Last month, we posed the question: Are we as focused on energy efficiency as we should be?
While we were pondering that at a high level, in terms of the role played by governments, policymakers, regulators, energy industry stakeholders, corporations (and, perhaps, the media) in putting that front and centre, this time we’re bringing it down to a more personal level.
What can you, your family, friends, neighbours and local small businesses do, right now or in the short term, to reduce your energy use?
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all find some savings?
Some clear opportunities for households and small businesses to reduce their energy use
There are so many potential areas of energy saving that we might have to explore this topic over several articles, however, here is a high-level list of the sorts of things we should all be looking at:
o Maximising natural lighting
o Using existing lights more efficiently
o Switching to energy-efficient lighting
o Improving window efficiency and wall insulation
o Automating temperatures
o Optimising existing HVAC systems
o Upgrading to more efficient HVAC systems
o Using timers on equipment and appliances
o Keeping fridges and freezers working efficiently
o Switching to smart power strips
o Servicing appliances and equipment regularly
… and here’s a closer look at those options.
Maximising natural lighting and using existing lighting more efficiently
For many people, flicking a light switch when walking into a room is an automatic action. Once we get used to doing something so simple, we literally no longer think about it.
Are you one of those people? Do you live or work with people whose lighting-usage habits you could help change?
Do you know what makes this ingrained behaviour even more problematic? All too often switching the lights off when leaving the room isn’t anywhere near as “automatic’ an action, so lights remain on in unoccupied spaces.
Then there’s the issue of “overlighting”, where the main room lights are switched on but specific spaces within the room also have a more localised lamp or other focused lighting feature. The main room light is superfluous, but once you’ve switched it on, walked to your seat or workstation, and put the reading or desk lamp on, who ever walks back to the switch on the wall to switch the main light off?
In a business setting, sometimes the main lights are needed first thing in the morning, particularly on overcast days, but then nobody has the responsibility for switching them off when there is enough natural light, so they stay on all day unnecessarily.
One very simple thing that we can often do to take advantage of natural light is to open blinds and curtains first before deciding if we also need artificial light. This change of habit will at least change your light switch flicking into a more conscious and considered action.
There are a number of other measures you can implement to maximise natural light in almost any space, including moving tall pieces of furniture away from windows to allow the light to penetrate further, changing to lighter-coloured furnishings, and adding some reflective items or surfaces.
At a more structural level, you could consider adding skylights, glare-reduction features (this can be a reason people shut out natural light even when it is plentiful), or electrochromic glazing (“smart glass” that changes its tint or transparency in response to an applied voltage – we’ll explain this more in our next article*).
We also think every business and household should start by switching to energy-efficient lighting.
Options for upgrading energy-efficient lighting include replacing outdated light fittings and lamps, optimising the lighting layout (with new lights, chances are fewer might be enough), and adding more circuits and switches for greater control.
As far as the globes or bulbs are concerned, LEDs – light-emitting diodes – use up to 75% less energy than halogens, while emitting less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than halogens.
Improving window efficiency and wall insulation
Losing heat through windows, walls, and ceilings is possibly the greatest energy inefficiency that many people are completely oblivious to. Conversely (bit in the same vein), making your air conditioning system work harder to cool a space rather than stopping it from getting that hot in the first place is also an all-too-common misstep.
The simplest remedies to excessive heat loss or gain are taking advantage of natural ventilation, implementing appropriate window shading, and ensuring all window coverings are properly fitted.
While double glazing can be an effective way to reduce energy loss (and therefore use) in the coldest areas, it may be an unnecessary expense when energy-efficient reverse-cycle air conditioning is installed.
Perhaps the most cost-effective and easiest way to cut your energy bill is to seal gaps and cracks, particularly the obvious ones around doors, windows, and vents so that you have less cool air infiltrating your heated spaces.
Use a draught stopper to prevent airflow under doors and apply weather seals to windows, skirting boards, skylights, and cornices.
Automating temperatures and optimising existing HVAC systems
Implementing and maintaining an effective Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system offers numerous benefits. The potential energy savings may be the most obvious, but by giving you great control over your indoor temperature, your HVAC system also allows you to manage the humidity and air quality in enclosed spaces.
Because minor adjustments to thermostat set points can achieve significant energy savings, it’s well worth assessing your HVAC system to see if any modifications might help optimise its operation.
