Reduce Your Community Building's Energy Costs

One of the largest expenses for community buildings are the utility costs. It is important to be aware that you will spend around 4 times as much on heating your building than on lighting and other appliances, therefore reducing your heating costs will probably have the most significant impact on your bills. There are 3 main changes you can make to reduce your building’s energy costs and carbon emissions: change your behaviour, make physical improvements to your building, and consider installing renewable technologies.

1. Change Your Behaviour - Energy Efficiency & Reducing Your Usage

2. Improve Your Building – Reducing Heat Losses

3. Install Renewable Technologies

1. Change Your Behaviour - Energy Efficiency & Reducing Your Usage

Energy efficiency means using less energy to provide the same level of energy. Things to consider might be:

Carry out an energy audit - this will help you understand how you are using energy and help you to identify the most effective options for energy efficiency improvements. Resource Efficient Scotland have a range of energy audit tools you can use to assess your building.
Ensure the people who use your building know how to use the heating, lighting and electrical appliances effectively. Do you understand how your light and temperature controls work? Can appliances and heaters be switched off when not in use?
Buy energy efficient appliances and invest in energy efficient lighting.

Energy Audit Tools Resource Efficient Scotland

2. Improve your building – Reducing Heat Losses

Simple measures such as ensuring doors are kept shut, draught proofing, installing insulation and fitting heating controls, can all significantly improve how much heat is lost from the building.

3. Install renewable technologies

You should always take steps to reduce your usage and improve your building’s energy efficiency as much as possible before considering installing a renewable energy technology. Energy generated from renewable sources will however reduce the building’s reliance on importing power from the grid and could generate a steady income stream to help cover running costs or pay for other activities. For more info on how to earn an income from renewable technologies click here.

Click for more info on How to earn an income from Renewable Technologies

If your community group is interested in starting an energy efficiency programme, Community Energy England’s Getting Started resource is a good place to start. Energy efficiency measures are being implemented by community groups across the country. Read about Edinbane Community Hall Association’s energy efficiency activities here.

To find out more about community driven energy efficiency programmes, read about Carbon Co-op’s People Powered Retrofit.

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