THE CASE FOR GREENER BUILDINGS in a (POST) COVID WORLD

2020. The year we all want to cancel, forget, fire into space or all three at once.

In Australia, 2020 began as catastrophic bushfires roared through 186,000 square kilometres of land. By February estimates of the economic impact of the fires ranged between $5 and $20 billion AUD. Just as the nation was assessing the damage to communities and the economy, along came COVID-19. Travel bans, border closures, remote working, social distancing, curfews, lockdowns and closures continue to play their part in creating unprecedented challenges for businesses large and small.

In the UK, COVID-19 is causing tremendous disruption. A new variant strain has seen infection rates surge and movements of people severely restricted. The impact on business continuity is obvious.

Other countries in the northern hemisphere are also reeling from COVID’s winter wave. Widespread disruption to everyday life and continued economic damage are inevitable throughout 2021.

And then there’s the US. Enough said.

So much change, uncertainty and adversity everywhere, let alone in the wider context of business continuity. What does this all mean for businesses operating in the built environment in 2021? How do extrinsic pressures (like a virus) effect the global journey to Net Zero?

The simple answer is: They don’t have to. The Net Zero journey for many businesses doesn’t have to cost additional money and can exist alongside the myriad challenges they face. In fact, in this article on the IEA website, Brian Motherway and Michael Oppermann explore the idea that energy efficiency can create jobs and stimulate economies. And not just in the short term.

When you consider that buildings are responsible for 39% of global CO₂ emissions, 40% of energy use and 20% of the world’s available drinking water, our collective responsibility to mitigate the impact of buildings on the environment is undeniable. Owners, operators and occupiers of buildings must make 2021 the year for building optimisation and operational efficiency.

EP&T Global was founded 27 years ago. We quickly realised that there was a genuine opportunity to help companies reduce their buildings’ energy consumption and wastage (and subsequent negative impact on our environment) at the same time as reducing cost. As the price of energy rose and technological innovations in remote monitoring, data capture, machine learning and connectivity continued, the dream of making a positive difference for future generations evolved into the company we are today. Optimising buildings for a sustainable future is at the heart of what EP&T Global does on a daily basis.

We are perpetually refining our processes, innovating products and establishing new services in line with two key things: technological advancement, and the needs of our clients. Transitioning to a SaaS model has been a big part of that. Smart buildings are our goal and we continue to leverage our extensive (and growing) repository of building data to inform the machine learning sitting behind our EDGE Platform. The results speak for themselves. Property portfolios, commercial offices, shopping centres, hotels, clubs, schools, hospitals and many other building types are benefiting from the technology and advice we provide.

So, what are the benefits of a smarter, greener building?

In addition to an average reduction of 23% on energy costs and CO₂ emissions since partnering with us, green certification on commercial properties can deliver our building owner clients mean increases¹ of:

• 6% on occupancy
• 6.3% premium on rental income
• 14.8% on asset sale price

^{1 (Dept. Built Environment Report, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Finland, March 2020)}

But it’s not all about owners. Building operators and occupiers also benefit from partnering with us and making use of the EDGE platform. Accurate billing, NABERS tracking, 24/7 alerts for energy monitoring and energy management are just a few aspects of the platform that makes huge differences to processes and costs.

In 2021 businesses will need to prioritise time and resources to address the challenges and opportunities that will inevitably ripple out from the events of 2020. EP&T Global is ready to help organisations do just that. We can apply our big data analytics to increase building energy efficiency, improve water monitoring, and make positive improvements to your bottom line. We understand that ‘cash is king’ and we will tailor solutions utilising our Opex  model to ensure an immediate return on your investment.

Start the conversation with one of our representatives in Sydney, London, Hong Kong or Dubai today. Take the first step towards smart energy solutions and building optimisation.