We’ve found anyone can be a Big Green champion at work by just spending 20 minutes a day:

• Taking personal actions that are often the quickest and cheapest way of achieving energy and resource savings at work.
• Applying a few key techniques to get your colleagues involved too, doing it for themselves.
• Setting up the metrics that track your progress to inspire success.

In this guide, we describe 5 key mindsets we often promote to all everyday champions, ambassadors, gurus and key-connectors for success: 

Why do it

• Help make your working environment more comfortable and productive.
• Improve your own skill sets and performance.
• Be part of a community of practice making a difference.
• Take pride in your achievements and recognition – only using what you need.
• Try out new ways of working for the future for more sustainable processes and buildings.

Easy ways to start off

To improve performance and deliver best value for your customers.

Think about easy ways to reduce energy consumption 

• Prioritize easy ways to conserve energy before significant investments in more technology (#EnergyHiearchy).
• Talk about Big green ideas and actions you can take with colleagues and develop business plans for doing more.
• Act on your ideas at work and at home – ‘Just do it’ to break through the barriers.
• Commit to successful changes long-term.
• Set measures to reduce consumption and right size any future investments made.

Target inevitable avoidable waste in most operations 

In practice, we are all human and naturally risk-averse, so we err on the side of caution and over-provide on our services.

Thus, we consume more energy and other resources than needed. This overprovision is what we call ‘avoidable waste’.

Many have demonstrated they’re saving 2-5% in utilities resources use, and then achieving the same again, year on year.

This is not about just reducing consumption – optimize across all your objectives for best overall value.

Simple steps to raise your awareness and understanding 

1. Find out about your current energy and utilities consumption and cost. 
2. Highlight your energy waste through energy reviews (day and night) – take photos.
3. Understand how your activities impact on energy use and the importance and benefits of better performance.
4. Think about how any future changes may impact on energy use and performance.
5. Talk to senior managers about the opportunities and what’s required in terms of financial and other resources to improve energy performance.

Step 1: Make it Local – what you know

Focus on local activity 

• Put an energy-saving hat on and go out into the areas you know well to look for opportunities for improvements.
• Think of energy as a service. Talk to your customers about what’s important to them.
• Look for ways to reduce consumption for equipment and processes you use or influence.
• Think about operational, technical and behavioral ideas to find a more effective & better ways of delivering service.
• Keep records to log your ideas and actions, track progress and share them with others.

Connect with others 

Connect with colleagues who also can affect your significant energy and  resources use: 

• Those with hands-on control of substantial energy use. 
• Those with decision making capability which impacts on sustainability performance.
• Include top managers, design, sustainability, procurement and local facilities colleagues.
• Don’t forget service partners, contractors, other specialists and consultants.
• Anyone who’s interested in influencing local energy use.

A Restaurant Team’s Fire-up Schedule Example

Big Idea: to raise awareness of equipment operational times and make it easier to make changes in a coordinated way:

1. Identify the equipment which consumes significant energy 
2. List out the equipment, its power use and the hours it’s on 
3. For each, challenge operation times and discuss ideas for reducing power demands ways to reduce running hours
4. Track the loads on targeted equipment (e.g. using daily diaries) and try out ideas to save energy on a trial basis
5. Continually review and adjust the fire-up schedule as possible 

Total savings: $51,000 a year from 25% reduction in consumption

1.  Is it needed? — Switch it off 
2.  Is it over-providing? — Turn it down 
3.  Is it working as intended? — Fix it

A University Estate Team’s 100 Day “Quick Win” Action Plan 

Big Idea: to target heating as it’s the largest utility cost for most buildings.

1. Consolidate workspaces and switch off buildings that are no longer needed. 
2. Turn down the temperature in other areas where it’s too warm (1°C reduction saves 8 to 10% in heating bills).
3. Reduce any uncomfortable cold draughts using draught stripping.
4. Make regular checks for opportunities for systems not working optimally.
5. Only then replace inefficient equipment and invest in improving insulation levels. 

Total savings: $193,000 a year achieved in reduced heating costs

Step 3: Make it Continual – do it together 

Work with colleagues to lock in savings through continual improvement. 

• Quick wins are about individuals working by themselves in areas they know well.
• Bigger wins that stick come about when an everyday energy champion and teams work closely together.