For example, you might be able to add an improved control system, make some adjustments to ventilation and distribution, or even relocate HVAC units to positions where they might be more effective (and not have to do as much “work”).
Meanwhile, how are you going with your regular cleaning and maintenance schedule? Did you know that it’s recommended that you clean the filters in a split-system air-conditioning unit every two weeks?! That’s because dust and dirt can accumulate very quickly and dirty filters restrict airflow, causing your AC to work harder, consume more energy, and potentially fail prematurely.
Oh, and do you get it professionally serviced at least once a year? If you do, you’re doing it right, but you’re in the minority.
Next time you get your system serviced (maybe book that now?), why not ask if it would be worthwhile upgrading to a more efficient system? Upgrading to a more efficient HVAC system can significantly reduce your annual heating and cooling costs.
Rooftop packaged air conditioners incorporate advanced features that improve efficiency, control and reliability. Thermal energy storage technologies store heat or cold for use during later applications.
Get greater control over other appliances and equipment
Small changes in the way we use common appliances can result in significant savings over time. The more people (energy consumers) involved, the more those savings incrementally increase, so these are the sorts of things that can really add up in a small business or workplace.
Use timers on equipment and appliances
Did you know that the electricity consumed by a single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day costs around $200 a year?
That alone is a strong case for setting computers and pretty much all other equipment to automatically turn off at the end of the day and to use ‘energy-saving’ modes for appliances or equipment that is needed only intermittently, such as photocopiers and printers.
A timer can be implemented on almost anything, for example, if you have a boiling-water tap for tea and coffee making, a timer can ensure that it’s off overnight but ready to use in the morning.
Keep fridges working efficiently
Office fridges tend to have many users but no single person taking responsibility for them. Doors that aren’t properly sealed are the most common energy drain for fridges, so if you notice any condensation outside of the fridge, let someone know it’s time to replace the seal.
And did you know that it’s most efficient to keep the freezer full but give the fridge some breathing space? Keeping the fridge about 70% full allows the cool air to circulate more effectively (so the temperature doesn’t have to be turned to “max cold”) and reduces air leaks when the door opens.
Switch to smart power strips
The electricity used by electronics when they are turned off or in standby mode, sometimes referred to as a “phantom load”, is a major source of energy waste.
Smart power strips eliminate the problem of phantom loads by shutting off the power to electronics when they’re not being used. They can also be set to turn off at an assigned time through remote switches or based on the status of a master device.
It should go without saying, but if your staff isn’t trained and reminded, you could be wasting a lot of energy overnight, on weekends, and at holiday times if everything isn’t shut down and switched off.
Service appliances and equipment regularly
As we mentioned above, in regard to air-conditioning systems, regularly cleaned and serviced equipment always operates more efficiently. This is particularly true in high-traffic zones, where more dust, dirt, and debris are carried around on shoes and clothing and then churned up into the air.
It’s also more applicable for equipment or appliances with moving parts that are active numerous times every workday and any that are temperature-sensitive (or otherwise impacted by the environment). For example, refrigerated display cabinets that are not regularly cleaned can use up to 10% more energy.
Consider time-shifting
One last thought for this article: could you restructure your work schedule to use any equipment that consumes a lot of energy at off-peak times, when demand is lower?
If your business needs to run heavy equipment or your operations don’t necessarily have to operate at particular times, consider changing the working hours for the operation of that machinery.
These days, that might mean using the most energy-intensive plant or equipment in the middle of the day, when there is much more energy in the grid from renewable sources, and not at times of peak demand at the start and end of the day.
That’s the principle behind GloBird Energy’s Free Lunch Plan, which we designed to encourage greater energy use when the energy generated by solar systems is abundant around noon and early afternoon.
We’ve also added another product called ZEROHERO to reward customers with rooftop solar arrays and battery storage who can provide energy to the grid when it’s most needed.
We think it’s important that everyone takes note of the way the increasing contribution from renewable sources has reshaped the energy mix and responds to that changing landscape wherever possible.
There are multiple upsides, not least that adapting and forming new usage patterns or habits can be very effective in reducing energy use and, therefore, bills.
*In our next article, we’ll take a closer look at some energy-saving technology (such as electrochromic glazing).
**The main source for this article was the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.