Management systems to ‘green’ buildings

4th April 2014

By: Jonathan Rodin

  

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Energy management is being considered an integral part of any organisation and an important consideration to any corporate budget if incorporated correctly into a company’s business strategy, says facilities management provider Servest South Africa and Africa COO Steve Wallbanks.

Market research company Markets & Markets report that the global energy management systems market will reach $38.49-billion by 2018.

“Companies who have effective solutions will be able to demonstrate the impact on their bottom-line figures, where carbon taxes will be a factor, which will provide financial motivation for companies in terms of cost savings,” he says.

Wallbanks explains that key trends in sustainability and energy management include green buildings, environmental awareness and carbon dioxide emissions, peak demand, punitive tariffs and load-shedding.

Further, he notes that there are specific trends in South Africa with regard to energy management preferences and development – for instance, the Green Buildings Council of South Africa’s Green Star Rating for existing and new buildings has had an impact on companies’ awareness and has driven the implementation of submetering.

A similar trend is expected once the operational rating for existing buildings comes into full effect, Wallbanks adds.

Managing and reducing energy consumption not only saves money but also mitigates emissions and enhances a company’s image, as it is good for marketing.

“The primary aim of energy management is to achieve and maintain optimum energy procurement and use throughout a company, which may contribute to reducing energy costs and mitigating the building’s impact on the environment.”

Energy management is widely acknowledged as the best solution for the direct and immediate reduction of energy consumption,” explains Wallbanks.

“Building management systems (BMSes) are normally connected to all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in the physical structure of the building,” he says.

“If the BMS has been specified and installed correctly by a supplier, this should account for at least 70% of energy use in a building, making it possible to pinpoint where specific energy of the building is being used at any given time,” adds Wallbanks.

He adds that as BMSes include all building data and automatic energy routines, it can be implemented to save on use and demand, without affecting the internal environmental conditions of the building.

However, if improperly configured, the system can account for up to 20% of building energy use; therefore, skilled building engineers should be used to configure the system, says Wallbanks.

A large portion of companies are not monitoring and verifying the energy savings they are trying to achieve. Only a small portion of companies are using BMSes to monitor their energy management programmes.

Implementing these necessary systems and processes enables companies, therefore, to be aware of their current carbon footprint.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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