FEATURES / ENERGY PRIORITIES
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lectricity costs are up by 50%, gas, in some cases, by 120% – and estates, building services and FM teams are caught in the eye of the storm. How, then, to deal with 2022’s energy crisis? First, should we even be in this position? Right now, decisionmakers – landlords, owner-occupiers, estates teams, FMs – are like the stranger asking directions from a local while out on a walk. Too often the reply is: “I wouldn’t start from here.” David Stevens, vice-chair of the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers’ (CIBSE) FM division, agrees. “That’s spot
on. Before looking at the energy crisis itself, we need to consider what we are working with. Buildings are known to rarely perform as designed; the majority are seldom truly energy efficient. Despite great sector improvements there remains a performance gap between what is designed, what targets are set and how buildings really operate. What we have to focus on is reducing that performance gap.” CIBSE has long campaigned for designing in greater resilience into new buildings, giving FMs a much more integral role in decision-making. Despite the warnings, the problem persists. “Predictions about power shortages and cost rises have been in the media for some time, compounded by the risk of warmer
POWER PLAY Dealing with a sudden and unprecedented energy crisis, FMs need to mitigate spiralling costs yet continue delivering the levels of service expected of them. But addressing these fundamental building performance issues means knowing where to start from, as Bill Dolsworth explains
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