Euskadi reacts to the increase in energy prices and the challenge of environmental conservation, in line with the response given in Europe to the challenge increased to unprecedented limits by the war unleashed in Ukraine. This Friday, the Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, met with the Institutional Group for Energy Sustainability, in which all the departments of the Basque Government, the Provincial Councils and Eudel are represented.
The objective, Tapia explained, is to advance the Energy Contingency Plan and respond to the alert declared in Europe. A program based on a battery of proposals and recommendations presented in draft form by the Ministry that is expected to be analyzed in August, to be launched in September in the Basque public sphere, among which, for example, the heating in winter at 20º and the air conditioning at a maximum of 25º during the summer. And it is that, recalled the counselor, “for each degree that the heating is raised, consumption (and therefore the bill) increases by 7%”
Although gas supply limitations are not foreseen in the Basque Country for next autumn/winter, this reality will have an impact, at least, on the increase in the cost of this resource in particular, as well as on the increase in the price of energy in general, explained Tapia, who recalled that the institutions are the cousins that have to set an example.
The proposal includes measures that affect heating in public buildings, thermostat and comfort, lighting, electrical appliances, water and waste, insulation, consumption control, photovoltaics or sustainable mobility.
At the same time, the Basque Government will reinforce awareness-raising actions with the aim that the administration, companies and citizens as a whole adhere to this attitude of changing habits. Regarding waste management, he pointed out, each ton of paper that is recycled saves 14 trees from being cut down, 50,000 liters of water and more than 300 kg of oil from being consumed.
“Aware of the difficulties that some municipalities have in enforcing the proposed measures, the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, through the Basque Energy Agency and Ihobe, and together with Lanbide and the collaboration of Novia Salcedo, has launched a specific technical support program to address the energy and climate transition.
The program aimed at municipalities, administrative boards, associations, crews, development agencies and other local entities aims to facilitate the incorporation and training of technical support staff and a menu of services and tools to advance in achieving the objectives.
Recommendations for public buildings
Heating
-The heating and domestic hot water systems should gradually move towards the use of electricity with heat pumps (aerothermal, geothermal), or other renewables (biomass, solar thermal for hot water).
-For larger buildings, biomass boilers offer a sustainable alternative for heating because they use renewable energy. Wood chips or pellets are indigenous renewable energy sources that prevent the emission of greenhouse gases.
-The heating installations must be well regulated so that they operate more efficiently. The placement of thermostatic valves in the radiators prevents them from overheating the rooms and allows the temperature to be lowered in unused rooms.
-Avoid the use of individual resistance heaters, convector type or oil radiators, as they are very inefficient.
-It is advisable to periodically check that the programming of the heating system is adjusted to the work schedule.
-It must be verified that the maintenance and revisions of the heating system are up to date and that the recommendations for improvement are met.
Thermostat and comfort
-In an office, it is unlikely that all working people will be comfortable with the temperature, whether it is winter or summer. The thermal sensation is not the same in sheltered areas as it is near windows or in areas with drafts. It is also not the same for the person who has a physically passive job, or for a more active one, for example, a maintenance technician. But by following some minimum guidelines we can minimize the problems, bearing in mind that the regulation must be optimized for a majority of workers and that there can always be some discontent.
-In winter the thermostat should be set at 20ºC. For each degree above, it unnecessarily increases energy consumption by 7%. At night and on weekends, it is advisable to reduce the temperature to 15ºC.
-Work clothes must be appropriate for the time of year. In hot weather, wearing few clothes is inconsistent with complaining about being cold in the office.
-In summer, the thermostat temperature should be set at 25ºC. When turning on the cooling system, the thermostat should not be set to a lower temperature than normal; it will not cool faster and consumption will be excessive.
-Ventilation should be avoided when the heating or cooling system is on, and ventilation may be used to regulate temperature without spending energy when outside conditions make it possible. Heat recovery ventilation is also an option.