ISO 50001 is the world’s energy management standard to help us coordinate our efforts through continual improvement.

This is about getting fitter in the way we run our processes and facilities and then staying fit;  engineers may think about it as a process of continual commissioning.

The mindset needs to be one of challenge, trying out new ways, asking for feedback and continually improving as we go.

Rather than waiting for a big step change project, it’s better to take an incremental approach to making improvements — you learn and make savings as you go, and you’ll find the step changes happen naturally.

Build habits: rethink a habit for 21 straight days then continue to do it for another 90 days for it to be a way of life (#21/90 rule).

Role modelling demonstrates to others what can be done – stories you tell can help reinforce opportunities and impacts.

An Airport Team’s Approach to Making Lighting Improvements

Big Idea: innovation trials looking at different ways to improve lighting by involving users across the airport.

1. Local colleagues identify over-lit areas to remove surplus fittings and install basic controls (quick wins).
2. Engineers trial different solutions: from easy-fix retrofits (saving 30 to 60%) to the latest LED fittings (saving 50 to 80%).
3. Local facilities staff look at the best ways to switch and control lighting locally (saving up to 90% in targeted areas of use).
4. Bringing together all of this work into a simple menu of standardized and proven lighting solutions
5. Roll out the standardized approach with a $1.3m lighting upgrade project

Total savings: $515,000 a year (2.5-year payback)

Step 4: Make it Desirable – create the ‘Win Win’ 

‘Win Win’ stands for benefits for both the organization and the people involved.

The ultimate outcome is a ‘Win for All’.  Ultimately ‘Win’ should work for our organizations, customers, the planet, and also ourselves:

• Company directors and managers may support projects that deliver big savings at minimum cost, helping to make the organization a leader in the industry, enhancing customer service, competitiveness and delivering Net Zero goals.
• Energy and environmental gurus and specialists may better support ways that help accelerate the change part of their energy and environmental strategies.
• Service partners and suppliers may want more user feedback to help them improve their products and services and give them a competitive edge.
• Local staff and managers may want to take pride in delivering a better service and develop their skill sets and performance to give them greener eyes for the future.

Be careful about tech-only solutions 

Efficiency technologies and controls have great potential for energy saving, however often: 

• There’s a risk they don’t achieve the desired savings, or savings fall away over time, as key stakeholders may not be properly bought into the process.
• In practice, tech solutions totally rely on a social and behavioral context; negotiation with and acceptance of new technologies by colleagues should be a fundamental part of any (continual) optimization process.
• Combining technical and people solutions can lead to more enhanced bigger energy savings than anticipated, savings locked in longer-term.

Procuring new equipment: 

New appliances are still bought by many on a “buy the cheapest” basis, only considering the lowest purchase price. The highest eco label may not be the most sustainable one to buy. For example, when buying a new fridge freezer, you may think an A+++ is the best. However, tools like ‘Total life costing’ may show that the A++ is the most sustainable from a whole-life  financial perspective, offering lowest life-time cost whilst also achieving over 50% reduction in carbon emissions, and better features for users, compared to the A model.  

This most sustainable best buy for you will depend on optimizing across all your key objectives.

Step 5: Make it Yours – metrics that sizzle 

Include a range of measures for best results 

Look for a combination of metrics that measure success but also help generate the green sparks and sustain momentum over the longer term:

1. Make it personal — Track the number of ideas and actions
2. Make it focused — Quick win savings (measured bottom-up)
3. Make it continual — Year-on-year energy reduction
4. Make it desirable — Track positive outcomes

Set your measures to motivate and embrace change, track progress and take pride in only using what you need.

The best measures to use will depend on your organization and the others involved – start simple with know what would work best.

Momentum – ideas to lock in results long-term 

Make connections with others as a way to continually draw on new ideas through collaborative networks, clubs and projects.

Operational controls, design standards and procurement processes can help reinforce key behaviors and performance.

Monitoring and targeting processes can help check behaviors and identify problems quickly enough to maintain momentum.

We’re all learning all the time. Studies show that local ownership and control is often one of the most effective ways of delivering lasting change for better sustainability performance.

Gain mastery through continual learning, innovation and personal leadership. Learn through experience and perseverance to further develop your confidence and resilience.

