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Check where controls are located: Are they in the right place, easy to access and not influenced by other factors? eg ensure thermostats are not giving false readings because they are near hot equipment.
- Heating controls are often found in boiler rooms but check for controls on hot water storage systems. Try to find all the thermostats in a building
- Look for any lighting controls and find out which lights they are controlling.
Check control settings are appropriate:
- Timers should ensure services only operate when required. For heating timers, the switch on time may be before occupancy, but ensure the building is not reaching the required temperature too early.
- Temperature controls should be checked to ensure switch on/off temperatures are appropriate. The more active building occupants are, the lower heating temperatures should be. For office based work, heating should shut off at 19-20°C. Cooling temperatures in offices should be set to come on no lower than 24°C. The higher the switch on temperature for cooling systems, the lower the costs.
- Lighting controls provide just enough light for a task and no more. E.g. movement sensors switch lights on only in the area that needs to be lit and only up until that area is vacated.
Check how controls are being used: The way occupants use controls impact on energy use and staff comfort.
- Check thermostat settings are not being adjusted by building occupants to switch services on/off (e.g. cooling or heating). Moving settings to their minimum or maximum levels will not speed up the service response – it will merely ensure that comfort levels are overshot and then the space will become too cold or hot. Set thermostats correctly and protect them to prevent tampering, where possible.
- Check occupancy sensors are operating as required.
Controls and their settings should be checked at least annually to ensure optimum performance. Information should be recorded, allowing comparisons to be made from one inspection to another. This will provide an insight into how controls are used within your building and where potential savings can be achieved.
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