How Building and Property Managers Can Save Energy
If you manage a commercial building or residential property and are looking to reduce the energy used in heating and cooling, lighting, or food service operations, read on for helpful tips.
Saving energy is a team effort. It’s important that building and property managers — and their tenants — take the necessary steps to reduce energy use. Your combined efforts will also help save money.
To get started, consider a commercial energy audit, which can help you identify everything in your building that needs an update. Then review the following tips for making your building or residential property run more efficiently.
Heating and Cooling
- Regularly inspect heating and cooling units to make sure they are running efficiently. This includes cleaning or changing air filters and setting thermostats to the appropriate temperature.
- Examine air ducts and windows, and seal any leaks to avoid wasting the energy you put into heating or cooling your space.
- If your building or property has old windows or doors, you can replace them with options that have higher energy performance ratings.
- Use fan systems to optimize the delivery of air in the most energy-efficient way. For older systems, an upgrade may be in order.
Lighting
- Lighting consumes 17% of the energy used in commercial buildings. Install sensors within common areas that automatically turn off lighting when no one is present, especially in low-traffic spaces like restrooms.
- Replace incandescent lightbulbs with more efficient LEDs.
Appliances
- Replace refrigerator door seals to prevent the appliance from wasting energy. If you can slip a piece of printer paper between the door frame and seal, the seal needs replacing. Be sure to check industrial refrigerators as well as the ones in office or residential kitchens.
- When it’s time for an upgrade, consider buying ENERGY STAR-certified appliances. Savings can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars every year.
Building and property managers can work with their tenants to help lower energy usage and overall costs. Don’t forget to check the incentives and rebates page to see whether your building qualifies for additional savings. And if you manage rental homes or residential buildings, consider getting your tenants involved by sharing our energy saving tips for renters.