Plan ahead for usable controls – Steve Harrison
It has been shown that the biggest impact on energy efficiency in a building is the behaviour of occupants. They can quickly, if unintentionally, sabotage even the greenest building by leaving lights on; turning on cooling too high; or using heaters with the windows open. Occupant behaviour is also a challenge to designers, because it is so difficult to predict and hence to make a clear estimate of its impact on energy use.
Generally, this sort of behaviour happens because occupants are not comfortable and don’t understand the building well enough to use more efficient means of achieving a better indoor environment. There are many factors at play here, and unfortunately, while building controls are an important element in efficient buildings, they are also part of the problem.
In theory, building controls are becoming more user-focused than ever. Cloud computing has enabled manufacturers to develop control systems that can be accessed via familiar interfaces such as tablets and smart phones – thereby hanging controls technology onto usable and familiar consumer tech. What's more, the leading manufacturers can offer bespoke interfaces that are designed specifically to meet a client's requirements.
However, there are still many examples in buildings of buildings with controls that are misunderstood or ignored by occupants. Why does this happen? One of the key problems is the emphasis in the construction industry on reducing capital costs, which means that controls interfaces are treated as a commodity purchase, rather than an important element of the building operation.
In the procurement process, building controls still come a long way down the chain, leaving controls experts out of early discussions about design and usability. This is not simply an industry complaint – BS EN15232 clearly shows the energy savings that good controls planning and procurement can deliver. Part L 2014 Non-Domestic Compliance Guide recommends that the minimum standard for controls should be BS EN15232 level C – but achieving a B or an A will save a lot more energy with a little better planning.
To read the full article see the latest October edition of EiBI.
