Insights

7 Energy Efficiency Tips to Use In Your Facility

It’s no longer a want but a need to practice sustainable environmental consciousness and optimize energy efficiency when it comes to infrastructure in commercial and industrial facilities. Implementing energy-efficient measures not only helps in reducing operational costs but also contributes to a greener and more sustainable future.

Here are 7 key energy efficiency tips that can be applied to your facility, providing tangible benefits for both the environment and your bottom line.

1. Upgrade to High-Efficiency HVAC Equipment

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are the single largest contributor to a facility’s energy consumption. Upgrading to high-efficiency HVAC equipment can significantly reduce energy usage and costs. Newer models often come equipped with advanced technologies such as variable-speed drives, smart controls and improved insulation, ensuring better performance and energy conservation.

2. Don’t Just Meter. Install Submeters!

While metering is essential for monitoring overall energy consumption, installing submeters takes energy management to the next level. Submeters allow you to track energy usage in specific areas or equipment within your facility. This detailed data can help identify energy-intensive areas, allowing for targeted improvements and better overall efficiency.

3. Modernize Your BMS (Building Management System)

An updated and well-maintained Building Management System (BMS) is crucial for efficient facility operations. Upgrading to the latest BMS technology enables centralized control and monitoring of various building systems, including HVAC, lighting, and security. This centralized approach enhances coordination and automation, optimizing energy use and reducing waste.

4. Create a Planned Preventive Maintenance Strategy

Regular planned preventive maintenance is needed to ensure that the facility’s equipment is running at optimal performance levels. A well-planned preventive maintenance strategy should include regular inspection, servicing, and replacement of parts of the equipment, while also allowing you to keep track of who performed the task, when it was completed, and any observations or findings after maintenance is completed. This can be further augmented with digitization.

5. Go for Advanced Lighting Control

Lighting constitutes 12 to 15% of a facility’s energy consumption. Advanced lighting control systems, such as motion, occupancy and daylight sensors, ensure that lights are only turned on when needed and to the right lux levels. The right specification and usage of lighting systems can lead to over 50% of potential energy savings against baseline!

6. Switch to Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)

Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) offer a precise and energy-efficient way to control the speed of motors in various applications. By adjusting the speed of motors based on the actual requirements, VFDs prevent unnecessary energy consumption, particularly in systems with fluctuating loads. Incorporating VFDs into your facility can result in substantial energy savings.

7. Switch to Occupancy-Based Control

Implementing occupancy-based control systems ensures that lighting, HVAC, and other systems are active only when areas are occupied. Motion sensors and occupancy detectors play a crucial role in automating these controls. This not only saves energy but also enhances occupant comfort by tailoring environmental conditions to actual usage.

Embracing energy efficiency in your facility is a complicated but rewarding approach that involves upgrading equipment, adopting smart technologies, and leveraging data-driven insights. Building owners can consider NaviX’s Infrastructure as-a-Service to maximize energy efficiency and achieve tangible cost savings, paving the way toward a cleaner and greener future.

Speak to us today – We’ll be delighted to assist you in your energy efficiency journey.

Capital expenditure (CapEx) always constitute of a substantial upfront cost which is capitalized on the balance sheet, and thereafter depreciated over the typical useful life of the equipment. CapEx models tend to be expensive since they require one-time purchase(s) and you would expect to reap the benefits over the years. By allocating more of your budget to CapEx means lesser cash resources for other projects and investments.

Operating expenditure (OpEx) models offer a cost-effective and flexible alternative to CapEx models since they typically do not require any upfront payment. This approach involves the leasing of infrastructure assets, which includes essential maintenance services and necessary upgrades.

Low Starting Cost

Businesses are able to significantly reduce upfront expenses with Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), which is an OpEx model for infrastructure investments. This is exceptionally useful for businesses that require advanced technology, hardware and services or business that are going through equipment lifecycle retrofits, allowing the reprioritisation of precious resources back to the core business. 

Scalability

The Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model helps businesses to adapt to the ever-changing economical landscape. As businesses grow, infrastructure assets might need expand exponentially. CapEx constraints could, as a result, limit business growth.

For example, critical cooling is one of the most capital-intensive requirements in data centre operations. Under a CapEx model, if the cooling system is not well-planned, the data centre will not be able to hold or scale the expected amount of IT infrastructure. Conversely, if the cooling system is over specified, it will become a costly and inefficient liability for the business. By shifting from CapEx to OpEx, businesses are able to adapt and respond quickly to the changing demands and ensure that their infrastructure remains true to their operations.

Technology Advancement

When businesses choose Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), they immediately unlock a wider access to the latest assets and services offered, which are robust and are constantly improving. NaviX updates and upgrades these infrastructure assets to ensure the assets are running at optimal level.

Maintenance Outsourcing

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) forms part of the Infrastructure-as-a-Service model, allowing businesses to reduce their responsibility for continued maintenance. This frees up internal resources to support the core business instead of worrying about backups, operating system upgrades, IT support and repairs.

No Depreciation

M&E equipment like EV Charging Stations, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), loses value over time. In a CapEx model, business have to take note on depreciating assets and the asset becoming obsolete or outdated over the years. With Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), assets will be upgraded and maintained, thus ensuring optimal performance as it is required.

Switch from CapEx to OpEx

Making the switch from CapEx to OpEx can provide several benefits for businesses. OpEx model offers businesses the flexibility and adaptability in this challenging and rapidly evolving market. It is critical that businesses carefully consider their specific needs and goals when making the decision between CapEx and OpEx. By understanding the differences in both models, businesses can better allocate resources and increase profitability.

Speak to us today – we’ll be delighted to assist you in your CapEx to OpEx transition.