by Shane Henson — November 2, 2011—As the winter chill makes buildings’ thermostats go up, so will their heating costs. Business owners and facilities managers wanting to reduce their heating-related expenses may find a good number of solutions and tips in two new guides published by the Carbon Trust: Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Guide and Heating Controls .
Tips from the guides include:
- Clock on—don’t forget to reset your controls when the clocks go back.
- Get control—buildings with well-controlled heating systems typically have a 15-30% lower heating fuel usage.
- Don’t overheat—heating costs rise by about 8% for each 1C of overheating. Buildings have different optimum temperatures depending on their use.
- Maintain regularly—energy consumption of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can increase by up to 30% if regular maintenance is not undertaken.
- Think big picture—energy is wasted when heating and air conditioning work against each other, so remember to look at these as a whole.
- Train staff—employees should receive guidance on recommended operating temperatures and how to set heating or cooling units correctly.
- Get control—buildings with well-controlled heating systems typically have a 15-30% lower heating fuel usage.
To date, the Carbon Trust, a U.K. not-for-profit company providing specialist support to help business and the public sector boost business returns by cutting carbon emissions, saving energy and commercializing low carbon technologies, has helped its customers save 38 million metric tons of carbon equivalent for direct cost savings of £3.7 billion.
