Author: bldgcontrols

Energy use and waste is a popular conversation. Environmental organizations are making more noise, and the government is passing stricter legislation. The average citizen is becoming more conscientious of how much energy they consume and how much energy the businesses from which they buy consume. For a company, becoming more energy efficient is not simply a cost-saving measure, but possibly a profit-creating initiative. The greener an organization is, the more customers they can bring in, the more customers they can retain, and the more tax breaks for which they are eligible. That said, it is good to be aware of the most effective and innovative ways that a business can adjust its operations to reduce their energy use.

Occasionally Work from Home

Many businesses are starting to look kindlier on the idea of working from home. For one, it is a big incentive to many potential hires. It allows them to save money and time on their commute to and from work. It also offers them more freedom if they have young children. Additionally, working from home permits schedule flexibility to work their own hours.

Employees aren’t the only beneficiaries; it’s also a big bonus for many businesses. When employees come into an office, they use company resources and electricity. They need heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. They use water for drinking, washing their hands, and other needs. All these resources add up. Energy use in the office can be significantly reduced if employees are permitted to work from home even just one day a week.

Holding Virtual Meetings

Every company has meetings for team collaboration. Sometimes the meetings are internal and between different office locations. Client meetings are usually frequent. And other times, meetings take place with vendors. Much of the time, though, these meetings are scheduled to be in-person. Someone, or multiple people from the organization, must often fly or drive to a distant location. This consumes fuel, which could be avoided simply by changing the meeting to a virtual one. With Internet and technology like Skype and WebEx, a virtual meeting can be just as effective as an in-person meeting. In fact, applications often have additional collaborative tools that can make meetings even more productive.

Strategically Plant Trees

Trees can be used as a natural buffer for weather. If planted strategically, they can provide enough shade for a building during the summer to minimize air conditioning use. In the winter, trees can even block the building and its windows from chilling winds, reducing heating needs to maintain a comfortable environment indoors.

Use Energy Star-Certified Appliances

Over the last few years, appliance manufacturers have developed advanced mechanisms for just about every appliance on the market, making them considerably more efficient. At first, many companies are skeptical about making the switch and purchasing Energy Star products. They know that they are more efficient, but the initial investment in appliances can be very costly. In addition, older equipment seem to be in working order and have quite a few years of life left in them. It can be difficult to reconcile the cost of a new product; however, it is often worth it to get rid of the old machine and replace it. Older models do not operate at optimal efficiency and waste significant amounts of electricity and resources. If an organization sits down and really crunches the numbers, they will see the benefits of investing anew. It might create a hefty upfront cost, but the costs will recuperate itself aplenty down the line.

Performance Solutions works with buildings and managers to develop a plan to maximize performance and reduce operating costs with strategies that are perfectly customized for you and your facility. For more comprehensive ways to make your building energy efficient, please contact us.

After a long winter, spring is a welcome relief to many. For a facility manager, spring is the time for upkeep. Spring cleaning involves maintenance for those parts of a building that require it after a long period of cold weather, especially if it’s been neglected. Spring cleaning is also important for getting ready for the months of hot weather ahead. Review your maintenance program for the upcoming year with the tips below.

Clean Your Carpets 

Dirty carpets are one of the big problems facilities face after winter. Carpets undergo a lot of messy traffic during the cold season. Every foot that enters the building tracks in debris, mud, and salt. Thoroughly cleaning the areas and building entryways that see the most traffic is essential. This not only helps keep up appearance, but also it gets rid of dirt and debris that can seriously impact indoor air quality. Proper preventive spring cleaning will also lengthen your carpet’s lifespan.

Wash the Windows 

Windows are notorious for being difficult to clean. Window cleaning is a job that no one wants to do but is also one that can have a big impact your building’s appearance. Winter can be hard on all areas of your building’s exterior, including your windows. Dirty windows affect how your building and, thus, your organization are perceived. Windows have an effect on the building’s interior as well. Accumulated grime on your windows can diminish the amount of natural light that reaches building interiors, affecting the need for electrical power, utility budget, and even the mood of people within. Washed windows provide more light and can improve morale. To maximize the benefits of window cleaning, clean your windows both on the inside and out this spring.

Work on Your Landscaping 

Landscapes can have a major impact on how your visitors and employees view your building. By properly maintaining your landscape, it is possible to give any facility a more inviting appearance. Spring is the time when the landscape around your facility will need your attention the most. You many need to initiate jobs now like laying down mulch, trimming bushes, and planting new flower or shrubs, so they will have time to flourish and grow for warmer weather and summer. You will also want to inspect your irrigation system. Look at nozzles, sprinkler heads, and valves to make sure there are no leaks and that everything is in working order.

Maintain Hardscape 

Winter weather is just as hard on concrete and pavement as it is on the building’s exterior. Check all walkways, parking lots, and patios to ensure that they are in good shape. Potholes form in winter from freezing and expanding water in cracks and grooves, so inspect to make sure pavement isn’t severely damaged and unsafe. You may need to repair, replace, or power wash to keep it all looking good and to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible.

