Cutting energy bills

Over the last month we have been consulting and installing for a client in Bristol, Contract and Construction Consultants who are  leading specialists of contract dispute resolution with many decades of experience.  The company have an office in a 3-storey Victorian semi, typical of the Clifton area of the city, and are soon to open another office in London. 





CCC's office in Clifton



Although it is a striking and classic building in many ways, it brings with it a number of energy conundrums -  after reviewing the layout and composition of the building, comparing that to the building services installed and their state of repair, then weighing those up against the energy bills over a 12 month period - Norman Environmental were able to put forward a number of energy saving proposals:

1. To reduce heat loss and stress on the heating system and improve comfort by;

• Insulating the front facing void beneath the ground floor, and,
• Draft proofing the timber windows and doors

    2.   Improve gas efficiency with;

• A replacement, highly efficient, Viessman gas boiler,
• A new external weather compensation unit, and,
• Thermostatic radiator valves installed to each of the building's radiators.

    3.   Reduce solar gain via;

• The installation of window film to the South facing windows and and roof lights.

    4.   Reduce electricity consumption by;

• Replacing a number of the high energy light fittings and lamps with low energy alternatives, and,
• Installing a V-Phase unit to optimise voltage.

CCC agreed that the measures we proposed would make a significant positive difference to the comfort levels of their staff and reduce the company's energy costs, and instructed us to proceed. To minimise disruption for the staff at CCC we have worked on the premises over the bank holiday weekends in April and May and will carry out the final stage of works during the Whitsun bank holiday weekend.

We estimate that the result of our installations will be an annual saving of 30% on CCC's electricity bills and 40% on their gas bills.  Norman Environmental will continue to monitor the situation at CCC over the 12 months subsequent to the completion of our installations, to measure the effectiveness of our changes.  With energy bills set to rise significantly in the near future, these savings will be further exaggerated - allowing CCC to benefit from a annually rising return on the investment they have made in their property.  We'll be sure to report our findings in this blog, when we expect to see a reduction in the company's annual carbon output of over 4 tonnes.

If you think that your home or business premises could benefit from an energy survey, then get in touch via email, visit our website, or comment below.