Commercial building owners are noticing an increase in their utility bills from, not only inflation, but the extreme weather that we’ve been having during summer and winter months. Improving savings and sustainability throughout the year is quickly becoming a priority for most building and business owners. Owners Are Noticing An Increase Being more efficient makes you more appealing to potential customers whilst also saving you heaps of money throughout the year, but where do you start? Owners Are Noticing An Increase Here, we’ve put together a few efficiency improvements you could make to your commercial building in 2022 and beyond.
Add Solar Shading
Solar shading systems invisibly neutralise solar heat gain and glare before they even reach the window. They dissolve the sun’s heat and energy into the atmosphere without blocking any vision, natural daylight or natural ventilation. They are a great alternative to shading and blinds without blocking out light. Adding solar shading systems to your commercial building is beneficial for everyone. The systems block up to 100% solar heat gain and solar glare. They also provide unobstructed views and access to natural light which improves the overall comfort and experience of the building’s occupants. Solar shading is also great for energy saving as it reduces the need for air conditioning by up to 68% saving energy costs and hugely reducing the need for air conditioning equipment.
Weatherise Doors & Windows
In the winter, heat escapes buildings through gaps in the structure. To prevent this HVAC energy loss, bordering door frames and window frames with weatherstripping can create a barrier between indoor and outdoor temperatures. After weatherising a building, individuals can then add smart technology to reduce energy loss from appliances such as smart thermostats and smart lighting.
Install Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats can connect to HVAC systems to maintain energy-efficient indoor temperatures. They use the Internet of Things to access Wi-Fi connections and adjust the indoor conditions based on local weather predictions to keep a comfortable setting. Automated smart thermostats can also connect to motion sensors which adjust temperatures based on the room’s occupancy levels. They can even turn heating systems off in a vacant building helping save energy and money for the building owners. You can easily connect smart thermostats for commercial buildings to the building owner’s smartphone to control indoor temperatures remotely. These products are designed to help minimise operational costs and emissions associated with commercial buildings.
Add Smart Lighting
Adding smart lighting systems to your commercial building also uses the Internet of Things to connect to motion sensors which shut down lighting systems in vacant rooms. A large portion of energy waste comes from individuals unintentionally leaving systems running, therefore investing in smart lighting takes the pressure off building occupants and provides an effective energy-saving solution. Smart lighting can be controlled via an app on the building owner’s phone to change the lighting remotely. These systems can also connect to LED bulbs which achieve a 90% efficiency rate on average. That’s 80% more efficient than conventional fluorescent lights and they also last almost 10 times longer than other bulbs available on the market, reducing manufacturing energy waste too!
Utilise Natural Lighting
Adding natural-light-enhancing features to commercial buildings decreases energy waste from fluorescent bulbs. Features like skylights, brighter interior walls, mirrors and reflective tiles are just a few ways that you can utilise natural light to improve the lighting in a building. You can further improve a building’s energy efficiency by installing solar windows that convert sunlight into emission-free energy whilst providing natural light. By sourcing a portion of the building’s power from off-grid resources, they may also decrease the utility costs and emissions of the building.
Build Up Not Out
Although you can’t really change the structure of your building once it’s built, if you’re currently planning to build, you can develop energy-efficient commercial buildings using space optimisation techniques. Building a structure up instead of out decreases electricity and material waste. Taller, narrower buildings reduce the space envelope. Workers in commercial buildings can also improve on-site energy and space efficiency by stacking materials for storage which increases floor space and decreases energy waste from HVAC and lighting systems. Building up effectively reduces energy loss and conserves natural spaces surrounding commercial structures.
