How To Optimize Energy Flow In Your Facility?

A commercial high-rise in a metro city of India today includes heating, ventilation, HVAC, elevators, lighting, and much more. The cost to manage such complex machinery can be stupendous. In a day and time when we are experiencing severe energy issues globally, FM (facility management) managers are trying hard to optimize energy flow and curb costs. 

Today, around 4/10th of the total cost in a commercial building is spent on energy and utilities. Businesses are under tremendous scrutiny and pressed hard to adopt sustainable practices. So, the push is not only to manage the costs but also to reduce their overall carbon footprint. 

On the bright side, there are a lot of strategies that modern FM businesses can adopt to optimize energy flow in their facility and make them more sustainable. We discuss some of them in this article. 

What does Energy Optimization mean?

Businesses try to find novel ways to save costs, and reducing energy consumption has been one of the primary ways for companies to achieve it. But energy optimization is much more than merely reducing energy consumption. 

Energy optimization refers to looking for and implementing new ways to save energy while ensuring the overall operational efficiency of the facility remains intact. It is not limited to direct savings on energy bills but also includes ways to reduce the overall indirect expenses, such as energy equipment repair, fewer breakdowns, and minimizing heat loss. 

Tips to Optimize Energy Flow in Your Building

Here are some ways businesses can reduce their carbon footprint and optimize energy flow in their facility - 

Equip your Facility with Energy Management and Monitoring Systems 

Energy optimization is only possible when you have all the critical insights regarding your facility's systems. Most commercial properties have today switched to digital systems to make their buildings more sustainable. Establishing smart lighting controls, such as programmable timers, occupancy sensors, and daylight harvesting, detect the presence of natural light, and regulating the usage of artificial lights in your facility can optimize your energy consumption to an extent. 

Facility managers would also benefit from introducing BMS or Building Management Systems for their facilities. An effective BMS uses advanced technology-based solutions, such as IoT and AI-powered controls, which enable facility managers to connect and monitor different digital endpoints in a single place. It includes - 

• HVAC
• Metering Networks
• Fire Endpoints
• Lighting and lifts

Monitor Energy Usage

While connecting all the end data points to a centralized BMS is only the beginning, installing a data analytics solution capable of monitoring energy usage is how businesses can unlock peak performance.

Installing smart meters and other smart tools provides the workforce with real-time insights and continuous monitoring, which can guide the optimization of assets and operations. These tools' AI prowess also plays an integral role, allowing your team to be proactive and make data-driven decisions about your energy-optimizing initiatives.

Develop an Energy Plan

Building analytics software is capable of providing ready-made suggestions for improving your facility's energy consumption along with identifying issues. A manager can sort these alerts in order of priority and streamline their resource allocation effortlessly through this approach. They can develop an energy plan which not only encompasses these issues but also focuses on improving lower-rated assets' performance for a holistic development of the facility. 

Modern-day energy plans also incorporate energy audits to identify resource-hogging assets and create a plan that focuses on optimizing resource usage. While these audits are generally conducted by ESG providers, FM managers would also require the help of building analytics software to pinpoint the exact loopholes in their systems. Addressing these issues could prove instrumental in reducing downtime and optimizing energy consumption.            

Make People Accountable

You will need information to make your facility more energy efficient. Facility data analytics software makes it easier for decision-makers to make decisions as it provides them with the necessary visibility, oversight, and insights necessary. When you have a centralized view of every asset, your team finds it easier to gauge performance and use the data required to act faster and better. 

Modern-day managers are also using AI creatively to generate recommendations for their workforce. They then combine these with their expertise to create and assign responsibilities throughout their workforce. This data is also shared with all the stakeholders in the facility to ensure everyone has the requisite insights and improved viewpoints for strategic planning and group discussions. 

This exercise would not only build accountability but also communicate the expectations to each member without any ambiguity, thereby ensuring higher efficiency and better results. 

Keep Track of your Performance

It is necessary to realize that energy optimization is not a one-time exercise; it is a continuous process where each team member contributes to a better future. One of the key steps to continuous improvement is benchmarking. It showcases energy usage history to users and all the stakeholders and sets the tone for the steps ahead.

Having building analytics software enables your team to have a centralized view of your facility's performance and they can track various vital metrics over time to create benchmarks necessary for energy optimization. The team can also compare the current data with past performance to assess the quantitative improvement and if their energy optimization goals are sustainable and achievable in the long run. 

Upgrade your Renewable Energy Arsenal

Once you have assessed your performance, the team may inadvertently require replacements or upgrades to achieve the next level of energy efficiency. In such scenarios, the focus should be on relying on sustainable/renewable energy sources as much as feasible. The best renewable energy source to depend on would vary based on the region and other requirements. So, the FM manager needs to assess the efficiency and applicability of all the available options before deciding. 

While solar and wind energy are the most widely available resources, FM managers can also take the help of on-site renewable energy systems to optimize energy in their buildings. For example, a lot of facilities today deploy solar panels to meet a part of their energy needs. 

Finding and making the most of these available renewable energy resources would not only contribute towards a reduced carbon footprint but also enable FM managers to reduce their management costs significantly. 

Wrap up

The last few years have seen massive improvements in the way energy is handled. Because of this, we have also experienced the advent of modern tools that promise terrific results at a fraction of the cost. However, most of these options can be complex to handle, and FM managers can seek the help of experts to figure out the inefficiencies and the right tools to address them. 

As we move forward to the era of smart buildings and cities, managers must get all the stakeholders on the same page and collaborate to find ways to combat and curtail energy costs.