It only happens every four years: The Olympics are just around the corner. But there’s no excuse to wait for another one to roll around before you adopt good energy management practices. Like a long distance runner, you need to burn energy to be in the race but ensure that it’s not wasted – use that energy efficiently.
Like all businesses the goal is to win, be better than your competitors and take home a medal. By adopting good energy management practices your business will reduce its expenditure and gain long-term peace of mind that even while you’re resting, your premises are running as lean as they can while maintaining great outcomes.
At Perdaman Advanced Energy, we’ve ranked the top three podium initiatives that property managers can adopt to achieve better energy management practices.
Gold: Get smart
First place and the Gold medal goes to getting smart! You need to understand what your premises are doing during the day and night. Why is it that your energy consumption drops only slightly on the weekend while everyone is at the beach? Surely, when the building is not operating at full speed there should only be the essential systems operating. Time to investigate – and good thing you were made aware!
An energy audit identifies your general usage patterns, while installing an energy monitoring device picks up on the faulty air-conditioning unit operating at full speed at 2am in the morning. Getting smart is the first step to better energy management and keeping your finger on the pulse.
Silver: Reduce consumption
Second place – Silver, but by no means the lesser – goes to reducing consumption. Once you know how your building is operating, the next step is to single out the ways of trimming the highest consumer.
It’s the track and field of possible solutions, because there are unlimited options here! In one area are those highly inefficient lights burning through the day, simply using too much energy. LED lights are streaks ahead of their nearest competitors in regard to efficiency and effectiveness – as this recent case study shows. Lighting replacement is one of the most basic steps a premise owner can take to reduce consumption. With savings of over 30%, efficient lighting is the first one into the stadium every time.
Then there are the inefficient fridge motors which use maximum power on start-up then drop down in normal operation. Installing Variable Speed Drives provides a controlled start ensuring the motor does not need to reach maximum power at start-up. The who’s who of stars in this category is endless with more options coming into the arena every day.
Third: Use renewable sources
In third place – the Bronze medal and the natural successor of reducing consumption – is adopting renewable energy sources. The mega stars of the modern era (just ask Google Maps), solar panels utilise the vast amount of forgotten roof or car park space and are capable of generating impressive amounts of energy to offset your power bills. Commercial solar is one of the rising stars.
With the rapid pace of battery storage it’s only a matter of time before the dream team of battery and solar become commonplace. Much like energy efficiency products, renewable energy is improving rapidly and changing the way that we understand and relate to energy.
Australians, all let us rejoice…
In the race to the podium this Olympic season, chase that winning feeling by getting smart, reducing consumption and considering all options in your approach to good energy management practices.
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