Practicing energy saving measures in buildings

MANILA, Philippines - A leading property consultancy firm has observed that office employees are prone to ignore what has long been preached to them about energy savings, such as turning off lights in unoccupied rooms and shutting off idle computers.

But when directives are specific, measures are applied consistently and savings are quantified, significant energy reductions are likely to be realized and sustained over the long term.

Energy experts at global real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) disclose that a banking client in Metro Manila shaved off as much as P34.7 million from
its energy bill in 2012 through the persistent  application of practical measures.

In fact, the company reduced energy consumption at least five percent for the third year in a row. Consequently, it was elevated to the Hall of Fame by the organizers of the Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards, an energy conservation program organized by the Department of Energy.

Henry Torremonia, JLL head of property management, observed that because gasoline, electricity and water rates are expected to keep rising, businesses are now compelled to maximize their usage of these resources.
In his firm, prudent facility and building management begins with knowing industry benchmarks.

As a rule, he said that in most offices, air-conditioning accounts for 34 percent of energy usage; lighting, 30 percent; office equipment, 16 percent; and water supply, nine percent. A building’s performance is then subjected to a rigorous audit plan and measured against these widely-accepted standards. Only then is the quest for relevant solutions launched.

Often savings are achieved by maximizing the air-conditioning. In addition to following a schedule, the weather and density of the building are monitored.

Torremonia explained that in many JLL-managed properties, security guards are instructed to prompt the property manager when the skies turn cloudy or when density or the number of people in the building drop to unexpected levels. These serve as cues to adjust the temperature and lessen the load on the air-conditioning system.

In older buildings, replacing equipment with newer models that have energy-saving features also generates substantial savings after the initial payback period.

Other solutions include replacing electric switches with motion detectors. The sensors switch on the lights when the room is occupied, and switch them off once it becomes empty. This initiative saved tens of thousands of pesos a year for one building owner.

More recently, in partnership with its clients, JLL’s energy-efficiency programs prompted
organizers of the Don Emilio Abello Awards to recognize the energy savings achieved in the following buildings JLL oversees: Joy Nostalg Center-Oakwood Premier Manila where it reported 2012 energy savings
amounting to P7 million; BA Lepanto Building, P1.8 million in savings, and other buildings managed for private clients.

Torremonia observed that the urgency to adopt energy saving and sustainability measures has been highlighted by groups like the US Green Building Council which
advocates the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to improve an edifice’s environmental performance as well as to enhance the well-being of its occupants. A Philippine group with similar objectives called Building for Ecologically
Responsive Design Excellence (Berde) is also pushing for building owners to adopt sustainable practices.

In fact, both groups ensure that green measures are applied by testing building managers and other practitioners in this subject matter. At JLL, property manager Marc Salvoro is a certified resource person for LEED, while senior property manager Richard Dee passed the criteria set by Berde. The availability of sustainability specialists within JLL are important to clients like the owners of the Bench Tower and the JYCampos Center, ­ both in Bonifacio Global City,  and Aegis People Support in Cebu City, which were all constructed to uphold LEED standards.

“We at JLL take very seriously our role as global corporate citizens and, as the leading property consultancy in the country, would like to advance
more sustainability practices in the Philippines,” Torremonia said.