Commonwealth Consulting Services has discovered that many people are not yet familiar with the basic principles of energy efficiency and sustainability.  While upgrades to lighting and recornized as a was to save energy and lower carbon emissions,  there are valuable impacts from a diverse and expanding number of ECMs, or Energy Conservation Measures,  that can all add up to significant additional savings. 

For instance, having an energy efficient furnace is important, but it will not operate efficiently without scheduling and controls. The proper mix of fresh air vs recycled air is also important.  And that is really only achievable if a building is reasonably well insulated and sealed from leaks.  And when you changed out your lighting, you probably impacted the amount of heat given off by that lighting – thus impacting the demand on boilers and air conditioning.

The fact is that a truely energy efficient building holds in balance many different inter-related measures.

It is therefore critical for organizations to ascertain the knowledge level of their personnel before initiating a corresponding awareness program.

 After the baseline knowledge of personnel has been determined through questionnaires and interviews, CCS designs an appropriate awareness program, which typically take the form of “Awareness Days,” newsletters, pamphlets, posters, etc. as well as educational seminars delivered to large groups. 

 After the awareness program has been completed by all personnel, CCS can deliver more detailed education and training as required—confident that trainees will come into the program with adequate fundamental knowledge of energy and sustainability issues.