ENEA's tips to reduce consumption in public buildings

ENEA,ISNOVA and Logical Soft have developed 20 energy measures to curb hospitals e public administrations’bills as part of the Energy Efficency Awareness Month, to raise awareness on energy efficiency throughout November[1].

According to a study conducted by ENEA and Assoimmobiliare, air conditioning accounts for 57 percent of energy consumption in office buildings, followed by computers and other devices (25%) and lighting (17%), regardless of the square footage.

 “Consumption could be slashed by even more than 50% by redevelopment interventions of buildings and systems and careful-use behaviours”, pointed out Nicolandrea Calabrese, head of the ENEA Laboratory of Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Urban Development. “In the tertiary sector – he said - Public Administration is a strategic sector for energy saving, considering that it has 3.2 million employees, 32,000 bodies and about 1.2 million buildings spread throughout the national territory[2]”.

Every time we use the stairs instead of the elevator we save 0.05 kWh. “In Europe - explained Calabrese - there are over 5 million lifts. Italy, after Spain, is the country with the highest number of lifts, approximately 900,000 including homes and offices. The average energy consumption of an elevator accounts for about 5% of the total electricity consumption of an office building. The most energy-consuming mode of an elevator is the stand-by mode, i.e. when it is not in use but ready to go into operation, absorbing about 70% of the electricity it requires in total”.

Limiting the use of printers and disconnecting power at the end of a workday and on weekends reduces energy consumption by 24%. In winter, setting the temperature at 18° and turning off the heat an hour earlier reduces energy consumption by over 12%. In summer, setting the temperature at around 28°, at least one degree higher than what you usually do, saves 22% of the energy required for cooling.

The adoption of a smart working model requires more flexible energy management. Intelligent control systems based on presence detectors make it possible to maximize efficiency even when the premises are partially occupied, wich can lead to energy savings between 7% and 20% for heating and between 2% and 4% for cooling.

Enabling the "energy saver" function to put the computer to sleep or to shut it down after a short period of inactivity also saves money. "It’s important to disable the screen saver, since it consumes from 3W to 6W even if the pc is switched off", pointed out Calabrese.

Activating the power saving-mode on your PC ot turning it off after a short idle time  also saves energy.

This allows you to put your monitor to sleep and hibernate your PC when not in use. Use a power strip to group computers and peripherals together.

ENEA has also developed 10 practical and sustainable energy saving measures for hospitals.

 “It is possible to achieve significant energy savings also in hospitals by implementing efficient measures and virtuous behaviours of employees and users, without affecting the energy required to operate machinery, operating theaters and intensive care units,” explained Calabrese.

Among the most effective measures, in addition to a proper setting of the temperature both in winter and in summer, there are intelligent control systems and an efficent management of the lighting systems, considering that 30% of the energy consumption of hospital facilities is due to artificial light. It is also worth remembering that hospitals consume large quantities of energy to produce hot water, about three times that for domestic use.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Every time we take the stairs instead of the elevator, we save about 0.05 kWh and benefit our health.

Use energy saving light bulbs
Lighting consumption can be more than halved by using LED bulbs with integrated motion detectors.

Install intelligent control systems
The increasing adoption of a smart working model requires more flexible energy management. Intelligent control systems make it possible to maximize efficiency even when the premises are partially occupied. The use of these systems based on presence detectors can lead to energy savings between 7% and 20% for heating and between 2% and 4% for cooling.

Move to cloud storage
To archive projects and documents, it is better to eliminate internal datacenters and accessory computers that are always on network. Cloud solutions increase data security and minimize energy consumption

Lower your thermostat in winter
Set the temperature around 18 ° C and turn off the heat an hour earlier. The temperature rises by 1-2 ° C after a person stays inside a room for 30 minutes. This makes it possible to reduce heating consumption by more than 12%.

In summer set your air conditioner higher
Turn off the air conditioner one hour before leaving the office and consider using the dehumidification mode. Set the temperature around 28 ° C, at least one degree higher than what you usually do. This allows to save on average 22% of the energy required for cooling.

Close doors and windows
Keep doors and windows closed to avoid heat losses in winter and hot air returns in summer. If  a room is too hot, do not open the windows: lower the temperature instead.

Activate power saving-mode
Activate power-management on your PC, turn off unnecessary wi-fi devices and unplug devices that aren't used frequently. This allows you to put your monitor to sleep and hibernate your PC when not in use. Use a power strip to group computers and peripherals together

Optimize printers energy efficiency
Print only when really necessary and shut off copiers and printers at the end of business hours and on weekends. Mail, documents and articles can be easily read on electronic devices. Turn off the printer power when not needed because it continues to consume energy when it’s off. This way you reduce its energy consumption by around 24%.

Perform regular maintenance routine
Have the system checked and always perform mandatory maintenance. It is the number one rule in terms of safety, savings and attention to the environment. A system consumes and pollutes less when it is properly tuned, with clean filters and without limescale deposits. Consider replacing old systems with more efficient technologies.

HOSPITALS

Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Every time we take the stairs instead of the elevator, we save about 0.05 kWh and benefit our health.

Always turn off the lights at the end of the day
About 30% of energy consumption is due to artificial light. Choose the right light where you need it and remember to turn off the lights when you leave.

Intelligent control systems
If you have intelligent control systems installed do not handle them manually. They are designed to optimize energy use and can lead to energy savings between 7% and 20% for heating and between 2% and 4% for cooling.

Lower your thermostat in winter
In winter, set the temperature of offices and common areas around 18°C and do not heat the rooms that remain empty. Use consumption monitoring systems and differentiate hospitalization sectors, special areas or offices. This makes it possible to reduce consumption by more than 12%.

In summer set your air conditioner higher
Set the temperature around 28 ° C,  turn off the air conditioner at least one hour before leaving offices or consulting rooms and cool only occupied spaces. This allows to save on average 22% of the energy required for cooling.

Do not waste water
Turn off tap water and  wash your hands in cold water. Considering that energy consumption in hospitals is about three times higher than in households, every small action contributes to reducing consumption.

Close doors and windows
Keep doors and windows closed when the system is on.  If  in summer an air-conditioned room is too cold, do not open the windows: ask to set the temperature higher. Remember that a few minutes distributed throughout the day are enough to change the air.

Do not put objects on the radiator
Do not put any item on radiators or fan coils. Any item placed between the radiator and the room causes a waste of energy since it lowers the radiator’s output and forces it to work harder.

Activate power saving-mode
Activate power-management on your PC, turn off unnecessary wi-fi devices and unplug devices that aren't used frequently. Use a power strip to group computers and peripherals together

Print only when really necessary
Print only when really necessary and shut off copiers and printers at the end of business hours and on weekends. Mail, documents and articles can be easily read on electronic devices. Turn off the printer power when not needed. This way you reduce its energy consumption by around 24%.

[1] The initiative, launched by ENEA in 2016, promotes a more conscious and rational use of energy through events and projects as part of Italy in Class A, an energy efficiency campaign funded fin by the Ministry of  the Environment and Energy Security.

[2] Source  https://www.funzionepubblica.gov.it/articolo/ministro/07-09-2022/pa-dieci-azioni-il-risparmio-energetico-e-luso-intelligente-e-razionale