Best of luck and enjoy the process!

To do this, this checklist draws on some fundamental themes:

• Design for best practice operational resources use (energy, water, waste) to contribute to the global commitment towards Net Zero and the development of zero carbon buildings.
• An ethical ethos for materials selection to reduce environmental impact on the planet and our communities.
• Benefits realization of the design intent into best practice operational performance; share your good practice measures and experiences so we can learn from each other.

A key driver for this is ensuring our fit-out and refurbishment projects meet best practice industry standards.

REVIEW

The first step to take to improve understanding of the existing installation and set the strategic objectives for the development fit-out

2. Understand the latest legislation and standards requirements for the project

• Ensure you’re up to date and complying with all relevant and local environmental legislation and building standards – for example, check for the latest application local building regulations and any standards applied by the client organization.
• Check with specialist process suppliers about any other specific legal requirements.
• Determine how these requirements apply to the project’s overall environmental & sustainability performance.

4. Tap into well-know environmental assessment tools for decision making about overall sustainability performance

• Use an environmental criteria based scoring method to facilitate discussions about which measures to target at concept design stage.
• Among the globally recognized criteria assessment approaches, BREEAM and LEAD are the most recognized, both of which apply to development and refurbishment.
• The Ska Rating scheme, originally developed by Sweden firm Skansen, is an example scheme that specifically applies to fit-outs. It uses a free on-line tool this can take into account different project scales, size and budgets. The project is scored based on relevant ‘measures in scope’, usually between 30 and 60 measures depending on the complexity of the project. 
• Whichever scheme you choose, you want one that utilizes life cycle analysis to weight different sustainability measures to optimize overall performance.

REDUCE

First target improvement measures that directly reduce the energy & environmental impact of the operation concerned

2. Provide a forecast for metered energy consumption in operation

• The forecast should be in absolute annual consumption terms, for both metered units (e.g. kWh) and cost in local currency.
• We often specify the use of a simple energy assessment method, using an Excel spreadsheet template, that schedules out all energy users for the space, and estimates consumption based on expected operation profiles and utilization and load factors (based on experience).
• We find that this can be used by design teams to facilitate design discussions with eventual building users.
• More sophisticated methods exist to develop forecasts, for example using dynamic simulation energy models.
• Actual operational energy consumption in use will also depend on operational practices and user behaviors.

4. Target ethical materials selection to reduce environmental impact

• This should be a requirement for all fit-out and refurbishment projects involving procurement/installation/disposal of any wood panels, joinery, timber structures and flooring, furniture, particle boards, paper products, textile and laminated floor coverings, wall coverings, furniture and soft furnishings, and ceiling tiles.
• Timber is usually an easier one to target. For example, you can specify 100% timber to be either reclaimed, recycled or, when new, to be supplied with a chain of custody certificate from one of the following forest certification schemes only: FSC, PEFC, SFI, CSA.
• For other materials selection, if possible: avoid the use of any products containing PVC; design to minimize the use of virgin plastic products and packaging; all paints, wall coverings and adhesives to have low or zero VOC emissions (identified by a certified low VOC emissions label).
• All wood panels, joinery, timber structures and flooring, textile and laminated floor coverings, wall coverings, furniture and soft furnishings, and ceiling tiles contain zero or low formaldehyde content (identified by a certified low VOC emissions label).
• See our guide to eco-labelling for materials selection.

REUSE

Once environment impact measures have been specified, then ensure

2. Confirm metered operational energy consumption targets are met.

• When in scope, we would normally expect a statement that confirms the refurbishment meets or surpasses the agreed design energy target, as shown in an appended energy forecast model undertaken by a competent person. This should include detail on the energy performance benchmarks and baselines used and how they were derived, e.g. including the period of any data used (normally 12 months).
• Include a list/description of the good practice energy efficiency measures used in the design, including technical and other measures to facilitate operational/behavioral controls. Include commentary on control equipment and operational controls, for example on your zoning strategy, temperature controls, demand controls, lighting dimming controls, display lighting and other time controls, etc. See Ska best practice measures for guidance.
• Baselines can be adjusted for changes in expected business activity, if there is a demonstrable statistical correlation between business activity and energy consumption.

