Energy Saving

Over the last few decades, there has been rapid growth in energy consumption in the public sector and commercial buildings due to the ever-increasing demands of technology. According to the Building Energy Efficiency Survey (BEES), five sectors – offices, retail, industrial, health and hospitality – accounted for 71% of total non-domestic energy consumption.

ESOS is a mandatory energy assessment scheme, designed for heavy users of energy that have significant overheads. New legislation and sustainability requirements mean that qualifying premises should meet these standards and be compliant with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.

GCL can provide multiple smart building services, reducing the number of companies you have to deal with, thus making projects easier to manage. Using one company reduces the number of precious commodities used in the installation processes, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the project and the services.

GCL can help cut your operating costs and help you meet your environmental obligations and ESOS compliance (see more on this below).

Smart LED Lighting Systems 

Today, LED lighting is recognised as being a super-efficient way of saving energy costs; however, when looking at installing new lighting systems, several considerations are needed. LED lighting fixtures have been commoditised using cheap imports from China. More affordable fittings often come with exaggerated claims about how long they will last. The advantages that smart lighting has to offer are immense and GCL is an expert when it comes to smart LED lighting systems – an accredited partner to IST, whose systems are among the most advanced in the world. 

What Do Smart Led Lighting Systems Have to Offer? 

Smart lighting systems use sensor technology and data analytics for energy savings, space analysis and optimisation, asset and employee/visitor locating, lighting control that will increase employee productivity, and more. Third-party applications such as conference room management, hot-desking reservation, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are all made intelligent with real-time data and status of spaces capture. By having a smart lighting system installed, you will also potentially be able to take advantage of new technologies such as Li-Fi, which will revolutionise the way we communicate in the future. 

Better Control and Much Healthier Light 

Installing intelligent lighting controls will ensure you are not using any more energy than you need to. Detection systems that sense movement and natural light can replace your conventional switches, ensuring lights are turned off automatically in unoccupied spaces, reducing your lighting expenditure. 

Cambridge University research has shown that if you ensure that 10 lights around your workspace are switched off every night, each year you could: 

• Save as much CO2 as would be produced by 50 car journeys from Cambridge to London.
• Reduce your carbon footprint by the same amount as cutting out 25 flights from London to Paris. 
   

Another benefit to smart lighting is being able to offer circadian lighting. This is the concept that electric light can be used to support human health by minimising the effect of electric light on the human circadian rhythm. In essence, it is an artificial 'sunrise to sunset' which travels through illuminance levels and colour spectrums from a warm colour spectrum (2,700K) to brighter, cooler (6,500K and upwards) and back again. This provides a more natural environment to work in and is proven to enhance employee efficiency with less absenteeism and at the same time, making the workplace a more comfortable environment.

One of the problems with most LED lighting fittings, which is either not even considered a problem or is overlooked, is the flickering that often gets worse the more the lights are dimmed. Flickering LED lights can cause headaches for some people, or more seriously, epilepsy for those that are sensitive to this problem. IST's smart lighting system is entirely flicker-free, and they have worldwide patents on flicker-free technology.

Your smart lighting system will: 

• Significantly reduce energy usage 
• Drastically improve LED driver lifespan (the driver is an electrical circuit used to power a LED)
• Provide huge maintenance costs savings 
• Maintain optimum lighting levels 
   

From Comms Cable to Lighting Cable – All on One Cable Type 

GCL's technicians can install the cabling for the lighting system at the same time as the cabling for voice, data, security, and audiovisual (AV) – everything runs on the same standard, low-voltage structured cabling system. There is no need for electrical distribution boards or separate conduits for lighting, unlike 230Vac cabling, thereby saving on installation costs. 

Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS)

A building energy management system (BEMS) is a computer-based approach to measuring, monitoring, and managing the performance of building services, such as heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting, and security. By reducing the AC by as little as one degree Celsius, you could reduce your annual energy bill by up to 8%.

Benefits of BEMS: 

• Coordinate the operation of various systems 
• Complete control over your building environment 
• Closely monitor building energy efficiency 
• Reduce energy consumption 
• Can be integrated with smart lighting systems 

Your building's facilities manager can use these systems to monitor building energy use. GCL will provide you with a system that can be accessed from PCs, laptops, and hand-held devices. This will give you quick access to building information in the form of graphs, charts, and reports, allowing you to make informed energy-saving decisions. BEMs can also be controlled by your lighting system software that provides new levels of building intelligence.  

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) – Complying with Legislation and Incentives 

ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme) is a mandatory energy assessment scheme for large organisations in the UK that meet the qualification criteria: 

• employs 250 or more people, or 
• has an annual turnover in excess of £44 million and an annual balance sheet total of over £38 million 
• is an overseas company with UK registered establishments (regardless of their size) – if any other part of their global corporate group activities in the UK meet the ESOS qualifying criteria 

The Environment Agency is the UK scheme administrator. 

Organisations that qualify for ESOS must carry out ESOS assessments every 4 years. These assessments are audits of the energy used by their buildings, industrial processes, and transport to identify cost-effective energy-saving measures 

How to Ensure You Are Compliant with ESOS 

You can demonstrate that you have made a compliant ESOS assessment by using Display Energy Certificates (DECs), Green Deals Assessments (GDAs), ESOS compliant energy audits or ISO 50001 certification.  

If you do not have an ISO 50001 accredited energy management system that covers all your energy use, you must carry out an ESOS assessment. To achieve compliance, you need to complete the following steps: 

• Calculate your total energy consumption 
• Identify your areas of significant energy consumption 
• Consider available routes to compliance 
• Appoint an ESOS Lead Assessor 
• Notify the Environment Agency – online 
• Keep a record of how you complied with ESOS 

Here are more details on the ESOS procedure and requirements.

What Are the Benefits of ESOS? 

ESOS is more than just a compliance exercise; it provides detailed recommendations of where and how to save energy. While the ESOS programme does not insist that you undertake the recommended measures from the audits, it provides businesses with a platform to work from to reduce capital expenditure and improve operational efficiency.  

The information from your ESOS energy audit can be used as the basis for implementing an energy management system (EMS) to facilitate the realisation of the energy-saving opportunities identified. If your system is then certified to ISO 50001 during the next four years, your organisation will automatically demonstrate ESOS compliance.  

ESOS is now in phase 3, and the deadline for compliance is 5 June 2024 (previously 5 December 2023). To read a summary of the updated phase 3 guidelines, click here. 

Carbon Reporting (SECR)

Streamlined Energy Carbon Reporting (SECR) is the name given to legislation put into place by the UK Government in 2019. This legislation, which replaces the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme, encourages companies to report on their energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions within their financial reporting for Companies House. It is a requirement for all non-SME companies.  

As well as an incentive to bring awareness to the carbon footprints of businesses, SECR intends to encourage the implementation of energy efficiency measures to reap both environmental and economic benefits. When implemented effectively, these measures should support companies in improving productivity and cutting costs, all while reducing carbon emissions.

Find out more about how GCL can help you with your Carbon Reporting by clicking here.

Our Team at GCL can help you with various energy-saving options. We offer impartial advice and will go through the options for the most energy-efficient products and services that will help you reduce your energy consumption.

Talk to us about your requirements today.

Call our office on 020 3906 6070 or email us at hello@gcl.uk.com