In its role as strategic facilities management services provider for Barclays, Johnson Controls tasked AEC with ambitious energy and CO2 reduction objectives. By identifying inefficiencies in the current control strategy, the team improved control parameters and implemented enhanced strategies through the building management system.  Continuous monitoring and performance measurement will ensure that these efficiencies will be maintained in the long term.

The building management system enables savings by properly demand-sequencing the main plant and ensuring that heating does not fight chilling, as well as by ensuring that the compensation strategy for provision of heating and cooling both on the main headers and on relevant zones was correct. Barclays welcomed the project results: “As responsible corporate citizens it is incumbent on every business to develop strategies for effectively managing CO2 emissions.  The success demonstrated by Johnson Controls and AEC is testament to the principle of minimising environmental impact without reducing building or business efficiency.”

“The savings in energy and reductions in C02 will contribute to Barclays’ significant commitment to CSR, as well as making sound business sense,” explains Nick Jones, Director of Energy Consulting at Johnson Controls.  “Increasingly businesses are looking to drive down energy costs and consumption, and we are working with partners to drive innovative solutions to enable this without impacting on building performance.”

Julian Miller of AEC urged businesses to consider their temperature management strategies: “Boilers controlled on their main header flow temperature and chillers running with a bare minimum of strategy behind them are not uncommon, but present great savings potential.  There is plenty of scope for savings in most buildings, it is just a question of being able to identify and do something about it.”

Return on investment will be measured comprehensively and Barclays is likely to benefit from long term cost efficiencies.  Critically, there has been no loss of quality of building services at the offices so there is absolutely no down-side to achieving the savings.  Optimising energy efficiency is an ongoing challenge for every business and despite the savings already achieved there are opportunities for further improvements which are already underway.