Would Your Facility Benefit From A BESS? How To Develop An Energy Strategy To Find Out.
Any facility or estate with an energy bill of over £100,000 per annum would benefit from a battery energy storage system (BESS). It can address five significant problems for FM managers:
- Reduce energy bills
- Capture clean energy
- Reduce carbon emissions
- Overcome grid constraints
- Manage grid fluctuations
However, a BESS is an expensive piece of kit and should ideally be purchased following a site energy audit and as part of a strategic energy plan.
Connected Energy is the leading company in the UK to make BESS from second life vehicles, so it will be no surprise to learn that their BESS, able to deliver exceptionally high carbon savings, are especially popular.
What may come as a surprise however is Connected Energy’s recommendation to use an independent energy consultant as a first step before committing to any new energy technology such as a BESS.
One of the most recent BESS installed by Connected Energy was for Cranfield University where Gareth Ellis, the university’s Energy and Environment Manager said, “Switching to clean technology requires many changes to come together”.
It is this need to bring lots of threads together than means FM managers will benefit from taking a strategic look at their energy requirements before buying a BESS.
Nigel Dent, Head of Sales at Connected Energy explores how FM managers can begin to develop that strategy including guidelines suggested by John Pickup from the independent energy consultancy, Edge Efficiency.
1. Look at buildings from the outside-in
Reducing waste is always the first step. Identify where heat is being lost and ways in which it can be prevented. Are windows double glazed; is the roof insulated; are walls too thin? Sometimes a simple step such as adding a lobby area can have a significant impact on heat loss and drafts.
2. Look at workflow and staff movement
Whether your facility houses 20, 200 or 2,000 people, if doors and windows are left open it is not sustainable. There needs to be better control in place, making this a communication or training requirement. It sounds basic but check: is the building heating or air conditioning switched off whenever it can be – for example at evenings or over the weekend? Controls should be set to ensure this.
3. Make simple swaps and upgrades
Have you switched to LED lights? Are refrigeration units energy efficient? Could an adaptation to direct air flow on display units reduce their energy consumption?
4. Look at the internal building configuration
Identify areas within the building that are naturally warmer and work with it. For example, could a mezzanine be used for staff seating rather than storage? Hot air rises and it may be a better option to relocate staff than add more heat.
5. Review the existing heating system
Many FM managers have inherited complicated heating systems which are not running under optimal conditions. Check that the system is operating efficiently now.
6. Identify energy cost hot-spots
Global energy costs aren’t particularly helpful. Sub metering allows energy costs and consumption to be measured for individual machinery or processes rather than an entire building. Perhaps one piece of kit is especially energy intensive. Could it be operated over the weekend when energy costs are lower? What workflow changes would be needed to make this possible?
7. Analyse your electricity bill
Break down energy consumption to the lowest possible level and compare times, days of the week, and months. Look for peaks in usage and increases in cost and explore why. Establish an ‘out of hours’ baseline. Look for peaks in usage and increases in cost and explore why. If your electricity bill is more than £100,000 per annum, equipment such as a battery energy storage system (BESS) will save you money through the use of arbitrage, buying energy when it is cheaper.
8. Explore complementary clean energy options
If you would benefit from a BESS to reduce energy bills, could you also use it to store your own clean energy? Do you have a large roof that would be suitable for a solar array? What steps would make it suitable? If you already have solar or wind generation on site, could you be making better use of it?
9. Project your energy consumption
Having identified the current pattern of energy consumption, make informed projections of energy consumption against the business plan. Will you need EV charging points? Is more IT equipment coming on stream? Is your grid connection able to cope with increased consumption?
10. Review your physical space
If all other boxes are ticked, now is the time to explore the ‘step change’ options. The aim should always be to create and use as much of your own clean energy as possible. Check your site is suitable for renewable options including energy storage. Connected Energy has a useful checklist: conducting a site survey for a BESS which can help at this stage.
Nigel concludes, “Soon, an energy strategy will become mission critical because banks won’t lend against assets which have uncontrolled energy bills or carbon emissions, classifying them as distressed assets. The role of the FM manager has never been more strategic than it is now.”
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