasteful and concerning.

Energy Audit Interviews

Energy auditors will want to interview team leaders, facility managers and upper administrators. Many companies that maintain international certification, such as the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) credential, use energy audits to help maintain compliance with their program. These companies may steer auditors to only talk with model employees, but energy auditors often want to randomly interact with regular employees in order to really understand operations.

The audit will conclude with the auditor analyzing their metrics, such as pressures, light levels and power draw, along with other information to produce a final report that establishes energy conservation goals, standards, measures and suggestions.

A hospital’s building automation system does much more than just optimize the HVAC system. Advanced building automation systems enable administrators to monitor and control a wide array of critical functions. These include life safety, plug load, access control and customized circulation. Hospital system upgrades reduce maintenance costs and increase energy efficiency.

The Needed for Local Customization

Local system interfaces allow health care professionals to control specific performance aspects of their facility. For example, hospital surgeons use control interfaces outside their operating rooms to create pressurized spaces. This allows the doctor to view conditions inside the space and make changes without physically entering the room. Touch-screen devices, such as a system interface, integrates multiple zones into one device for unified control. An equipment touch-screen interface may enable the operator to adjust HVAC equipment in a room for patient comfort and safety.

Performance Metrics and Dashboards

Health care facility administrators use building automation dashboards to track things like safety factors, energy usage, room occupancy, regulatory compliance, environmental conditions and equipment maintenance. This helps them to monitor and manage critical spaces like operating and isolation rooms. Facility administrators can access this data via tablets, smartphones and graphic dashboards to improve operations, system uptime, turnaround times and energy management. It empowers hospital staff to use mobile tablet devices and management apps to view air, humidity, pressure and temperature data.

Advanced Analytics

Some building automation systems integrate and interact with hospital software systems. One of the leading health care industry trends are solutions that bridge the IT and data sharing gaps between clinical systems and building automation programs. Facility administrators that can track real-time bed, room and equipment usage will provide better service and more comfortable environments for patients. For instance, many hospital leaders prefer to integrate the admission, discharge and transfer systems into the building automation platform for energy conservation management. That is, a patient discharge and unoccupied room will automatically trigger the equipment and HVAC system to enter sleep or standby modes.

Some hospitals are even integrating operating room scheduling into the building automation system to reduce the number of air changes per hour for unoccupied periods.

Did you know that America is the global leader in wasting energy? The financial consequence of wasting and overusing energy is increased operational costs.  Companies that waste energy will spend more money without an appreciable ROI. The expected lifespan of production machines will diminish, there will be less capital for improvements and the company will create an unpleasant carbon footprint. Business leaders and facility managers can minimize energy waste by consulting with energy experts and by following the advice below.

Implement an Environmental Management System

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines an Environmental Management System (EMS) as practices and processes that enable an organization to reduce increase operating efficiency and environmental impacts. An EMS will cost time, money and commitment, but the benefits are priceless. Formal EMS programs, such as the ISO 14000 series, are professional certified through national and international accrediting agencies. These programs are very demanding and comprehensive.

However, the EMS program will provide a structured framework for organizations to manage their operations and associated environmental impacts. They will help companies save money related to water, waste, energy and purchasing. EMS programs guarantee better management of environmental risk and compliance with legal regulations.  They demonstrate sustainability commitment and corporate responsibility to the public, which are powerful advertising and marketing tools.

Smart and Strategic Management

The first step is to hone the skills, buy the technology and establish the incentives to monitor and evaluate energy usage. Companies must first benchmark and quantify facility energy-usage data before they can reduce costs and energy consumption. Facility managers can do this through viewing energy consumption from an outside auditor’s perspective. They should accurately allocate energy costs based standard factors, such as square footage or processing unit. Next, they can digitally monitor facility-level energy consumption through innovative devices, integrated software and even basic spreadsheet-based models.

Facility managers should consider employing the services of energy auditors, industrial experts and sustainability support groups. For example, the EPA’s Energy Star program offers a useful Energy Program Assessment Matrix to help companies evaluate energy management performance. The Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program provides comprehensive energy assessments. There are also many excellent third-party consulting companies that provide holistic solutions and energy management support.

Finally, facilities can lower their energy usage through design improvements, which may reuse of waste heat, and intelligent production scheduling, which will automate equipment change overs.  They are also many new groundbreaking technologies that offer power-control devices, motion-control solutions and energy-efficient components.

Organizational profits and revenues are dependent on proper energy and facility management. As companies continue to grow, this naturally increases the need to improve energy and facility management training programs, outcomes and capabilities.

Most companies will benefit from utilizing external experts and by following the suggestions below.

Benchmark Current Performance

Facility managers should conduct comprehensive assessments of current training programs. This should include reviews of attendance, curricula content, organizational support and real-world benefits. These assessments may reveal that initial training and new orientation is strong, but staff support and development for existing supervisors is weak. The results may question the effectiveness of training content that does not use optimal delivery methods, competency-based models and standard teaching techniques. Sometimes, these assessments will only identify new opportunities for improving sustainability, maintenance and cost savings.

Define Program Goals

The next step is to define the current and future objectives by collaboration between managers and senior leaders. This will help to determine energy goals, enhance maintenance protocols and improvement communication between management and staff. Common goals focus on cross-training and leadership development. For example, facility management training that involves new IT systems and solutions need the input of seasoned managers who are extremely familiar with the property, equipment and buildings. District and regional managers need cross-training to understand each other’s operational updates, new capabilities and best practices.

Track Progress

The final step is to monitor the progress of training activities through status meetings, data analytics and performance metrics. For example, energy, facility, inventory and maintenance information systems should be used to compile insightful reports on needs and progress.  Many large companies find it’s easier to employ the services of a third-party asset optimization company because this helps with capital planning, project development, risk management and engineering projects. Either way, companies should focus on long-term optimization solutions that offer strategic direction, budget predictability and comprehensive support.

A company with multiple location doesn’t necessarily have to set up separate training programs. Instead, they may select the most successful program that can be shared, customized and standardized. Companies that better manage their energy consumption and facility maintenance will minimize problems, remain competitive and more compliant with government regulations.