Maintain Furniture 

While your carpets are more likely to need attention in the spring, there is a strong likelihood that your furniture will need some spring cleaning as well. The snow and mud that gets tracked in over the winter can damage the fabric and sometimes even the structure. It is especially important to inspect upholstered furniture to determine whether it needs professional cleaning.

Inspect for Pests 

Spring signals nature’s rebirth after winter. Among the creatures that will be multiplying during this season are pests like mosquitoes, termites, and bed bugs. Infestations can close down a facility for weeks in some of the worst cases. As with most other aspects of facility management, the best course to take is the preventive one. Identify the most likely pests to cause problems in your area, and take measures to keep them out. If you previously had problems, inspect and correct any issues that may draw critters to your building now.

A well-maintained building benefits both the productivity, health, and morale of staff, personnel, and other tenants. Proper maintenance and investments can reduce costs and ensure that your facility performs at optimal levels. Contact us to learn more about programs to optimize your facility and maximize savings.

Relying on the same building operations and equipment for a very long period can be hugely problematic. Even when they aren’t exhibiting any obvious malfunctions, they might still be costing organizations a lot of money due to inefficiencies or excessive upkeep just to keep them running. With old processes and equipment, organizations won’t be able to take advantage of benefits of modern building operations.

Old building operations and equipment can be a ticking time bomb for other severe issues. For example, organizations will rely on various building operations during emergencies. When these implementations are outdated, they may fail at the worst possible moment. It’s possible to reduce the likelihood of certain emergencies through careful planning.

Emergency situations pop up, even in the most variable, severe weather conditions. Organizations need to have properly functioning systems and equipment to ensure greater chances of safety during truly challenging situations. Having outdated, out-of-service equipment restricts their functionality and is not reliable.

To make matters worse, it’s even possible for some failing building operations to cause certain emergencies. Ancient heating and air-conditioning systems are more likely to cause fires, for instance. Don’t allow your equipment to become liabilities. Be on the lookout for the following weaknesses and causes of deterioration, and upgrade if necessary.

Seasonal Issues

Old heating and air-conditioning systems will often be less energy efficient than newer models. Organizations relying on old HVAC systems waste a lot of money trying to pump out and overwork an outdated system. Operations are impacted especially during summer and winter months, when temperatures are more extreme, and maintaining and regulating interior temperatures requires more system output, thereby increasing utility bills.

In addition, organizations need to be concerned about the indoor air quality of their space. Outdated air-conditioning systems will often make the indoor air quality of a building significantly worse. While indoor air pollution is an issue for everyone, it can be particularly troubling for those who have allergies. Many allergies are seasonal in nature. During the warmer seasons of the year, people who are already struggling with allergies will find it very difficult to be in a building with an old air-conditioning unit, suffering with poor air quality.

Equipment Degradation

Even when outdated building operations appear to be in relatively good condition, they still won’t be as efficient or advanced as the modern models. Organizations will be unnecessarily losing time, money, and resources to maintain and run old systems. Some equipment that buildings absolutely need to function will start to fall apart past a certain point in time and life cycle. Organizations can suffer from countless issues as a result, ranging from indirect inefficiencies or direct equipment failures and breakdowns. Therefore, replacing or updating the equipment could solve multiple problems at once.

Complex System Intricacies

Essential systems that are frequently used will eventually develop major problems. Given the complexity of these systems, problems might not be obvious at first; however, these issues will only become more apparent over time as it wears down from constant, necessary use.

A single issue with a complex system can cause the entire system to fail in a way that might be difficult and too costly to repair. Of course, when building operations are old and flawed, repairing them might not be cost-effective. It is important to balance and gauge the investments necessary for repairing and replacing these systems.

Noticeable Building Problems

It’s often a sign to update to newer building operations when the people directly involved observe and can report having issues with equipment and systems. These can be building managers, machine operators, and other personnel that feel the worsening effects. Older building operations are genuinely more difficult to maintain and can be noticed on every level.

Performance Solutions can help analyze your current building operations and equipment situation to determine if they need repair or replacement. We can also evaluate your efficiencies to help reduce unnecessary operation expenditures. For more information on the best, customized solution for your building, contact us today.

This is the second half of our two-part article on workplace energy efficiency. Last time, we discussed how external factors can influence the resource consumption and energy or maintenance expenditures your building may need. Yet, most of the direct ways to alter your power usage happens indoors from internal operations. Consider adding and practicing these energy-efficient building adjustments to reduce operation energy bills.

Wall Decor: Art, Insulation, and Sound Dampening

Insulation is one of the most important aspects of a building’s energy efficiency. It keeps the cold from escaping in the summer and the heat from escaping in the winter. It also serves to dampen sound between rooms to reduce echoes and unintentional sound carryover.

However, if you don’t have the capabilities to open your walls to add and change internal insulation, pieces of wall decor can be an alternative solution. Hanging heavy, decorative rugs or blankets can serve a triple purpose in the workplace. First, it can be nice wall art, which serves to break up long stretches of blank business wall. Second, all that fabric prevents drafts and helps to keep the cold from transferring between the outside wall to the inside rooms. Finally, the fibers of the fabric itself catch and disperse sound reducing both echoes inside rooms and transference of sound between rooms.

