Electricity cost of any office can influence its profitability in the business. When it comes to BPO companies, the concern is much more higher.
BPO services almost operate 24X7, with minimal variations. These companies make extensive use of energy consuming appliances and equipment including the IT equipment. Commercial electricity, anyway cost a huge amount of money. To monitor electricity is one of the viable means for increasing the size of the profit of a BPO. Here are certain energy saving tips that can cut down a BPO company's electricity bill by substantial amount.
Saving Money on Electricity Cost
The electricity cost is a combination of fixed and variable component. The fixed component is the maximum demand charges on connected load, and the variable charge is based on the actual energy consumption. A BPO company should always try to keep minimum gap between these two variables. For calculating the actual requirement, one must take into various factors in consideration. For example, if bulk of the operations at any BPO take place at night, the air conditioning requirement will be lower as compared to day time operations requirement (due to the naturally low temperatures at night). Heating and cooling systems are typically the largest component of total electricity consumption in any office. So, working in night will require, say, only about 500 KVA instead of the connected load of much higher, say, 1000 KVA. So, even if a hefty one-time charge has to be paid for bringing down the connected load from 1000 KVA to 500, it will mean substantial savings for the company by cutting down the electricity bill.
Keeping Check Over Energy Consumption
Since a BPO can not do away with energy consuming equipment like computers, fax machines, printers etc. it should find ways to use them in an optimum way that can ultimately lead to reduced electricity cost.
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Desktop monitors are inevitable in a BPO facility. However, the monitors should be chosen carefully based upon their power consumption. There is a great difference between PDP and LCD monitors. Most importantly, PDP consumes more power than LCD panels. LCDs have shown savings of 20% or more on the total electricity bill. So using LCD monitors can save lots of energy.
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Installation of a programmable thermostat is beneficial as they can regulate the temperature of the entire office and reduce the level of energy consumption by heating and cooling systems. a timed thermostat shuts off heaters and air conditioners after everyone has gone home for the night.
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Phantom loads should be eliminated in an office. Phantom or ghost loads are electrical equipment that use energy even when they appear to be off or not doing anything useful. Use such equipment or install such programs/accessories that can stop power consumption wasted in the stand by mode of an electrical appliance. For example, every computer has energy settings that can put the machine into sleep mode if not used for a certain period of time. Using these settings to shut off the monitor or transfer the computer into sleep mode can help reducing the electricity load in a substantial way.
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All-in-one machines should be preferred over multiple machines for single work. For example, a fax machine with a printer and a copier will reduce the number of machines that are plugged into outlets. This, in turn, will reduce the amount of electricity consumption.
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To monitor lighting in the office, an occupancy detector can be installed. This can be linked to the lighting of rooms. The detector shuts off lights when people are not in the room. This reduces office energy consumption.
Using Energy Star Label Equipment
Using office equipment that have energy star label on them will reduce electricity cost by as much as 20 to 60%. Energy Star is a government program that offers information and ratings about energy usage and efficiency of an electrical appliance. In India, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the agency under the Ministry of Power that regulates the energy star ratings of all electrical appliances and equipment. It works in many ways through different programs for promoting green business environment in India. BEE has issued an 'Energy Conservation Building Code' that specifies the energy performance requirements for all commercial buildings that are to be constructed in India. Buildings with an electrical connected load of 500 kW or more are covered by the ECBC. The ECBC provides design norms for:
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Building envelope, including thermal performance requirements for walls, roofs, and windows;
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Lighting system, including daylighting, and lamps and luminaire performance requirements;
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HVAC system, including energy performance of chillers and air distribution systems;
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Electrical system; and
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Water heating and pumping systems, including requirements for solar hot-water systems.
There is a separate 'Scheme for Star Rating for Buildings- BPO.'
BEE Scheme for Star Rating for BPO Buildings
A Star Rating Program for BPO buildings has been developed with the intention of creating a demand in the market for energy efficient buildings based on actual performance in terms of 'Average Annual hourly Energy Performance Index (AahEPI). This program rates BPO buildings on a 1-5 Star scale with 5 Star labeled buildings being the most energy efficient. A BPO can apply for this rating for which a standard format is developed for collecting data about the actual energy consumption. This data includes built up area, conditioned and non-conditioned area, type of BPO, hours of operation in a day, climatic zone in which BPO is located, and other related information of the BPO facility.
The BPO buildings having a connected load of 100 kW and above and a minimum built up area of 500 sq m are considered for BE star rating scheme. The Bureau authorizes the use of label after completion of the scrutiny of the application. BEE has the right to conduct an energy audit or access any other required information. National Energy Conservation Awards are given to selected Industrial units who have made systematic and serious attempts for efficient utilization and conservation of energy.
Know more about the
'Scheme for Star Rating for Buildings- BPO.'
