The global demand for energy has increased enormously over the past decades, a trend that is certain to continue. With fossil fuel consumption growing at an alarming rate, and global CO2 emissions increasing in parallel, the impact of carbon dioxide pollution is undeniable. An increase in average air temperature and rising sea levels leads to a drastic change to weather patterns resulting in violent storms, flooding, droughts, damage to crops and forests, mudslides and erosion. All of which are causing damage to our fragile ecosystem.
Air conditioning systems are common in the workplace and as large energy consumers they are responsible for high levels of CO2 emissions. In a busy environment, air conditioners are often forgotten about and are regularly left running in empty rooms. Constant running overnight or all weekends has a huge impact on energy bills especially when you consider that there are 64 hours between 5pm on a Friday and 9am on the Monday. Multiply those 64 hours by the kilowatt rating of the air conditioner (1.7kWh is average) and you can quickly understand how businesses can waste many thousands of unnecessary kilowatts over the course of a year.
Significant energy savings can be achieved by installing effective energy saving air conditioning controls which ensures that the ventilation is running in-line with room occupation and varying ambient conditions. Companies such as Climateq have taken up the challenge of reducing energy consumption and CO2 levels by designing clever energy saving controls. This article is designed to highlight the numerous benefits of using occupancy based controls to reduce operational overheads and pollution.
The primary reason for installing occupancy controls on air conditioners is to ensure a more efficient system, minimising the building’s overall energy usage and CO2 emissions. Air conditioning control systems ensure that money is not being wasted cooling or heating empty rooms by turning the ventilation off once the room has been vacated. Controlling the air conditioning based on occupancy not only helps make considerable savings in energy costs but is also contributing to reducing the overall emissions that are so damaging to the planet. Occupancy controls can be expensive however companies like Climateq have developed the Attendant, a low cost, simple but effective control making it an incredibly smart investment.
One big problem which most companies face is excessive use of their air conditioning systems. With a motion sensor based air conditioning control, the system does not run longer than necessary. When equipment is left to run excessively, it breaks down more regularly, requiring more repairs, maintenance and ultimately replacement. By properly controlling equipment, the lifespan of expensive air conditioners is preserved ensuring that budgets can be channelled into other areas of the business.
Overworked air conditioning systems over time, lead to the build-up of greenhouse gasses like CO2, dangerous to the environment but also to the occupants working within the building. Often occupants will excessively heat or cool a room making it uncomfortable for colleagues as well as wasting considerable amounts of energy in the process. Installing air conditioning occupancy controls like the Attendant leads to better control of the temperature in the room which saves energy, preserves the lifespan of equipment which doesn’t have to struggle to achieve excessively high or low temperatures and ensures that workers don’t have to endure an uncomfortable working environment.
Companies are always in search of smart ways to cut operational costs and energy is one of the major sources of expenditure for most businesses. However, by installing smart air conditioning controls, they have experienced upwards of a 34% reduction in energy costs. Companies may look to employ time clocks however this solution does not offer the greatest energy savings because air conditioners are enabled in the morning and run all day whether anyone is using the room or not. Organisations are therefore understanding the benefits of occupancy controls to reduce costs and is a strategy that has been successfully adopted by countless organisations including the NHS, police forces, health clubs, universities, banks, local government and supermarket and retail chain stores.
Versatility is one feature of occupancy sensors which is often overlooked. The major use of occupancy sensors is in the control of lighting and air conditioning, but they can also be used to control many other power sources. The WiREMS by Climateq is designed for just such applications and like the Attendant is low cost, easy to install and offers a quick return on investment. Individually, the cost to run these power sources may not look much but over time, and when added together, they are responsible for significant reductions in budget and profitability when allowed to run in empty rooms.
Simple as it may be, turning off the air conditioning can be an inconvenience, especially if in a rush or after a long day’s work. It’s very easy to forget so by installing an occupancy based air conditioning control, staff don’t have to think about it and employers don’t have to worry about the kilowatts that are being wasted by employees which is ultimately reducing bottom line profit. Everything will be safely turned off giving complete peace of mind.
For many years, air conditioners on local control have been reliant on the last person out remembering to turn them off. This very often doesn’t happen, especially in areas such as meeting rooms where everybody else thinks that someone else will take responsibility it. As a consequence, no-one does and the air conditioning continues to run for extended periods in empty rooms. The solution to this problem was the creation of clever controls designed specifically to manage the unnecessary running of air conditioners. Controls such as the Attendant, offers additional energy saving options by preventing the occupant from changing the temperature and wasting energy by excessively heating or cooling the room and by the addition of sensors which will turn the air conditioning off if a window or door has been left open. With such well thought out and versatile products on the market, reducing energy costs and keeping carbon pollution under control has never been easier.
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