The energy performance of buildings is at the core of energy transition issues. At the crossroads of business competitiveness criteria and the need to reduce their environmental impact, energy performance refers to the amount of energy consumed by buildings to operate. It is transcribed in the dpe, or energy performance diagnosis.
Perform an energy audit
The energy audit is a global diagnosis whose goal is to highlight the sources of energy loss of a building or a building stock. The audit is the subject of a report which draws up a balance sheet of the consumption of each energy item of the company and its equipment.
The energy audit draws up a complete balance sheet, from electric or gas heating to the hot water production system, including the materials used for the insulation of the building. The distribution of heat in the building as well as the thermal possibilities are also studied in detail.
The energy audit formulates a set of recommendations adapted to the problems identified by field measurements. It concludes with a quantified action plan, the aim of which is to inform the company manager or person in charge of energy management about the investments to be made and the potential for energy savings.
Plan for insulation work
To improve the energy performance of a building, and after making sure that the implementation of a solution for measuring and analyzing energy data is not sufficient, it is necessary to revise the insulation of the walls, especially the attic, the roof and openings such as windows.
The goal of this renovation work is to identify and resolve heat exchanges between the interior and exterior of the building in order to reduce energy consumption. For the floor, this may involve installing a new covering to increase the level of insulation. For the windows of old buildings, the installation of double glazing is a very common service.
Finally, the qualified company you hire for your renovation work will be interested in your heating system. It is generally a question of replacing your old boiler to install a more efficient and less energy-consuming heating solution. It is also advisable to install thermostats and, if possible, to go so far as to install an energy management and regulation system throughout the building.
Adopt good practices
The technical solutions put in place to improve the energy performance of buildings depend on good practices concerning the use of energy in the company. Communicating the right behaviors is essential for the management of a company undertaking a process to improve its energy performance. In this way, it guarantees the involvement of its employees towards its goal of greater energy efficiency.
These good practices can be implemented both at the level of employee usage (turning off lights when leaving a room, limiting the number of prints, etc.) and with regard to the consumption of workstations. Organizations such as ademe can provide you with a set of tips to improve energy efficiency.
Developing an energy management system within the company
Actions to improve performance and energy efficiency concern all companies. They are part of a common approach that aims to reduce our energy expenses, for example by using renewable energies, without reducing the comfort of use of buildings.
Nevertheless, companies that wish to take this approach further and make it sustainable in order to make it a real added value are invited to implement an Energy Management System. This approach is governed by the ISO 500001 standard, which delivers certification.
Setting up an Energy Management System within your company allows you to harmonize the link between your energy actions, the means at your disposal and your goals. The standard framework implies to integrate your actions in a continuous improvement process of your energy performance. This becomes a cross-functional approach: actions are distributed at all levels of the company in order to mobilize a large number of employees and maximize results.
Finally, the Energy Management System brings together all the possible mechanisms to improve your energy efficiency. The synergy created between these different actions maximizes the improvement of the energy performance of buildings.