As EPC/NABERS/Energy Auditors and M&E Consultants, we often visit buildings to review the Building Management System (BMS) to establish whether the operations of a building are contributing to high energy usage. It could be a simple thing like the ventilation air being supplied at a higher temperature than designed or it could be that equipment has not been maintained properly, is no longer working and hence has been switched off, for example a thermal wheel.

Changes are often made to the operations of the building in response to Tenant requests/complaints. Such changes can alter the controls outside of how they were designed. In one building we visited recently, the ventilation air was being set to supply at 25°C in a building being conditioned by VRF. Another building had turned off the thermal wheel as it was no longer working with no plan for replacing.

Through our experience using advanced modelling software, we can demonstrate to Clients the increase in energy demand associated with these sorts of adjustments. Ensuring the building operates as it was intended is often a very easy win to reducing the energy demand.