Reducción de consumo de energía en oficinas

Office Energy Consumption Saving

It’s often heard that saving energy at our offices is in everybody’s hands, that we should turn off computers and printers, turn off the lights when we leaving a meeting room or our office, etc. All these measures truly help us in save energy but, to what extent?

These good practices amongst employees means no cost for the company and are easy to implement. Many organizations start applying energy saving measures which involve high costs without a previous study of the savings they can return, the real cost of the investment or the return of investment time, we recommend not doing this.

Before taking this kind of decision, it is convenient for the organization to name a person or department to be in charge of the energy saving measures to help the Board take the best decision possible. This responsibility fits within the role of the Facility Managers. Taking in consideration that the Facility itself and the users of such facility are the two elements which influence the most when reducing energy consumption and as the Facility Manager is who best knows them of both, the FM is definitely the best person in charge of any Energy Saving Measures to be put in place.

The first step should be to get to know the current consumption and setting up indicators to quantify and control this consumption, because what’s not measured can’t be controlled.

Besides gathering all energy invoices together (electricity, gas and water), the equipment that consumes energy should be identified (equipment with a higher demand must be up first when defining energy saving measures), their technical characteristics should be studied (power, performance, etc.), the use time should ne known, if they have automatic or manual switch-off devises, their issue date, condition, etc, All this data should be considered. We also need to keep in mind that lack of maintenance or inappropriate maintenance can make energy consumption shoot up.

It would also be convenient to check the facade condition of the building, because the highest energy loss comes usually form this element. It is convenient not only to check insulation and window conditions, but also the facade constructive design. In buildings with glass facades, significative HVAC savings have been obtained just by adding eaves that prevent direct solar exposure.

Another step to take is identifying users’ habits, ways of working, etc. This allows us to identify energy saving measures such as, teleworking. This new way of working has allowed many employees to work from home, which makes it possible for the company that encourages it, to reduce their rented space, which leads to lower energy consumption. In other cases, cleaning hours have been changed from night-shifts to day-shifts, so lights can be off for the entire night.

It is also necessary to know the company´s activity and its schedules. Sometimes a simple workstation change can produce high lighting savings, because there are some positions such as sales representatives or sales agents, whose presence in the office is less usual than other employees´ presence so their workstations can be located in areas with lower natural lighting.

Please don’t restrict good practices to these examples. It is advisable to run a detailed analysis of all the elements that may have influence in energy consumption so an improvement plan can be developed before your company ventures to take energy saving measures that can produce high costs and low benefits.

Photo by Gabriel Delgado http://bit.ly/1sznzvN

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You can choose between these 3 options to participate:





How to participate?

Collaborating with the Observatorio FM is a personal and voluntary decision, and there is no contractual obligation or economic retribution for it.

Any interested person can apply to participate as a leader of a new project, or apply as a collaborator in an existing one.

A technical committee will evaluate the subject matter of the proposed projects and the applications of the participants, deciding which ones are carried out and by whom.

Each person decides how much they want to dedicate, depending on their availability or type of project. The aim is for it to be an altruistic activity and not an additional workload.

What does it consist of?

To promote and publish studies that help professionals in the sector and to help others understand our profession and discipline.

The results and deliverables are shared openly, always acknowledging the contributions of all authors and contributors.

The Observatorio FM’s activity will respect the objectivity, ethics, rigour and good practices that govern our Research area.

Contributors have access to the best collaborative tools, sectoral information and contacts, as well as the assistance of expert consultants and researchers at international level.

Research

FM Observatory

FM Observatory is a platform which develops and disseminates Facility Management information. It’s accessible to all those who’d genuinely like to participate. Ethical use and objectivity are essential, and all results must be shared. You decide how long you devote to it and what you want to achieve.

You can participate as:

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All contributions will be given credit in completed projects.

Research

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We are part of the European research group and we work in international teams to develop different types of initiatives:

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We also work for service providers who require support with decisions linked to:

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Standardisation

As accredited experts in the drafting processes of European and International standards on Asset and Facility Management, we are the perfect partner to assist you with:

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FMHOUSE is the only Spanish-speaking consulting firm that participates in these processes.

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At FMHOUSE we think that progress made in Facility Management should be shared, so we strive to produce and publish the following material:

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The “FM Observatory” is open, should you like to contribute with a publication.

Consultancy

Workplace

Our view of spaces or workplaces from a Facility Management perspective leads to a better understanding of such a need as a service, as it is essential to apply the same logic and methodology.

Generally we offer:

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We apply our knowledge and experience to offices, learning spaces, shopping centres and the industrial environment.

Consultancy

Benchmarking

In order to make the right decisions, clear accurate market data as well as facts about the organisation itself is essential. In the Facility Management environment, this is even more critical due to the impact it has on business.

Examples of benchmarks:

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These services are requested mainly by end users, but also by service providers.

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Facility Management’s overarching goal is customer satisfaction, whether they are internal or external. Understanding their feelings and needs is the key to offering a good service.

Our support is based on:

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We strive to understand and get to know our clients’ customers, in all sectors and types of businesses.

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The Facility Management world is experiencing a major transition to digital environments. We help our clients understand how it impacts them and assist them throughout the change.

Our areas of support are:

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We operate as independent advisers, not as brand vendors.

We advise end-users and service providers.

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All kinds of companies need to define or improve the way in which it structures supporting activities provided by Facility Management.

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Our proposals are structured according to individual requirements.

We help end customers and also service providers.

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