FROM THE EDITOR

It’s a fairly common sight in buildings these days — occupants ensconced at their desks with a tablet, smart phone, laptop, Bluetooth speaker, and maybe even a gaming system (strictly for use during lunch) all charging at the same time. You don’t know exactly how much energy that’s requiring, but you know it’s not nothing. And then, of course, there are the mini refrigerators, printers, space heaters, soda machines, coffee hot plates, and electric hand lotion warmers. How do you even begin to get your arms around how much energy all these devices use, much less try to reduce that use?

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For facility managers, reducing plug load energy in their buildings is sort of the final frontier. According to the New Buildings Institute, plug loads generally account for about 20 percent of energy use, but as HVAC and lighting become more and more efficient, plug loads are becoming a higher and higher percentage — as much as 50 percent, in the cases of some ultra-efficient buildings, like Seattle’s Bullitt Center.

Codes- and standards-writing bodies are beginning to understand the importance of the plug load issue, and are including plug loads in new code and standard language. ASHRAE 90.1-2010 (on which LEEDv4’s energy credits are based), for instance, includes a requirement that 50 percent of plug load devices in a facility have automatic shut-off control.

But where do you begin? Do you risk annoying your occupants by instituting strict no-unapproved-devices policies? Do you install new equipment, like sensors that shut down computers that have been left on? Do you incentivize occupants with prizes if they’re able to reduce energy use in their departments?

No matter the tack taken, experts suggest the first step is simply to set the baseline. You have to know the energy number from which you hope to reduce — so, in general, a good first step is energy meters.

After that, the most effective way to reduce plug loads probably depends on the culture of the organization. So I’m very interested to hear from you. What strategies have you found most effective for reducing plug loads in your buildings? Which strategies have you implemented that have been met with resistance?

 

Cheers,

Greg Zimmerman, editor  

 

HIGH-PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES

Demand Side Management Helps Balance the Energy Equation

This story includes results from a Building Operating Management poll of readers about their efforts to reduce plug loads.

 

IN THE NEWS

Plug Load Best Practices Guide For Offices

This guide from the New Buildings Institute offers several low- and no-cost ways facility managers can reduce plug loads in their offices.

 

HIGH-PERFORMANCE MULTIMEDIA

How To Engage Occupants in High-Performance Strategies

This short video podcast explains how top facility managers have been successful with various initiatives to engage with their buildings occupants to reduce energy use.