4. Confirm ethical materials selection is being met

• When in scope, we would normally expect a statement that provides assurance that all materials meet the project’s specific materials requirements.
• Justification for the material selection not meeting these requirements can be made in reference of the reasons for the product used (e.g. based on H&S, hygiene requirements or other ethical reasons) that demonstrates that a market review of alternative products has been carried out, as appropriate.
• If possible, select products that use third-party verification labels/certification, recycled content, environmental product declarations etc. to ascertain sustainability credentials.
• Try using PVC free from Phthalate and Cadmium, that contain post-consumer recycled content, and that achieves 100% recyclable status (i.e. designed for deconstruction to enable recyclability), or demonstrate that it is a more favorable product than alternatives through, for example, a Life Cycle Analysis. A scheme such as the BRE Green Guide to Specification or Green Book Live database can be used to demonstrate a good rating in life cycle impact terms.
• Avoid the use of virgin plastic products and packaging. Source sustainable natural materials instead of plastics, or source 100% recyclable plastics with a high recycled content (i.e. designed for deconstruction to enable recyclability).
• Include a list of all products with medium or high VOC, or formaldehyde emissions levels that do not meet industry label or certification standards. Remember to check formaldehyde content of furnishing, carpets, fabric seating and textile wall coverings to ensure they are E0 or E1.
• There is a global push to prioritize non-HFC refrigerants with low global warming potential. Consider all available technical features and specifications employed to minimize the use of HFC refrigerants in fit-outs, including considering other options, such as CO₂ systems, if available and practical.

RECYCLE

Talk to colleagues, share experiences and communicate the design intent to operators

2. Set handover plans and compile project handover documents

• Communicate the design intent to building owners/operators so they understand the principle sustainability strategies and practices in use. Include the evidence demonstrating that targets and key requirements have been met. Provide principle contact details for sustainability performance from the design team.
• Define building commissioning and handover processes required for optimum performance, detailing requirements, and agreed responsibilities.
• Communicate requirements for ongoing maintenance, any post occupancy evaluations, aftercare contracts, measurement and verification processes for performance levels.
• Include post project reviews to assess and capture benefits achieved to implement in future projects. Performance in use reviews would normally wait until after one year of operation to establish effectively how well the fit-out has performed against its design targets.

4. Feed into environmental management practices required in operation

• Detail energy, water and waste management practices to be included in an operation manual; include opportunities for conservation measures and, for example, recycling of food and other waste streams.
• Produce agreed handover documents e.g. a building logbook and/or a non-technical user guide.
• Support activity to raise awareness of project sustainability features and operation methods to colleagues and building users
• Include the plan for driving continual improvement in future performance.

RETHINK

Challenge mindsets, rethink for operational opportunities for continual improvement, trial ideas and roll-out what works best

2. Consider a principal role for overall accountability for environmental performance.

• Rethink how operational strategies can offer oversight and accountability for end-to-end coordination and operational outcomes across all business processes.
• Often need adequate competency and authority in environmental leadership and ability to communicate well across organizational teams.
• Responsibilities may include: asking for building user feedback to assess levels of service achieved, considering future changes in use, assisting with fine tuning building services and operational systems, reviewing building management system controls (and fine tuning performance in each season), updating manuals and records to reflect any changes, comparing energy consumption on sub-meters against targets/simulated forecasts, feeding back lessons learnt from post occupancy reviews, etc.

4. Regularly report on progress and overall environmental performance

• Put in place monitoring, measurement and analysis processes to evaluate and report on progress and performance, e.g. using monthly dashboards. Remember to show clear line of sight to delivering the organizational strategic operational outcomes.
• Include tracking of energy, water and waste performance and actions taken.
• Include ongoing compliance status with local legal and other environmental requirements. Regularly review and update the applicable legal and other requirements.
• When possible, feedback performance to the refurbishment design team.

SUMMARY

A building refurbishment or fit-out is a great moment of opportunity to make changes to significantly improve the environmental performance of buildings and operations.

We find that following the 5-R categories helps ensure the remedial measures are considered in an order that are not only ensure lowest overall investment cost (for refurbishment/fit out) but that also right sizes subsequent investments in technology.

Download

If you would like a downloadable summary checklist for this, please contact us. 

