How to make buildings more energy efficient

Simple and effective measures to save energy and money
R38 Fiberglass Insulation being installed into roof of loft
An R38 fiberglass insulation being installed into the roof of a new loft. Photograph: Alamy

With the government setting its sights on existing buildings as a key focus in helping to meet its carbon reduction targets, and with the price of energy and carbon continuing to rise for the foreseeable future, reducing the energy consumption of your bricks and mortar is fast becoming a no-brainer for any business. But while substantial savings can be had from retrofitting your premises with more sustainable measures it doesn't have to cost the Earth.

David Bownass, head of sustainable buildings for WSP Group, a building, management and engineering consultancy based in London and Russell Smith, managing director of Parity Projects, an award winning sustainable refurbishment consultancy in Surrey, share their tips.

Something for nothing

Commercial premises consume more electricity than they need to. The CO2 impact of electricity consumption is 2.5 times greater than that of natural gas. This can be brought down by simple means – like making sure lights are turned off at night, lowering temperature in heated rooms and raising it slightly where it's cool.

Question everything. Do you really need the air conditioning and the heating on at the same time?

Know what you want from your buildings

Lower office running costs by making optimum use of assets. This may not always be in your control if you are a tenant rather than the owner of the building. Consider how best your company needs to use the building.

Get a baseline of energy use. If you don't have a building management system, examine fuel bills to get estimates, or if you are a tenant and your landlord won't itemise your bill hire equipment to keep track electricity consumption.

Regroup and reorganise

Check whether you are using your premises to its full potential. Are great swathes of your office empty for most of the week while sales staff travel the country? Could you get rid a few desks, reduce office space and use less energy in the process? Rearranging work space makes business sense and saves energy.

See the light

Use energy efficient bulbs and daylight controllers which will switch on only when natural light is insufficient. Infrared sensors will switch off lights in spaces that are infrequently used, such as toilets, corridors and stairwells. Reduce lighting level by replacing tubes with bulbs.

Get IT right

IT equipment consumes lot of electricity. Put computers in their most efficient setting and switch them off when not in use. Switch to a thin client system instead of having desktop PCs at each desk. Low energy screens are hosted by computing facilities in a remote server room. This will also reduce the cooling load.

Purchasing power

Switch supplier for a better deal. Monitor consumption every month. The government is set to introduce renewable heat incentives next year - subsidies for generating renewable heat - which could help offset future energy costs.

There are also sustainable office supply companies. But take a good look at the overall impact before being attracted to spending extra on apparently 'green' supplies. Pens made from recycled denim may seem like a nice idea, but ultimately how much energy are they really going to save you?

Generate your own

If you're prepared to take the major refurbishment route consider generating your own energy. Replacing old boilers with modern, more efficient models should dramatically reduce gas bills. Or better still if you have a good match between your heat and power loads consider a combined heat and power engine. These CHP units are powered by natural gas to produce electricity and use the waste heat from the process to heat the building at the same time. Also think about installing renewables. Photovoltaics are unlikely to generate enough electricity to power your entire building. But it will "future proof" part of your bill as you will get paid for generating your own energy with a generous subsidy that's guaranteed for 25 years.

Solar gains

Another major refit route is glazing. If your windows are already due for refurbishment then explore all the options. There are many different glazing types. There are also cheaper alternatives. Could you use window blinds to keep the heat out rather than turn on your desk fan? Many modern buildings lose heat, so improve insulation. The solar performance of the walls can also be improved by introducing more mass. The practice is not popular since adding mass loads up the existing building structure and foundations.

Turn back the tide

Water use is often overlooked. Ask your landlord to itemise your water bill separately from other tenants, and then look at how you can reduce it. Use cost effective tap inserts or even flow restrictors within the water pipes. Waterless urinals can have a huge impact. Installing recycled water systems, which collect rainwater or recycle grey water, may also help but depends on office set-up.

Power to the people

Run "switch off" campaigns to encourage staff to reduce energy consumption. Start 'green league table' by measuring and reporting the performance of the different departments or sections of the building and reporting back to staff. But don't overdo it. Staff may be willing to wear an extra layer to keep the heating down. But take care not to compromise their comfort which may affect productivity. Reducing the volume of chilled air pumps into the building will save energy but reduce too much and you risk making the space stuffy and staff drowsy.
