- Category:
Small Business Energy Savings - Published:
June 26, 2023
Reducing Your Office HVAC Energy Consumption
Office HVAC energy saving goes straight to your bottom line. Yet, maintaining healthy air quality and a comfortable temperature in your place of work is vital to employee well being and productivity.
That said, if you don’t manage your HVAC systems for efficiency, you could be running up your costs unnecessarily. Depending on your climate, you may need year round cooling and some high heat months can drive usage even higher.
How to improve your office energy efficiency is a topic that is getting more attention as companies juggle higher energy prices. Thinking about office HVAC energy consumption and ways to be more efficient top many managers’ lists.
Understanding your office’s HVAC energy consumption
Before you can think about how to reduce your HVAC energy consumption, it helps to understand how you are using energy today and to look at new technologies that give you control and detailed metrics.
How much energy do HVAC systems use in office buildings?
HVAC consumes a large percentage of the energy used in a typical office. Heat accounts for 32% of energy usage, air conditioning 9% and ventilation 11%. Taken together, that’s 52% of all office energy use. If your business is in a region with temperature extremes, your actual consumption may be much higher.
Smart HVAC systems and energy usage
Because heating, cooling and ventilation account for such a large share of office energy consumption, demand is high for solutions that increase efficiency. Many businesses are installing smart HVAC systems. They use sensors and system controls to fine-tune the HVAC to current conditions and time of day. They will even monitor system maintenance and performance to optimize operations.
7 tips to reduce HVAC energy consumption in your office
These ideas will help you and your staff minimize HVAC energy usage without sacrificing comfort. New habits and small investments can rack up significant savings.
1. Perform routine HVAC inspections
Keeping your HVAC system clean and running smoothly makes it more efficient. With proper care, you can extend the life of the various components. One of the easiest and least expensive things to do is to replace HVAC filters frequently. Regular filter replacement should be at the top of your HVAC maintenance checklist.
Invest in regular HVAC inspections and routine maintenance. It might make financial sense to get an HVAC protection plan that includes these services.
If your system is nearing the end of its useful life, upgrade to a more efficient system. You may find that you quickly recoup the cost with a lower office heating and cooling bill.
2. Check your office thermostat settings
Adjusting your thermostat up or down a few degrees off the ideal office temperature may not be noticeable to employees. Yet, you could see a big impact on your energy bill. Consider a programmable smart thermostat that can change temperatures throughout the day and reduce operations at night when no one is in the building.You may be able to save energy by automating your office building and investing in energy efficiency tools.
3. Use the sun and invest in sun shades
Harness the heat of the sun to naturally warm your office spaces. Open shades to let the sun in on cold days. Close them off with insulated window treatments when the sun no longer shines in so that you can minimize heat loss. Those same insulated window treatments can block unwanted heat during the hottest times of the day in summer, reducing the workload of your HVAC system.
4. Ensure there are no leaks
Insulate your building to close any leaks around windows, doors or light fixtures. With a well-insulated building, you can cut down the time your HVAC must work to cool or heat your office spaces. Insulation is an easy way to improve office HVAC energy savings and cut your office heating and cooling bill.
5. Optimize your office windows
Even well insulated windows will lose some heat or cool air. Add window treatments to reduce office HVAC energy consumption by controlling how much sunlight and heat gets into your office. Open and close them according to the season and the sun. Consider also adding these additional ways to control the heat of the sun.
- Window tints. These thin, plastic coatings absorb a large percentage of the sunlight and heat coming in to keep your office cooler. They also typically filter out UV rays that can fade and damage furniture.
- Reflective coating. These coatings are similar to tints. They reflect sunlight so that it doesn’t enter and heat the interior of your office.
- Smart blinds. These blinds connect to your smart hub so that you can program when they open and close. You might set them to close during the hours when the sun hits a specific window, then to open when the sun has moved on.
6. Replace your boiler
Heating accounts for the lion’s share of the energy your office consumes. Updating your boiler with a more efficient model will cut your heating costs every day it operates, delivering long term savings. The office HVAC energy savings with newer models is significant, making replacing an old unit worth considering, even if it might last a few more years.
7. Enlist your employees in saving energy
Ask your staff for office HVAC energy saving ideas. They may have some creative ideas for how to reduce HVAC energy consumption and for putting a stop to other ways your business is wasting energy. Getting them involved will build their support for turning the thermostat up or down a few degrees. It will also encourage them to commit to things like keeping doors closed and remembering to close blinds.
Maximize the efficiency of your office’s HVAC system
Reducing your office HVAC energy consumption is good for your bottom line and the environment. A system that is running in top condition will help, which is why Constellation offers a money and effort-saving HVAC protection plan and supports you with tools and advice for eliminating energy waste.
