How to Ensure Energy Continuity in a Sustainable Building
Green building is a prime target of sustainable initiatives due to the countless options for creating energy-efficient structures. Landlords want to own green properties, while real estate agents seek out eco-friendly buildings to meet client demand. Renewable energy is a given in eco-conscious constructions, but energy supply can raise questions about power consistency.
Energy continuity is a concern for building owners whose operations require constant or near-constant functionality. Rental owners must have a continuous power supply for their tenants' homes, but wind and solar power have variable production rates. Achieving consistent energy provision with renewables is possible — it only requires some additional measures.
Energy Storage
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Variable energy sources often give landowners pause when considering green energy. The sun doesn't always shine, and the wind doesn't blow all the time. How do they keep their businesses running when the weather changes? One part of the answer is energy storage systems.
Storage systems allow a sustainable building to keep operating as usual despite inclement weather conditions or power outages. Renewable sources that connect to the energy grid will lose power if a blackout occurs, even if there's still sun or wind. However, hooking a battery up to a power source lets operations continue. The building siphons its electricity from stored power independent of the grid.
Batteries collect energy during low-demand times and expend it during peak hours when prices rise. Doing this lets owners avoid the expensive energy costs from using power during high demand. This practice is especially useful for apartment complexes and buildings in areas with high energy demand, such as large urban cities.
Thermal energy storage offers another technique for saving electricity. Energy is contained as ice or cold water. The system creates ice during low-demand hours and then melts it during peak time to cool down buildings. This technology serves as a component to HVACs, letting landowners control interior temperatures with less electricity usage.
Multiple Energy Sources
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Ideally, the best energy solutions shouldn't require extensive remodeling or uprooting entire electrical systems. Many owners can't accommodate the costs of such drastic change, which is why low-invasive methods are preferable. Purchasing electricity from green companies can be a suitable strategy for landowners who can't install renewables on their properties. Offshore wind turbines can provide power to buildings on land without on-site facilities.
Remote energy management — such as meter reading — also matters when considering offsite power sources. Distant meter reading lets landlords analyze electricity usage rates from any location and adjust components as necessary. This information helps owners stay ahead of potential billing spikes due to peak energy hours. Though not a power source itself, remote metering helps regulate existing systems.
Some landowners adopt a combined system when integrating energy management solutions, which maximizes their energy gains. Heat and power originate from one source. These cogeneration systems recover thermal energy that would otherwise be lost and reuse it for electricity. Multi-part systems provide substantial protection against interrupted power, which would otherwise affect hospitals, food production and much more.
Landlords can also use whole-building energy modeling to create structural simulations. This step should preferably come before any installations. Computer software generates a replica of the target building and calculates how much energy one can save from new solutions. Assessing how a system will work before it's ever installed lets owners adjust and develop alternatives before spending money.
Backup Generators
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A backup generator is an essential investment, whether a building runs on coal-based energy or renewables. They're similar to energy storage in how they keep operations running during blackouts or weather changes. Though owners can use diesel generators for extra peace of mind, clean energy generators exist for those who want to incorporate full sustainability.
Renewable generators run on the same fuels that many green sources do — wind and solar. Battery-powered generators harvest electricity from separate components, like solar PV or turbines. When the power goes out, the generator uses its stored energy to provide power to lights, fridges and other devices. Fuel cells often run on natural gas such as hydrogen, though their prices range high.
Landlords can store solar-powered generators inside or outside their buildings because they don't emit harmful fumes. The lack of fuel means less upkeep, which means owners get a high-powered machine at a lower cost. Renewable energy storage goes hand-in-hand with using a backup generator. The primary difference between renewables and conventional devices is high-efficiency usage.
Renewable Energy Is Possible for Commercial Buildings
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Landowners can rest assured that their buildings will operate on consistent energy even when external conditions change. Renewable energy can be a very reliable option when employed correctly, and it's an ideal solution for environmental conservation.
Owners benefit from less maintenance and lower costs by making their structures sustainable. Plus, their energy-conscious ways reduce ecological pollution and degradation.
Author: This post was written by Holly Welles. She is a real estate writer and the editor behind The Estate Update. She’s passionate about the ways in which the industry is changing and loves to stay on top of millennial market trends. You can find more of Holly's thoughts on Twitter @HollyAWelles.
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