• It’s in Microsoft Word, but it can easily be converted to another Word processer, such as Google Docs. It’s read-only, so you’ll have to save your version onto your own drive to be able to modify it.
• You can then modify and develop this simplified checklist to suit your needs as required. Complete it on line or print it out (but remember: think before you print!)

For more detail about developing an approach to optimizing the energy performance of process systems, check out ISO 14001 and other related standards.

Introduction

We have been working with Heathrow for over 12 years, pioneering solutions centered on energy & sustainability management through people.

We keep coming back to the airport as a case-study for us as it has been our eye-opener.

Our support has involved working in partnership with local teams using a combination of strategic, technical and behavioural joined-up thinking, with hands-on or more passive support as required.

We have demonstrated that this is often the quickest and most cost effective way to deliver energy savings and sustainability at scale for the organizations involved.

For Phase 2, the teams working on the T2 retail fit-outs achieved an average of 24% unit (design) energy savings compared to T5 baselines: worth $0.65m+ savings a year.  This was more than double the 10% reduction target set.

In 2016, we conducted post occupancy monitoring of energy performance for sample restaurants. We found they were consuming significantly less than the original design consumption forecasts due, in part, to approaches designed to facilitate continual improvement in operation. 

We also found restaurant energy performance correlating well with number of customers and covers, which was a key design objective.

In 2019, the airport published a key document for the Heathrow Sustainability Partnership: Delivering an Energy and Water Efficient Airport. This sets out the shared vision and objectives for business partners to support a Zero Carbon future to ensure it is delivered at affordable cost while being positive for all the stakeholders involved.

Summary

This is about enhancing energy performance by connecting up technology, operational management practices and behaviors. The same lessons apply to many sectors and operations.

Existing risk averse operational practices and behaviors generally lead to much higher energy consumption and costs; this seems inevitable for most organizations at the moment.

This can be made worse by rising energy prices and pressures on consumption from electrification and expanding commercial activities.

To manage this successfully, and make effective energy demand reductions, approaches need to be strategic and hands-on and delivered in partnership and collaboration with the people on the ground.

It is essential top management is on board and demonstrates its commitment through company energy policies and provides the financial and other resources needed.

We find success is always down to the people and teams involved so our focus is often on supporting them improving their skills and performance.

About the Organization

Vanderlande is one of those companies that touches most of our lives but which most of us haven’t heard of. When we order on-line from retailers such as Amazon, it could be Vanderlande’s systems that deliver the warehouse logistics. When we check-in our bags at airports, their systems ensure our bags reach the aeroplanes. This is all about IT process systems and large conveyor and storage systems.  

Vanderlande, part of Toyota group, is the global market leader in this type of material handling, with operations located right across the world.

Training Program

The training needed a user-friendly approach for the team to engage, particularly for smaller locations which had limited expertise and experience. It also needed to facilitate and coordinate all the activities required:

• Workshop 1 was about context: pulling together the team and understanding the opportunities, requirements and challenges to set up the vision and energy policies.
• Workshop 2 focused on the catalyst for change: feeding in local energy reviews, prioritizing opportunities and then setting up the metrics, targets and actions as well as strategic controls.
• Workshop 3 was about energizing change: roles & responsibilities, communications and rolling out campaigns and training for colleagues as well as reviewing the design, procurement and operational controls.
• Follow-up training included sessions for significant energy users, to take on local responsibility for their own areas, and for internal auditors to plan their audit trails.

Results

ISO 50001 proved to provide a great structure to help manage change in a systematic way whilst ensuring improvements are locked in longer-term. 

The team achieved certification in less than six months; all areas were able to demonstrate continual improvement in both the energy management system and in energy performance.

From first workshop to certification in record time, Vanderlande is now using ISO 50001 to meet increased customer expectations.

For each aspect, tactical tools and techniques were developed, tested and then lessons and experiences fed back through the workshops. This meant that after the second workshop, Vanderlande was already operating an energy management system that could be reviewed and improved. 

The external auditors were very impressed with how Vanderlande applied the standards in a phased approach, which resulted in no non-conformities. Standard templates were created to help each local team review their energy performance and consolidate the information required to effectively manage the subject; adding additional locations to the ISO 50001 certification at a later date is then relatively easy.

