How often do we sit at home, examining our energy bills and wondering why the cost is higher one month than another, when we haven't done anything differently? A subsequent bid to keep costs down sees us grow religious about switching lights off, changing lighting where possible to LED, checking the heating isn’t staying on longer than necessary and if it is, opting for the good old-fashioned technique of ‘just putting a jumper on’.

Our clients facing the same challenge across portfolios of commercial properties. How can they take a proactive approach to energy auditing to avoid having to pay high utility bills? Our job is to help them understand that the potential solution for energy reduction is often right in front of their eyes.

An energy audit aimed at identifying how the building consumes energy on a day-to-day basis is often a good place to start. The audit can have a wide range of objectives, but it often boils down to identifying key areas in which spend can be controlled more effectively and assist in supporting the investment in long-term energy solutions. As wholesale utility costs and non-commodity costs such as the climate change levy are set to rise, it is important landlords take time to comprehend the energy consumption across each property.

Understanding the energy demands of a building is the first step on the path towards identifying new energy saving opportunities. Reviewing opportunities such as LED upgrades, optimising the building management system or improving insulation, are all examples of measures that can be taken to cut costs.

Having a clear vision of the areas that could improve the energy efficiency within a site should not only lead to reduced operating costs but also aid looming compliance deadlines. One example is the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards which are scheduled to land on 1 April 2018. When this happens, agreeing a new lease on a property with an F or a G Energy Performance Certificate will be against the law, unless all improvements with a payback of seven years or fewer have been undertaken and a non-compliance report is available. This will extend to all existing leases (old and new) with an F or G rating by April 2023.

We are seeing more and more clients expressing concerns when the utility bill falls into their inbox at the end of the momth and, once again, it's higher than expected and in a bid to tackle the issue head on many are opting for an energy audit on a building. What are you waiting for?

Further information

Contact Environment & Sustainability