Trend Controls Blog: Humans Behaving Badly
Steve Browning, Marketing Manager at Trend Control Systems, looks at the way energy is wasted in the workplace in comparison to how energy is conserved in the home. By ensuring Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) are optimised, energy can be saved and bills can be lowered.
Unless you happen to believe some of the more outlandish theories concerning climate change, there is little doubt that our actions have a significant impact on the planet. If further proof was required of the need for us to address our behaviour, it came in a 2013 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which stated that scientists are 95 per cent certain that we are the 'dominant cause' of global warming since the 1950s.
If you're anything like me, this won't come as much of a surprise. However, through greater awareness of the effects of CO2, combined with the financial implications of rising utility bills, individuals are more willing and able than ever to use energy wisely. In fact, it has become ingrained in our consciousness.
Although this is certainly true when it comes to the domestic sector, in workplaces energy is being wasted on a truly colossal scale. As someone who has worked in an office environment for most of his working life, one question has always bugged me - why are so many people prepared to approach energy use at work differently than they do at home?
Is it because they don't have to pay for it? Or is it because they think that everyone else is wasting energy, so it won't matter if they waste a bit more. Is it simply a case that their workplace culture does not empower them to make the type of decisions about energy use that they would make in their own abodes?
At Trend we are in a great position to identify the scale of the problem thanks to the number of energy audits that we carry out on behalf of all kinds of enterprises. After collecting, collating and analysing information from these audits over the last three years, we discovered that 39 per cent of energy is wasted within the workplace. Yes, you did read that figure correctly.
We also found that half of this figure can be directly attributed to poor behaviour, such as leaving lights on after vacating a room and windows that are left open with the radiators turned on. If we assume that people don't just experience an energy efficiency memory wipe when they enter work, there have to be other reasons for their behaviour. For instance, if fan heaters are being used, are certain parts of a building not as warm as they should be?
Often the root cause of these actions can be attributed to an inefficient BEMS. When a BEMS is first commissioned it is configured around existing building layouts and occupancy patterns. These elements can change over time and incorrectly configured time clocks and setpoints; conflicting heating and cooling technology; incorrectly calibrated control loops, valves, actuators and sensors; and the addition or relocation of equipment will have a highly detrimental effect on comfort conditions.
A typical example is electrical equipment, such as a photocopier, being placed near a temperature sensor. This increases the temperature around the sensor, which will then call for cool air to reduce it. The cool airflow will affect adjacent controlled zones and people will feel colder and use fan heaters to warm up. This 'heating fighting cooling' scenario is all too common but one of the easiest problems to address.
The trouble is that people are often so far removed from the BEMS that they feel powerless to make the type of 'sensible' adjustments that could reduce waste. Giving local control back to stakeholders is important and our IQView8 display as been designed to make energy management as simple and accessible as possible. It has a full colour touchscreen display that provides a self-configuring user interface to a BEMS and its intuitive operation means that users can access and act upon energy management information instantly.
With a growing number of companies taking their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) seriously, those that want to increase stakeholder engagement can also use their BEMS to demonstrate their commitment to CO2 reduction and show the impact of their energy saving measures. Having a prominent visual reminder about energy use also reminds employees that their actions have environmental consequences and should, therefore, in turn encourage better behaviour.
One way of doing this is through products such as Trend's EnergyEYE, a software application that can be shown on a large format monitor. Often located in reception areas and other similar high traffic locations, it provides a view of a building's energy performance and presents a continually updated record of its consumption and carbon emissions - showing at a glance whether they are on, below or above performance targets.
Wasting energy is akin to pouring money down the drain and with much of a building's energy consumption influenced by its occupants, their actions play a large part in dealing with this issue. The first step is to minimise the likelihood of bad human behaviour by optimising a BEMS and ensuring that the building services infrastructure is working correctly. The second is to provide employees with the necessary tools to control the conditions that they have to work in. This will require effort but the results will be well worth the hard work.
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