Keeping community buildings warm, comfortable and damp free can be difficult at the best of times. Very often older buildings with large, draughty rooms, these spaces can pose a real energy efficiency challenge. Add in the energy crisis and you may find that the future of your community building is in jeopardy. This article will guide you through some steps you can take to safeguard your community building and support it to operate as efficiently as possible.
Why are community buildings struggling?
Many community groups and organisations, from the Scouts to local choirs, Zumba classes to food banks, are based in buildings built in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These buildings can be large, leaky, and draughty, with a range of energy efficiency and structural problems. They’re often underutilised, which means they can be largely empty for much of the week.
Combined with these structural issues is the fact that these organisations often operate on tight budgets with minimal financial reserves, reflective of their status as community or charitable organisations. Add in skyrocketing energy prices and you’ve got a perfect storm of challenges, with increasing overheads causing concern for many that low-cost and free services will become unviable.
Making community buildings more energy efficient
Knowledge is power, so make sure you know how much energy you’re using and where your problem points are
The first step to dealing with any problem is knowing your enemy. As our Energy Assessors say, “what is not measured can’t be managed.” If you’re not currently monitoring your energy use, now’s the time to get started. Carry out a walkaround audit of your building to identify problem areas for efficiency improvements and take an in-depth look at your energy bills, to understand where you’re spending the most money.
Regular monitoring also allows for better planning and gives organisations (or the managers of the building) the chance to set priorities when it comes to spending. Analysing your energy use in this way also means you can evaluate the benefit of installing new energy efficiency measures over time. For example, if you’re thinking about changing the way you heat your community space, tracking what you’re currently paying will allow you to weigh this up against the estimated installation and running costs of a new system.
Knowing where to start can be tricky, so sometimes the best step is to get an expert in. A professional energy audit of your building should result in an action plan that will enable you to set priorities for change. The plans produced by Severn Wye’s Target 2030 programme provide no cost, low cost and capital cost measures, as well as explaining likely payback times, costs and savings. Until Summer 2023, this service is free to most community buildings in Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire. Find out more by visiting the Target 2030 website. After this, contact Severn Wye to enquire about our energy efficiency surveys for community buildings.
Every building is different, but space heating is always top of the energy list
Every building is different, and the way energy is used in each building will be different too. The fabric of the building, how and when it’s used and the different appliances, devices and heating system will all shape how much energy a building uses. However, there are some common themes when it comes to community buildings. Most energy costs for a building like this will come from space heating, whatever form this takes. This is worth considering when planning energy efficiency changes, as improving the efficiency of your heating system (or reducing the amount of heat the building uses and loses) is likely to have a bigger impact overall.
So, how do you use your heating more efficiently or prevent precious heat escaping? There are a number of steps you can take:
- Firstly, use your heating effectively. Most community buildings will have rooms that are used only occasionally, and empty most of the week. There’s no point heating spaces that aren’t used to the same temperature as a room that’s used every day. You could consider installing smart controls, which enable you to manage your heating more efficiently (and from the comfort of your own home, via an app). Imagine sitting at home on a Sunday evening with the schedule for the next week, using an app to set the heating controls just right for the bookings! A smart thermostat and smart radiator controls allow you to set the heating down to the minute, as well as keep an eye on the temperature of different rooms. It’s also possible to install a zonal system which allows you to set the heating differently for different rooms in the building from a central point.
- If your building is heated by a boiler, make sure it’s serviced regularly, and the radiator system is flushed too. This not only ensures it’s safe, but also that it’s working efficiently.
- Insulate, insulate, insulate. This is the key to keeping in precious heat that you’ve already paid for, rather than letting it escape. The first place to start is the loft (or whatever roof space you have), as most heat escapes this way and the cost of loft roof insulation is usually relatively low, meaning it will pay for itself in savings many times over its lifetime. The recommended depth is 270mm, but if you can go further, go for it!
- However, don’t forget that every building is different and you have to factor in the amount of time your building is utilised in deciding whether or not a measure like insulation is worthwhile. The payback on work like this will be much quicker in a building that’s used regularly throughout the week.
- Alongside insulation, think about draught-proofing. This involves tracking down all the little gaps that are allowing warm air to escape and cold air to get into the building. Start with areas around windows and doors, floorboards, loft hatches and chimneys.
- Make sure that windows (particularly large ones) have curtains that can be closed when it gets dark, especially in the colder months. Many community buildings have big, single-glazed windows (churches, for example) that allow a lot of heat to escape. Wherever possible, hang thick curtains for a simple and effective energy efficiency change.
