The Efficiency Dilemma: Do More to Use Less

The UK is in the midst of an energy crisis. Gas capacity is low, prices are surging, and  almost half of UK domestic suppliers  have gone out of business this year alone. And with Glasgow’s COP26 climate change conference still looming large in conversations nationally, the spotlight has never shone brighter on the nation’s fossil fuel dependency—and our urgent need to move to renewable, more efficient energy usage. 

It isn’t simply the government’s responsibility to curb our energy consumption. It’s up to business leaders, facilities managers, and individual operators like us to make the buildings in which we live, work, and play much more efficient. After all, commercial buildings use around  40% of global energy , emitting nearly a third of the world’s greenhouse gases. As policies and public opinion sway further towards sustainability, businesses risk losing out on talent, incentives and profits if they fail to make their buildings more efficient. So, what can businesses do today to improve efficiency, without investing millions or harming workforce productivity?

Meet sustainability goals with energy-efficient technology

At first glance, ‘energy-efficient technology’ might seem like an oxymoron. After all, when we think of the relationship between technology and energy, we often picture large commercial city landscapes fully illuminated deep into the night, or rows of office PCs and screens consuming power for up to 12 hours a day. But in recent years, technology that is truly energy-efficient has advanced far beyond incremental changes.    

Now, businesses can employ various optimisation software platforms to predict and directly monitor workplace energy costs, and automatically optimise cooling, heating, and power generation. They can use AI-powered data analytics to monitor building performance, enhance tenant experience, and meet sustainability goals. Building managers may still assume that the implementation of such powerful, energy-efficient technologies would be a long, costly process. But the truth is they can be installed into buildings quickly and efficiently, and managers can start seeing results and returns immediately. 

Reduce energy use and operation cost with central plant optimisation software

What if you could predict the future? And better yet, what if your central plant could automatically adjust your energy usage and costs to prepare for that future? Meet central plant optimisation software.  Central Utility Plant (CUP) technology such as OpenBlue Central Utility Plant uses predictive algorithms to maximise buildings’ energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while delivering reliable utility services. And it dispatches decisions every 15 minutes based on a myriad of ever-changing inputs. 

First, it looks at equipment performance models. Every major piece of building equipment, such as chillers, boilers, and cooling towers, is tuned into the system to monitor performance and cost, and optimise efficiency under operating conditions. Next, it pulls seven-day local weather forecasts for temperature, humidity, and cloudiness to predict loads, equipment performance and ambient conditions. For example, if a particularly mild Wednesday was predicted, CUP technology would prepare to reduce the building’s heating output, ensuring the central plant runs at the lowest possible cost, and far more sustainably, too. 

Then, the software combines the forecasts with existing data on historical loads, days of the week, time of day, building schedules, maintenance calendars, and special events to adjust operations and automatically make decisions that guarantee the reliable delivery of workplace utility services. CUP software can also model the simplest flat rates to the most complex real-time pricing and market-based incentive programmes. So, even in the event of high demand, such as the current UK energy crisis, buildings and occupants using  OpenBlue Central Utility Plant   enjoy lower tariffs, optimised efficiency, and retain a much larger utility budget. 

Optimise building management with data analytics and AI

Installing comprehensive building management platforms like OpenBlue Enterprise Manager are another way that businesses can achieve energy efficiency. These AI platforms give managers a virtual birds-eye view of buildings and inform decision-making that delivers stronger sustainability practices. They constantly scan workplaces, pinpointing inefficiencies, diagnosing equipment problems, and advocating the corrective action needed to fix them. They also enable managers to monitor not only energy usage, but also assets, space, health, and occupant comfort parameters, all to improve Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores. 

Many platforms even offer an eco-system of cloud-based apps, which enable managers and tenants to instantly adjust heating, water supply, HVAC systems and more in different areas of a building. These self-service apps also mean managers can monitor real-time spending, efficiency insights, and progress straight from their smartphone, helping regularly update stakeholders on sustainability results. So, they’re not just gathering data—they can share it, too. 

Thousands of buildings worldwide have already installed smart interconnected management platforms. Take Mirvac’s new 37-storey office complex in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. With the support of   OpenBlue Enterprise Manager , the building has achieved multiple industry firsts, including a 6-Star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council, and is Australia’s first building to be certified ‘GOLD’ under the International WELL Building Institute’s WELL Building Standard.

It is these success stories that bring together best practices from buildings worldwide, and help businesses on their own journeys towards reaching net-zero carbon emissions and renewable energy goals in the UK. Because with annually rising charges and continual changes in government legislation, businesses must look to technology for a better, brighter way of managing utilities. Ready to get started? 

Click here to discover how OpenBlue by Johnson Controls can help you take back control of your energy usage, your utilities costs—and the future of our planet. 

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