Imagining an energy efficiency horoscope for three of its most promising players …
Lighting
Your moon is coming full and will soon be waning. This means it’s the best time for advanced lighting energy efficiency with deep lighting retrofits, changing out lighting systems and integrating smart controls. Lighting, you can be one with the universe if you just have the control capability to dim when the grid is peaking. You will find much love from energy efficiency programs over the next few years and then interest will wane and if you haven’t made the move, you will be on your own.
HVAC
Your planet is on the cusp; you will soon be ascendant and your power is growing. You are the Mercury of energy efficiency measures, hard to wrap one’s arms around, delivering hard to measure savings when we are tuning controls and fixing broken actuators. When your systems’ hearts are replaced, the savings glow, but there are so many other opportunities with you, the challenge is to tap your reserves. HVAC, you have the potential to deliver savings that can make up much of what lighting will be shedding. Your keys to success are to make yourself more visible through monitoring software that gives efficiency sponsors and building operators the security they need to trust in the savings you can deliver. Because you can be so complicated, some find you challenging to truly comprehend – including those most familiar with operating you! There are a chosen few who really get you and you need to find ways to connect with a bigger cadre of knowledgeable fans who can do the engineering, controls and monitoring to help you shine.
Behavior Change
Well, talk about hard to measure and love, behavior change, you are a tough nut. But if building energy use is going to really drop, you need to step up and make a big impact. You will begin to reach into the psyche of energy efficiency programs and providers. As you gain a foothold, people will turn up the T-stats in the summer, turn them down in the winter and dress appropriately for the weather.
Your communication skills will have to be strong, giving easy-to-understand feedback along the way. Everyone from CEOs to line workers will be watching for ways to eke savings out of their operations and will be excited to contribute to reducing impacts on climate. Building operators will be recognized and rewarded for their contributions towards keeping systems running right. You have the power to bring it all together helping create a culture of continuous improvement in building operations; get to work!
