Following a Structured Approach for Successful Energy Efficiency Projects

True energy efficiency can never be reached. It can be improved, you can even become an industry leader in energy efficiency, but there always will be space for improvement. Changing everything at once is impossible; grasping every opportunity and focus on the most profitable and significant points of intervention is, therefore, most important/of the utmost importance. Since it is an iterative process, however, maintenance should continue, seizing every opportunity and meeting every demand, reusing each time the knowledge acquired previously. Here’s how to proceed:

Energy Audit

An energy audit is carried out by gathering information about the building and establishing a breakdown of its energy consumption at end uses. To do so, and to follow a structured and well-proven procedures, Synairgis drew its inspiration from the ASHRAE commercial buildings energy audit norms and guidelines. Here are, in short the steps we follow:

• Analysis of energy bills; Documenting the building specifications
• Describing and analyzing how the space and the systems are being used;
• Performing a thorough assessment of the building and its systems;
• Calculating energy consumption at the end uses to establish how to improve energy efficiency.

The audit will also allow us to pinpoint energy efficiency opportunities. The benefits of these improvements will be specified next: Feasibility study

Keep in mind that our team of professionals includes information technology experts who can help us understand the energy consumption of telephone systems, computers, Internet servers as well as other high-energy spending technological equipment.

Our specialists have the knowledge and experience necessary to quickly pinpoint the improvement to be made and to resolve technical limitations which can stop you in your objectives.

Feasibility Study

Over time, from project to project, Synairgis has developed a leading expertise to assess the returns on energy efficiency measures. The implementation of profitable energy efficiency measures will improve your company performance, and will also give you the opportunity to reduce the ecological footprint. The feasibility study will provide your company with such financial breakdown.

The aim of the feasibility study is to determine what can be improved to evaluate its pertinence in terms of profitability and non-financial benefits (linked with strategy, productivity, and employee comfort). If necessary, we can also establish criteria with you and ponder them according to your company's needs.

Such an analysis will allow a pre-selection of the most relevant improvements to be made, to later, look at some combinations of ameliorations to be carried out.  With this data at hand we will put forwards some scenarios. Based on these scenarios a business proposal addressed to the decision makers will be drawn. Further details are available next section.

Negotiations and Decisions

It is most probable that a project that is both profitable and beneficial to the company will be approved by the company shareholders/decision-makers. It needs, however, to be presented carefully. An internal business proposal or a more detailed business case of the scenario is usually required.

Going forwards with the proposal will also probably involve negotiation between tenant and owner, indeed, the cost, as well as the saving brought by the changes, will have to be fairly shared among the parties involved. In fact, it is common that the savings do not benefit the investor but the tenant who pays for the energy used. Synairgis extremely rigorous calculations will facilitate the dialogue and will allow you to make the right decisions.

Design and Planning

Before setting up some energy efficiency measures some more testing or some more in-depth calculations of dimensioning, plans and estimates will be asked for. The improvements to be made must, thus, be put together following a global and integrated approach. Task which only be fulfilled with good planning and complete awareness of what's at stake.

Synairgis specializes in high-efficiency system designs and is therefore more than capable of providing you with a design of a profitable, high-performance system.

At this stage, it is important to start applying for energy improvements incentives. Keep in mind that some incentives also cover for parts of the professional fees associated with such projects. It can even be sufficient to offset all the direct and indirect registration costs.

Installations and Commissioning

Implementing energy efficiency measures must be carefully supervised to ensure that it is done according to the norms and that systems are calibrated properly. Synairgis specializes in such matters and can easily manage your project.

At this stage suppliers and services that will intervene in the project will be solicited and coordinated. Requests for grants must be completed by the end of this stage.

Here Synairgis, acting as an independent third party, will ensure that the systems to be installed will respond to your needs, follow specifications and that they are calibrated to perform as planned.

Control and Adjustments

This stage aims to assess the real impact of the energy efficiency measures implemented, and if the need arises, adjust them. To do so we will analyze energy bills, and when and where more accurate information is required we will add measuring tools to the electric network. Software specializing in building energy benchmarking can also assist us monitoring and comprehensively reporting multiple sites energy consumption.