10 top tips for energy professionals when shutting down your building

With the recent announcement made by the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, your organisation may be shutting down the office for the foreseeable future.

To help ensure this can be done as efficiently as possible, we asked our Senior Energy Consultant, Sam Arje, to share some advice on ensuring your office/building is running safely while you’re away, whilst still saving you energy and avoiding unnecessary costs.

1. Ensure all non-critical equipment has been switched off. If they are not being used over the coming weeks then there  is no reason for them to be left on; this includes printers, computer monitors, projectors and lighting.
2. Check that no one has left a personal heater on. These can be very costly and dangerous if left on, so double check under desks to make sure they have been turned off whilst they’re not in use.
3. Check the heating and cooling systems have been adapted for the situation. If staff are not working in the office you don’t necessarily need the heating on, but as it is still early in the year, ensure frost protection levels are set as a minimum, where applicable.
4. If you have a small number of staff entering the building, try to use one entrance and exit. Ensure that doors are always closed after entering and leaving. If the building is completely empty, ensure all windows and external doors are closed.
5. If you can, empty any fridges or freezers in kitchens or break out areas and switch them off, leaving the door slightly open to avoid odours.
6. Ensure the equipment in your kitchen and canteen area is switched off.
7. Check the automatic processes on the BMS. Can these be adjusted or temporarily stopped if they are not required during the shutdown? This could save energy and unnecessary expense.
8. If you are or have a Data Centre, ensure you set your cooling point to the higher end of the recommended temperature set out by the manufacture.
9. If you are able to, keep an eye on your energy consumption data! Check that your consumption is as low as it should be and you’re not seeing any unexpected spikes. If necessary, either remotely (through a BMS), or if you can, by returning to your building, ensure any appliances in use causing unnecessary spikes are corrected.
10. Keep an eye out for our blog next week on helping employees to manage their energy consumption and bills while working from home.

Do you need support in managing your energy, emissions, bills and data? We can help. To find out more about our suite of energy management solutions and services, contact us today or call on 01908 690018.