The auditor commented, “It has been a pleasant surprise to audit a company who is doing it not only because it is needed but also because they are into the subject!”

Summary

Extending the energy management team to beyond a few internal specialists not only means ISO 50001 certification was achieved in record time, but it is also more likely to now be effective in the longer term as the approach is owned by the people involved. 

The potential is for significant energy saving delivered at scale, in the most cost effective way, driven by the philosophy of continual improvement.

Collaborative approaches enable people to better connect technical and behavior solutions and deliver better results by doing it for themselves.

This case study outlines how a mix of technological and behavioral change measures led to large energy savings at the retail outlets of Heathrow’s Terminal 2.

Introduction

The same lessons apply to not only airport and retail environments, but also to many other sectors and operations. This is about enhancing energy performance by connecting up design, technology, operational practices and behavior change.

The design for Heathrow's Queen Terminal, the new Terminal 2, had a big challenge around energy. To comply with planning requirements, the building, including its commercial retail and property fit-outs, had to demonstrate 40.5% less CO₂ emissions compared to an equivalent development built to building regulation standards.

An important part in achieving this stretched target was the focus on reducing regulated and operational energy use, using a design energy targeting approach applied to all the different operations throughout the terminal building.

Heathrow’s food and beverage outlets are some of the busiest restaurants in the world. When it comes to running busy restaurants, the instinct is often to turn all the equipment on first thing in the morning, and leave it on all day. Longer running hours and risk averse operational practices and behaviors all inevitably lead to higher energy consumption. 

For this project, we also needed to connect up the 46 different retailers involved to deliver great energy and sustainability performance across 186 new separate retail spaces, including 17 new food and beverage units and restaurants as well as many fashion, technology, travel, gift and duty free shops.

This is a busy restaurant with around 500,000 covers a year.

The significant energy users for this unit are ovens, fryers, grills, dishwashers, drinks machines, refrigerators, and local fan-coils and extract plant, and to a lesser extent, lighting, small power and domestic hot water.

The chart shows what we needed to focus our efforts on. After various design iterations, the fit-out team established an energy performance of 15% better than the design energy target that was set,

Monitoring in the last year has since demonstrated even better performance in practice, operating to be better than 40% less energy consumption than their equivalent T5 energy baseline. 

Equipment levels across the kitchen are about 35% smaller per m², in kW power demand terms, than much older restaurants across the airport.

For this restaurant, we are also now seeing a good correlation between daily energy consumption and daily covers; even though impact is small at the moment, we rarely see this in many units we start to monitor.

So the big question is, what are they doing right?

We find that by using a technical only approach, we often make good savings by reducing the kW required and by providing auto controls. 

If we can make our systems easier to control – and connect up design and technical solutions with operations and behaviors – then we have more chance that they’re “on” only when required. Thus the energy consumption profile can literally flip on its head.

To tap into the opportunities, these designers are using high spec, fast and modular equipment which means it’s then easier for kitchen staff to control. This may mean, for example, using multi provision of the latest programmable combi ovens, toasters, Panini machines, etc.

Dishwasher specification

In this example, the team also applied this concept to dishwashers. Rather than specifying a more traditional, say 27kW conveyor type machine, two 7.5kW hood type dishwashers were specified instead; this meant less kilowatts but also this allows only one to be used during the quieter periods of the day.

We drew a scatter plot for our example unit, showing plots of daily consumption against covers.

By drawing a best fit trend line through the points we can conclude that approximately 35% of energy consumption is currently variable with covers. Technically, as we aim to continually improve energy performance, we are looking to pull this line down and point it more to the origin through continual improvement and changes in operational practices and behaviors.

We also monitored energy consumption for this unit on a half-hourly basis over its busiest week of the year. This demonstrated there is some limited response to on-demand over periods of the day so we reckon there is further potential savings of another 5-10%, with even more available on less busy days.

A key part of the strategy for these units is introducing a fire-up schedule for the main energy users, which maps out “on” and “off” times over the day for the significant energy users. This provides a means of agreeing and stretching the off periods in a managed way. 

For our example, this has led to toasters now being switched off at 11.30am each day, after the breakfast rush, and fryers being held off until 10.30am to prepare for lunchtime. On average, each extra hour of off-time across all the kitchen equipment is worth approximately £6,000 a year for this restaurant in energy savings alone.

