6 Tips to improve the energy performance of your building

Rising energy costs and Net Zero targets set by the government mean that building owners or managers like you need to find innovative solutions to improve the energy performance of your building. For many businesses, this presents a significant challenge due to complexities in operations.

Plus there is als the importance of EPC certificates, not just for compliance, but also for attracting and retaining tenants, reducing energy bills, and ultimately, increasing the value of your property. Rising energy costs are squeezing commercial property profits. Improving efficiency is key to controlling expenses, enhancing building value, and attracting tenants and demonstrates a commitment to sustainability.

Here are 6 strategic tips to help you improve the energy performance of your building:

1) Lighting

Lighting consumes a lot of power, especially in large commercial buildings with long working hours. Simply switching to LED bulbs can have an immediate and significant impact. LED lights consume 70-90% less energy than a standard bulb and are better for the environment as they can help reduce the property’s carbon footprint. For example a 13w LED light emits 68% less CO2 than a standard 40w incandescent bulb running 10 hours per day. Although the initial cost per bulb is slightly more they have a longer life span lasting thousands of hours and do not require replacement for years.

There are also tax break schemes set up by the government to help with costs when investing in positive environmental changes.
On the subject of lighting it is worth setting up indoor and outdoor lighting controls so lighting energy is only used when it is required. Motion sensors for outdoor areas that only come on when movement is detected at night. Then occupancy sensors for indoors that are only activated when a person enters a room, then they automatically turn off.

For more natural light, you can ensure roofights are cleaned and maintained. Get in touch with us for rooflight refurbishment or replacements.

2) Energy generation

Renewable energy is becoming more and more popular and sources such as solar panels are more accessible for businesses to install on their buildings to offset the increasing energy bills. Before you go ahead with solar you will need to ensure your roof is in a suitable condition. Metal roof coating can deteriorate over time which can cause severe problems for your property if not addressed.

Roofs bear the brunt of the ever-changing weather. Therefore, they often become damaged, and their metal roof coating starts to peel away, and areas of corrosion can develop, which can cause problems for your building.

Cladding coatings have years of experience refurbishing metal roof cladding on commercial and industrial buildings using the highest quality systems backed by long standing guarantees.

We can refurbish metal roof cladding as part of a large scale external refurbishment or as a standalone project in preparation for solar panel installation.
If it is not feasible you may consider increasing the amount of natural light coming through by adding in skylights, ultimately saving on future lighting costs.

3) Gas efficiency in commercial buildings

We have mentioned the increasing cost of electricity, well of course the cost of gas has also gone up considerably. There is a well known tip that reducing thermostats by just 1°C rooms can still remain at a comfortable temperature but significantly reduce usage.

However the best way to make the most of your gas consumption is with an energy efficient boiler for your heating and water. Upgrading to a new energy efficient boiler will not only help you gain a better EPC certificate but also help cut energy costs. With energy efficient boilers, wastage is at a maximum of 8% while old traditional boilers waste up to 30% of fuel. This means more fuel is required to run an old boiler at the same duration resulting in higher fuel costs.
Do your radiators require upgrading too? It is worth checking they are performing at their best. Other than that, underfloor heating is also worth a consideration.

4) Low performing exteriors and roofs.

If your building’s exterior is under maintained problems can develop and escalate quickly especially when exposed to the UK weather. For example corrosion can spread, peeling can escalate into cracks and holes can grow and worsen. Basically anywhere that gaps appear and heat escapes is an immediate problem for energy consumption and wastage. Cladding Coatings can offer repair and refurbishment services to save failing exteriors, rather than having to replace the full cladding area. Once a troubled roof or wall is repaired Cladding Coatings will coat with a colour paint system of your choice offering a minimum of 10 years guarantee.

5) Insulation

A commercial property’s insulation is vital to keep the building as airtight as possible. This means that insulation acts as a barrier to heat loss and heat gain.

If your property is not insulated it can overheat during summer months and during winter, it can be more difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature. This consumes more energy as the demand from heating or cooling systems are much higher. Lack of or inefficient insulation can unfortunately then lead to higher energy bills.

In the UK, insulation standards have been improved since the 1990’s. But since there are numerous old buildings that were built before this period, not all of them are compliant to current insulation building standards. This makes older buildings with no proper insulation more expensive to run.

6) Window refurbishment or replacement

Window coating, repair and refurbishment is an essential part of your façade upkeep. Yet, all too often, their maintenance is forgotten or even ignored. Anywhere that gaps appear and heat can escape is an immediate problem.

When left in a state of disrepair, window frames can be highly problematic. They may be a small area, but they’re particularly prone to cut-edge corrosion and weathering. Therefore, we can ensure they are well-maintained to prevent damage. With our window coatings service, you also avoid reaching a stage where window frame replacement is required as the damage has become too extensive. Recoating window frames now avoids this significant, expensive task.

At Cladding Coatings, we offer a thorough window coating service that can form part of a large scheme of work or carried out as a standalone project, with coating applications carefully completed with minimal disruption.

Our window coating work is primarily done on aluminium frames. For this, we use our trusted coating system Noxyde by Rust-Oleum, which is tried and tested and known for its exceptional anti-corrosion properties. However, we can also recoat windows with frames of other metals or even wooden frames, which can form part of our wooden cladding refurbishment service.

We hope you have found our tips useful and in particular if you require any help with;

Rooflight refurbishment
Preparation for solar
Low performing walls and roofs
Window refurbishment or replacement

Please do get in touch with us for a free site visit where we can assess how we can improve the energy performance of your building.