Car dealership energy efficiency
6 September 2022
Following on from our article ‘Rise of the greener property lease’ (in our Winter 2021 edition of Motor Matters) and at a time when energy costs are continuing to rise, we thought it may be timely to refer back to some of the key areas under the ‘Dealer Energy Efficiency Guide’ from the SMMT, in association with the RMI and the Carbon trust, which looked to help reduce energy use and improve dealers’ bottom line profits aiming to save 25% of dealership energy costs.
Key areas include:
1. Lighting – including replacing existing lights with LED/other more efficient lamps/tubes. Fundamental, as on average 40% of energy costs are related to lighting;
2. Heating – simple heating steps such as resetting heating controls on the boiler can help deliver significant savings. Another major area for potential savings, as on average 30% of energy costs relate to heating;
3. Settings and controls – again, significant cost savings can be made by simple changes such as using timers for car park lights, reducing fan speed on air handling units, and adjusting air conditioner temperature setting. Reducing temperature settings by just 1% can reduce consumption by 8%;
4. Compressed Air Equipment – simple steps such as avoiding/repairing leaks can also help provide good annual savings;
5. “Monitor and improve”!
Additionally, the likes of activity sensors for relevant building/room lights – and the addition of solar panels on roofs, should be on the list for serious consideration (if not already actioned).
For more information on this subject, please contact Stacy Aspden.
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Stacy Aspden
Sectors
The content of this article is for general information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. If you require any further information in relation to this article please contact the author in the first instance. Law covered as at September 2022.