One way to focus in and review operational times for particularly significant energy users is to use a technique we call daily diaries. 

For example, in one kitchen, the chefs reported that the four main ovens were needed absolutely all the time, particularly in busy weeks. So during our monitored week, we asked them to keep a diary of actual demand. By the end of the week their attitudes had changed: “In retrospect, we hold our hands up, even in our busiest week, we could have turned one oven off at 11am and a second one off at 2pm.” This would be worth 5-10% energy savings in one action for this particular kitchen.

Check out this case study to find about further energy savings at this airport.

The increasing adoption of solar PV has led to greater research in developing higher capacity modules with more reliable and stable power output. As the world deals with the climate crisis, nations and organizations are aligning towards a more sustainable future, but it is in everyone’s hands to be part of the Net Zero future.

To reduce carbon footprint, each individual and organization can take measures by reducing their consumption and generating what they need using renewable energy. Most organizations and homes have unutilized roof space, so it is an ideal opportunity to invest in solar PV.

A well-planned solar PV system can be a hassle-free renewable energy source and more.

Follow these steps, measures and guidelines to best utilize your solar resources and get the most out of a PV installation.

The first step in the shift to renewable energy is to identify and understand the energy demand.

1. Energy Monitoring 
   • The base to any energy management plan is to first measure the power consumption.
   • Install sub meters to monitor significant energy users if needed.
   • Record the energy consumption and identify patterns of consumption against usage or occupancy.
2. Identify the most suitable renewable energy source 
   • Solar PV, unlike wind, often requires fewer planning approvals and is suitable on most sites.
   • Most residential and commercial properties have sufficient unutilized roof area that can be used to meet its demand using solar PV.
   • It is possible to estimate the PV power output per m² in any given region using the global solar atlas to identify the available solar resource.
3. Identify suitable roof location 
   • A suitable roof space would have the most amount of sunlight without any shading impediments for the majority of the year. In addition, depending on the region, the angle of the solar PV module must also be considered for maximum efficiency.
   • It is necessary to consider maintenance and cleaning requirements; for example, a kitchen exhaust or birds roosting may foul the panels more often than normal.
   • The inverter generates heat when operating especially under high load. Therefore, proper ventilation or cooling is required to ensure the longevity of the inverter.
4. Technical specification
   • Different PV technologies are available on the market including thin film, Mono-crystalline, Poly-crystalline, and Double glass modules.
   • To choose the most appropriate technology, technical, economic and operational considerations need to be taken into account. Thin film modules perform better in low light conditions. Double glass modules offer better protection against chemical and salt mist deposits.  Poly-crystalline modules are often lower cost compared to other technologies due to lower power output; this may be sufficient if excess roof space is available.
5. Roofs are an underutilized asset, and it is an ideal source for power generation, which brings several benefits against the global climate crisis. 
   • Land use is one of the major contributors to global warming; therefore, the utilization of land for solar PV or any power plant is less sustainable than roof mounted solar PV.
   • By generating power at the source of consumption, it is possible to mitigate transmission losses. Therefore, using rooftop solar adds to the sustainability of the energy sector by reducing energy waste.

Fact - The average carbon foot print for a solar PV system is 6gCO2e/kWh compared to coal (future proofed with carbon capture and storage CCS) at 109gCO₂e/kWh, gas (with CCS) at 78gCO₂e/kWh and hydro at 97gCO₂e/kWh. This incorporates factors in the total CO₂ emitted in manufacture, construction, fuel supply, generation decommissioning of a system.

REDUCE

Reduce energy waste and improve energy efficiency so you’re only using what is needed.

