5 Ways to Reduce Building Energy Costs Without Major Capital Works

Energy is one of the largest operating costs for any commercial building, and with Australian electricity prices continuing to rise, finding ways to reduce consumption is a priority for every building owner and facility manager. The good news is that significant savings are often achievable without major capital expenditure. Many of the most impactful improvements involve optimising the systems you already have. The first and often most effective strategy is to review and optimise your HVAC scheduling. Many buildings run mechanical plant for longer than necessary, starting too early, stopping too late or running at full capacity during periods of low occupancy. A thorough review of start/stop times against actual occupancy patterns, combined with optimum start/stop algorithms that account for thermal mass and weather conditions, can reduce HVAC energy consumption by 10-15% with no hardware changes at all. The second strategy is to implement demand-controlled ventilation. If your building has CO2 sensors (or you can install them cost-effectively), using CO2 levels to modulate outside air dampers and fan speeds ensures you ventilate based on actual occupancy rather than worst-case design assumptions. This is particularly effective in spaces with variable occupancy like meeting rooms, lecture theatres and open-plan offices. Third, check your BMS setpoints and dead bands. Over time, setpoints tend to drift from design intent due to ad hoc adjustments in response to comfort complaints. A systematic setpoint audit, widening dead bands where appropriate, adjusting heating and cooling setpoints to avoid simultaneous operation, and ensuring economy cycle changeover temperatures are optimised, frequently uncovers 5-10% savings. Fourth, install sub-metering to understand where your energy is actually going. You cannot manage what you do not measure, and many buildings lack the granularity needed to identify waste. Even a modest investment in metering at the distribution board level can reveal surprising consumption patterns. Fifth, implement basic fault detection rules in your BMS. Simple logic such as detecting simultaneous heating and cooling, fans running outside scheduled hours, or supply air temperatures not meeting setpoint can catch common faults that waste energy silently for months. These five strategies, implemented together, can typically deliver combined savings of 15-25%, often enough to fund future capital improvements from the savings alone.