- As part of this work, you could consider having a thermal imaging survey carried out. This will allow you to see where the building is leaking heat and will give you a way of setting priority issues to tackle. There may be a way you can borrow a thermal imaging camera. Lending schemes are sometimes run by local councils and community environment groups, such our initiative with South Gloucestershire Council.
You can’t do it alone
Making sure everyone that uses the building feels involved in making energy efficient changes is essential. Without engagement from everyone, it’s difficult to make behavioural changes stick. It’s important for people to know why you’re taking these steps and what the positive impact for your community organisation will be. Behaviour change is one of the most impactful adjustments you can make to save energy in your community buildings. It’s also worth thinking about tamper-proof controls which will make it more difficult to change the heat settings if anyone is tempted.
Think about the energy hierarchy
When planning what changes to make and setting your energy priorities, it’s useful to think about something called the energy hierarchy. This way of thinking prioritises sustainability and provides a logical way of thinking through energy changes.
Step one: Behaviour change. Reducing the amount of energy you use, changing behaviours that waste energy, thereby reducing demand.
Step two: Improving energy efficiency. Using technology to support the work started in step one, further reducing waste and demand.
Step three: Installation of renewable technologies. Obtaining the energy you still need from a sustainable source.
So: reduce demand, reduce energy lost and generate your own, sustainable power!
Image courtesy of the Business Growth Hub
Step one: behaviour change
It might sound like we’re stating the obvious, but the way community buildings are used is often completely different to the way homes and places of work are used. Sometimes they are empty for portions of the week or only occupied for a few hours of the day by different (and sometimes quite large) groups. Making sure all the users of the building know how to use the heating, lighting and appliances properly is the first step to reducing energy consumption.
You might begin by discussing what heating and lighting is needed by each group when they book. The yoga group or quiz night might appreciate a warm space; but the Zumba class will be just fine without the heating on! Is the Friday breakfast group going to be keeping the hobs, ovens and hotplates on the whole session, or can they find a way of doing things that lets them switch the power off between things? By thinking through their needs, you may be able to set the heating controls accordingly – and get the groups invested in the conservation of energy themselves.
Raising awareness of the need to use less energy is an essential step in your building’s journey to energy efficiency. Providing simple guidance to using the heating controls, the importance of closing windows and doors, and the need to turn off appliances when not in use are all good places to start.
Step two: improving energy efficiency
As we’ve already discussed, many community buildings are old and leaky, with inefficient and outdated systems and appliances. Some of these measures will be costly and difficult to upgrade, whilst others may be fairly simple. Many energy efficiency measures will ultimately pay for themselves over their lifetime (in some cases many times over), although with energy prices currently at record highs, this will take longer than it would have in previous years.
Some of the key areas for energy efficiency upgrading include improving insulation (to the roof, walls and floor where relevant), installing double glazing and ensuring the draughtproofing around the building is effective. Lighting is often a simple place to start, especially in areas where standard lightbulbs can be easily replaced with LEDs. Replacing aging appliances with more efficient models and installing timer switches or motion sensors to lights are all changes that will add up. You could also think about how you use water in the building. Fit water saving devices to taps, ensure leaks are reported and fixed in a timely manner and install dual-flush toilets as and when they need replacing.
Step three: renewable technologies
Once you’ve carried out steps one and two, cutting your energy use and making the energy you do use more efficient, you’re ready to think about generating your own energy. If you can produce energy on-site, you’ll reduce your reliance on importing energy from a supplier and save your building money in the long-term. Renewable technologies such as solar PV can be combined with more sustainable heating methods (such as air source heat pumps) that will end your community building’s reliance on fossil fuels such as gas and allow you to make more of the energy you generate. Although there will be a payback time before you truly start saving money, in the long-term you’ll make the building more sustainable and better able to withstand the financial pressures of a fluctuating energy market.
Know where to turn for help
Community buildings are a vital part of local life. They are a constant, a gathering place, a focal point for residents and visitors alike. Amid the energy crisis they may create rare warm spaces for those too cold in their homes. And as we face a climate emergency they can be visible examples of how to do things well.
But time, money and volunteers are very limited. When you recognise that you need to improve the energy efficiency of your community building – consider turning to Severn Wye for support. As a charity that has worked in the heart of communities for twenty years, we understand these limitations and often have funding to help provide services (and in some cases, grant funding) free of charge.
Wherever your building is in its journey towards energy efficiency, we will help you provide a warm welcome for many years to come.
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