1. Reduce energy consumption through implementing an energy management plan 
   • Energy reduction can be accomplished by simple cost effective measures; for example by ensuring equipment is switched off when not used.
2. Look into the stakeholder behaviours, as much as technical upgrades to identify opportunities to save energy.
3. Significant energy savings can be made by using solar thermal to heat water. For residential requirements, a solar thermal system can adequately meet the hot water requirements and mitigate the energy consumed by water heaters. In an industrial setting, a solar thermal system can supplement boilers with hot water, thereby reducing the energy consumed. When planning a solar PV system, remember to leave adequate space for a solar thermal system if it’s a viable option in your region. Keep in mind to factor in any shadow from the water tank of the solar thermal system.
4. A proper mapping of future energy demand using historic consumption data can help with proper sizing of the solar PV system. There are several, more technical factors that an installer will consider when sizing a solar PV system. 
   • Solar PV has economies of scale. Fixing a larger PV capacity will provide a better rate per kW and therefore have a shorter payback period if the energy generated is utilized or sold.
   • Reducing the energy demand can allow for a smaller solar PV system as the capital expense of a solar installation is high.
   • Remember to factor in the annual efficiency reduction of silicon solar PV modules.
   • By plotting the future energy demand increase, a suitable system can be sized to meet the future requirement.
   • If a larger solar PV installation is not affordable, then consider installing only the required inverter with adequate PV modules to meet the current demand. PV modules can later be added to meet additional demand.
   • Oversizing a PV system can be done according to the inverter manufacturer’s specification to allow for a greater energy generation without having to have a larger inverter capacity. By oversizing the DC capacity, the inverter will operate at a higher efficiency and will have lesser harmonic resonance in the power supply. By generating more power, the unit cost of energy can be reduced thereby having better financial return.
   • If possible, use the direct DC power output from the solar PV modules for DC motors, refrigerators and other machinery to eliminate conversion losses.

REUSE

Use best practice knowledge and site specific energy data to plan out the most suitable solar PV system.

1. Ask local installers about their experience and knowledge gained by carrying out installations in the area. This will provide insight into best practices and local area specific knowledge.
2. Talk to customers and look to use a locally available service provider with a good record of addressing breakdowns fast.
3. Ask for best practice methods to ensure the system is designed with ease of maintenance in mind.
4. Identify the best interconnection methods, available power purchase agreements and available subsidies for PV installations.
5. The visual impact of solar PV has now become a positive attribute. A neat and well installed solar PV system represents added value to a property and the occupant’s commitment to a more sustainable future. Some installations are carried out with a rack system on the roof to obtain the optimum angle which will impact negatively on the aesthetics. Having a flush mounted solar PV installation gives the best visual outcome but may have a reduced generation efficiency due to the angle of the roof. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the direction and the angle of the roof and compare the efficiency loss VS having a rack mounted system. Rack mounted systems during high winds tend to get pulled up from the roof due to its angle as opposed to flush mounted systems. Therefore, a flush mounted system has an added benefit both aesthetically and structurally.

RECYCLE

Promote your solar PV system to get further benefits in energy saving and to motivate all stakeholders into adopting sustainable behaviors.

1. After installation ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the sustainability measures and benefits in place.
2. Utilize the completed project to re-engage all stakeholders on better sustainability practices they could do themselves.
3. Keep track of local energy consumption, energy generation and emissions savings. Put into context the savings in financial terms or a form that is easily comprehensible i.e., Volume of CO₂ emissions saved in terms of balloons, or annual emissions of an average sized vehicle.
4. Majority of the solar PV modules can effectively be recycled. Nearly 80% of the hardware can be physically separated and recycled along with nearly 85% of the silicone material from silicone base solar PV modules.  Therefore, decommission of a solar PV system can be carried out very effectively and sustainably.

RETHINK

Continually monitor the energy consumption and generation and make changes to get the best benefits from the solar PV installation both in term of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

1. Reschedule your energy consumption patterns with the availability of solar as to better utilize the generated power.
2. If there are any changes in consumption patterns which provide a better financial incentives, rethink on how to swap to a more suitable power purchase agreement or interconnection method.
3. Monitor the energy generation and carry out regular maintenance when required to maintain proper generation from the solar PV system.

SUMMARY

Switching to a renewable energy source is an ideal way to reduce your carbon footprint on the road to Net Zero.

As solar PV installation is a long-term investment, it is necessary to consider the many options available to fully earn the best return on investment for your organization.

Proper planning can also help reduce the capital investment of a solar PV project, and help achieve better yield and lower maintenance costs.

Continually monitoring, improving and maintaining a system will help achieve the expected returns.

By following these simple steps, the solar PV installation can also bring about changes in energy efficiency, behavior change, help better understand your energy consumption and carbon footprint, along with the switch to a low carbon energy source.