-Sometimes, air conditioning devices generate air currents that give a feeling of cold and can cause discomfort in people. Vents can be redirected or diffuser grilles installed to achieve a more even distribution of air currents, or, if necessary, reposition the affected person’s table.
Lightning
-To save energy in lighting, it is recommended to use LED technology, which use ten times less power than incandescents and have a useful life ten times longer. It is necessary to implement LED technology in your building as soon as possible.
-It is advisable to replace the oldest, poorly reflective lights that use fluorescent tubes with LED lights. If the luminaire is efficient, only the fluorescent tube can be changed for an LED one.
-Replace all incandescent and halogen bulbs now, if any remain: don’t wait for them to burn out.
-Take advantage of natural light, turn off the light in naturally lit areas. There are systems to do it automatically.
-Do not illuminate unoccupied areas. Control the lighting schedules and consider the use of presence sensors in areas such as corridors and bathrooms: they detect the movements of people and optimize the turning on and off of the light. Installing them is simple and not very expensive.
Appliances that consume electricity
-Modern personal computers, screens and printers have the ability to go to a sleep state after a certain time. Make sure the ones in your office don’t stay on longer than necessary.
-If the work center has a refrigerator, it must be taken into account that it is working 24 hours a day, and that it is a great consumer of energy. To reduce its consumption, it must be ventilated at the rear and must not be regulated at a temperature lower than necessary. If it is old, it should be replaced with an efficient one: the investment will pay for itself in a few years.
water and waste
-In offices paper is used in large quantities. Work procedures must be designed to reduce the amount of printed paper used. Recycle paper using separate containers; Each ton of paper that is recycled saves 14 trees from being cut down, 50,000 liters of water and more than 300 kg of oil from being consumed.
-The bathroom is the place where more water is consumed in offices. In case of failure in faucets or cistern, they must be repaired immediately.
-It is desirable to avoid the possibility of using hot water in the workplace if it is not essential, eliminating or disconnecting electric water heaters.
Isolation
-In both winter and summer, good insulation works as a barrier against external conditions, helps keep interiors more comfortable and reduces energy consumption.
-It is advisable to replace or repair poorly adjusted windows, doors and shutter boxes that can produce drafts, installing double glazing and glass with reinforced thermal insulation, such as low-emission or selective glass.
Consumption control
-Periodic control of energy consumption must be carried out, analyzing and reasoning the observed trends towards greater or lesser consumption.
-It is possible to obtain useful information by analyzing the electricity consumption load curves of your building, available on the website of the electricity distribution company or the marketer, where you can see consumption hour by hour in almost real time . In them, excessive use of electrical energy outside of schedules can be detected.
-The electrical power contracted must be adequate based on the power observed in the last year. Make sure it is reviewed every year by specialized technical personnel.
photovoltaic
-It is time to take advantage of the roofs of public administration buildings to implement self-consumption photovoltaic installations with the appropriate dimension for the consumption of the same building.
Certificate of energy efficiency of buildings
-All public administration buildings open to the public must have the energy efficiency certificate in a visible place.
sustainable mobility
-Sustainable movement should be promoted for access to the workplace, whether on foot, bicycle or public transport, both for employees and for the public.
-Inform the public of the best way to get to your office by public transport, bus lines or nearby metro stops.
-The bicycle is a healthy and ecological means of transport, increasingly used. Ask your municipality to place bicycle parking spaces or a bicycle loan point in the vicinity of your office.
-When it is necessary to use the private vehicle, do it efficiently: accelerate and brake smoothly, do not keep the car stationary for more than a minute with the engine idling, and drive, preferably, using high gears.
-New vehicles in all Basque administrations must use alternative energies, according to Law 4/2019. The vehicles included in this category are: pure electric, plug-in hybrids, natural gas, LPG or biofuels.
-If you need a vehicle, value the purchase of an electric one, taking into account its autonomy and that you must have a fixed parking point with an electrical connection for recharging.