Company Settings for Monitors and Lights

Light is by far one of the costliest energy resources that we require to run a modern business. While LED bulbs and smart home/building automations save energy for the building environment, also consider your technology tools, like the power it takes to light up a monitor. Unless you’re in a sun-drenched or very brightly lit room, full monitor brightness is almost never necessary, and many people may prefer to work with dimmer monitors. Dimming all the monitors in the company even by 20% can make a noticeable difference in your power bill. Encourage employees to dim monitors as much as reasonably workable.

If your company runs a little non-traditionally, consider practicing “lights out” hours. Turn off most lights, and dim monitors. This can be a fun, interesting way to save money on a regular basis. Even if it only minimally affects your monthly energy bills, it can add up greatly over time.

Wi-Fi and Appliances at Night

Depending on the size of your business, you could be wasting energy broadcasting too large and too long of a Wi-Fi signal to cover your entire building at all times. Unless you have a night shift, you may not need wireless networking overnight after everyone has gone home. Consider setting your Wi-Fi broadcast to turn itself off at the end of the day and back on before the first shift starts. This can save a little money every night.

If your building has a night-time down cycle, the Wi-Fi router isn’t the only appliance or function you don’t need at night. Coffee pots, printers, and fans can all be switched off for nights and weekends with minimal to negligible impact on daily business life. You might even consider unplugging them to kill phantom power problems, as appliances continue to sip on tiny amounts of energy even when not in active use.

Thermostat Accuracy

Your HVAC system works with the thermostat to maintain indoor environments to match temperature settings, running either the air conditioning or the heater. The thermostat is an incredibly useful device, allowing us to judge the temperature of an entire room by taking measurements at a single point. Therefore, the location of your thermostat matters greatly. To get most accurate, comfortable, and efficient results from your thermostat, keep other appliances away from it to avoid poor temperature readings. When appliances run electricity, they generate heat, which can change the temperature locally. One or two large appliances near your thermostat can affect accurate readings, and affect HVAC systems to trigger (or not trigger) unexpectedly.

Every business strives to lower its overhead by improving energy efficiency. Simple practices of various techniques can lower your monthly and annual power costs. Your building also becomes more sustainable in your business practices. For more information on energy efficiency solutions for your commercial facilities, contact us today!

Energy efficiency movements are more than just a craze; it’s a financial reality. “Going green” has evolved to an incredibly practical way to save money on your power bill. Today, building managers can consider energy efficiency while paying less for better performance. Energy efficient appliances, materials, insulation, lights, and smart devices can greatly reduce your utility expenditures, but even routine maintenance around the building can significantly improve the energy efficiency of a business. While you’re putting together your budget for major upgrades, consider these small procedural and area adjustments that can easily and positively impact your energy consumption budget.

Take Care of Trees

Most businesses with their own grounds have a landscaping contract with a local service. This ensures that the grass is always cut, the flower beds are beautiful, the trees stay out of the power lines, and even the design is maintained throughout the year across changing seasons. Whatever your landscaping plan, those trees and shrubs are actually more useful than you may have imagined.

In summertime, your building heats up greatly with amount of sunlight that hits it. The more direct sunlight to the façade, the warmer the building gets, and the harder your air conditioning system must work to sustain a comfortable environment. One of the most useful services a tree can provide, other than creating oxygen, is to shade your building and help keep temperatures down. Blocking direct sunlight can drastically reduce temperatures, and thereby building cooling costs.

However, don’t let tree branches grow long enough to overhang rooftops; this creates an entirely different problem. Throughout the year, a heavy storm may cause limbs to directly break and fall. In addition, particularly wintertime, tree branches can become overloaded with heavy snow and ice. If a branch breaks over your roof and crashes to your building, it can do serious damage that will require repair. To serve all seasonal needs, grow big trees near the building, but prevent branches from overgrowth. Trim, prune, or cut branches from overhanging the roof by more than a foot or two.

Watch Out for Roof Snow

Snow has one of the biggest impacts on building operation utility bills. There is a fine line between useful snow on your rooftop and becoming a hazard. Snow can act like a blanket, insulating parts of your roof. On the other hand, potential risks start as snow begins to melt and refreeze. This is a particularly bad problem when piles stay in place for days, as partially melting and refreezing snow becomes dense, heavy, and change to partly solid ice. These piles can form ice dams and could even collapse weaker sections of a roof if the structure can no longer support it. If you can do so safely, try to keep your roof clear of excessively piled up snow with a rake, extended broom, or shovel.

Throughout all seasons, and especially in summer or winter, making your office building more energy efficient is a simple matter of thought and implementation. Of course, there are plenty of technologies and systems to automate sectors of your building to reduce energy costs, but even some minimal-effort practices and routine facility maintenance can do great for building operations.

In the next post, we discuss energy-efficient wall decor, appliances, office Wi-Fi settings, and more. Contact us today for more information on how we can help evaluate what areas of improvement your building needs and how our solutions, backed with advanced data and analysis, can make your office more energy efficient through building intelligence.