The UN first defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Meeting sustainability goals requires being more efficient with resources for our assets such as energy and water, so they are less scarce in the future. We also must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reduce climate change which would have a large impact on future generations too. According to the UN, the energy consumption in the buildings sector globally contributed to 28% of the world’s CO2 emissions in 2019 (globalabc.org, 2020). Therefore, facilities managers improving assets’ energy efficiency will significantly help them meet their company’s sustainability goals and reduce global warming.
Improving the efficiency of assets with IREPort
Data is one of the biggest issues companies face when attempting to meet their sustainability goals. In order to help our clients use data better, we created IREPort – our proprietary business intelligence platform for facilities and assets and energy management. It puts all the data from facilities in one place for easy monitoring. Facilities managers can have an overview of all assets or go all the way down to the specific details of each asset.
IREPort helps facilities managers monitor data, while improving their ability to set and assess progress of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their facilities’ sustainability goals. These could be KPIs related to various utilities and waste reduction metrics.
In addition, IREPort’s Energy Bureau visualises usage data to help improve energy usage and realise potential savings. Clients can see how energy usage by individual assets and facilities change over time and across regions. This helps them identify cases of over-usage and under-performance and take the right action to improve energy efficiency. The average energy reduction for our clients using our energy and asset management plan is 12%. This reduction in energy usage greatly improves assets’ efficiency and reduces companies’ carbon footprint which is always a key part of achieving their sustainability goals.
Energy efficiency and cost savings as a crucial part for meeting sustainability goals
Besides data, another huge problem for companies in meeting their sustainability goals is the cost of the requisite measures. By using IREPort, facilities managers can achieve significant savings from improving assets’ efficiency which can then fund further sustainability measures.
Furthermore, when businesses invest in sustainability, they don’t only consider their personal reasons but also legal and regulatory aspects. Many current office buildings don’t meet energy efficiency standards for new builds today. What’s more, most don’t even have firm plans to prepare for more strict regulations. The consequences of not meeting these in the future could be severe. These buildings could receive brown discounts and penalties which would lead to huge financial liabilities for their owners.
Investment into sustainability measures, everything from green energy to building specifications, is a large financial burden companies face. Therefore, the cost-savings from IREPort play a crucial part in helping companies afford these necessary changes.
Saving resources and reducing climate change for future generations is at the heart of sustainability. But energy consumption in the buildings sector globally contributes to a very high percentage of the world’s CO2 emissions. Therefore, improving asset efficiency through facilities management practices is vital in meeting sustainability goals. Our proprietary software, IREPort, uses enhanced data management and visualisation to help facilities managers improve their assets’ efficiency. This not only saves costs and boosts profitability – but it also helps the company achieve their sustainability goals.
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If you would like to hear more about how we can help you meet your company’s sustainability goals, contact us today. Take the first step towards a more sustainable and lower cost future.