Facilities Manager's Desk Reference, 3rd Edition

30Energy Management

30.1 Introduction

FMs (facilities managers, or facilities management) often have responsibility for energy management. Energy efficiency is no longer an optional extra; ‘green’ issues are now both political and global, affecting organisations via taxes and legislation. With increasing concerns about climate change, there is a worldwide effort to decarbonise energy supplies. Buildings must make the best use of the energy they consume. The drivers behind energy management include legislation, taxes, price increases and climate change impacts. Employees too are putting pressure on their employing organisations to be more efficient and sustainable in their procedures and policies. All sectors of the British economy will contribute to meeting the 2050 emissions reductions targets. The need to embrace energy efficiency is critical to the UK’s decarbonisation efforts.

Energy is crucial to everyday existence and its use results in:

• Costs to organisations.
• Environmental pollution arising from the emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and certain other ‘greenhouse’ gases.
• Reduction in the world’s natural resources.

30.2 Energy consumption

Energy consumption is affected by many factors – building management, equipment and processes, maintenance of systems, building fabric thermal qualities and operating hours of the premises. It is claimed that 40% of energy consumption in Europe is attributable to buildings. ...