How homeowners' associations can reduce their energy bills

Welcome once again to the blog of Southern. One of the priorities we all have in our homes is to reduce our energy bills. This reduction represents a significant saving for the domestic economy. However, we tend to overlook this when it comes to contracting services or carrying out reforms in our community of owners.

For any community of neighbours, the most important expense is usually energy. Nowadays it is in our interest to reduce costs as much as possible and it is of great importance to take measures that allow us to save the community a lot of money.

Of course, the more cost-saving measures you use, the less you will spend on community bills and the more resources you will have to spend on other expenses. Of course, you should take the necessary measures to implement them as soon as possible.

This is why it is highly recommended to raise these new energy saving initiatives, taking advantage of regular community meetings. At these meetings, it is good to suggest ideas and vote on those to be implemented.

The administrator should encourage energy saving

It is best to discuss these matters with the property administrator who manages the affairs of your community so that these issues can be discussed at the governing board and regular meetings.

At Meridional we are aware of this, and in order to make this task easier for our clients, and so that they can go to their next community meeting well documented, we have compiled a series of suggestions that will undoubtedly help your community to save on consumption and thus reduce the energy bill.

Review contracts

An easy, simple and quick strategy to apply is to try to unify energy supplies in communities where there are several suppliers, as this way we will obtain better prices.

Another measure that is often overlooked is to reduce the contracted electrical power. In many cases, our community does not have the power according to its needs, so if it is more than we need, the cost of electricity bills increase considerably.

Use renewable energies

Current legislation makes it easier for homeowners' associations to install photovoltaic solar panels to generate their own electricity and manage self-consumption. The trend, increasingly in vogue, to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels makes it possible for renewable energies, such as the use of solar energy through photovoltaic panels, to be a perfect complement to the supply of electricity.

The best way to save energy is to introduce renewable energy. If the community of owners is located in a building with a large roof terrace, this would make it possible to install solar panels. Thanks to new regulations, communities can now share the benefits of a solar panel.

More efficient boilers

A good use of the heat energy emitted by communal boilers is of great importance to allow a reduction in consumption and, as a consequence, an economic saving to be considered.

 Communities that decide to take energy saving measures can benefit from subsidies, such as the Private Boiler Room Renove Plan. This scheme is the one that encourages the installation of energy efficient gas condensing boilers in the region.

With these subsidies and the savings obtained, the user not only does not have to pay any surcharge, but also starts to save from the very first moment and to reduce the electricity bill.

Remote management

The monitoring, control and optimisation of installations is very important to be able to know, first hand, which are the metrics of our consumption. As a consequence, knowing these measures will allow us to be aware of the real energy expenditure and the cost to our community.

Maintenance companies that have evolved into energy service companies focus on energy savings by programming energy accounting systems capable of detecting energy alarms and thus identifying and correcting malfunctions that generate higher energy costs.

Thermal insulation

A good option to take actions that allow us to save energy is when we have to carry out works on the façade of the building. Since we are engaged in a task of this magnitude, what better time to improve the thermal insulation, since scaffolding costs are usually one of the most expensive parts of this type of action. By improving the thermal insulation of the building, the energy bill can be reduced by up to 50%.

If there are common areas with air-conditioning units, it is necessary to monitor them to ensure that they are well insulated and to switch off the units when these areas are empty. It should be borne in mind that for every degree that this appliance lowers the temperature, the equipment will be consuming 8% more energy. In summer the temperature should not drop below 24 degrees. In winter, on the other hand, it should not rise above 21 degrees.

Also, air consoles and fans should be checked to ensure that they are clean. If they become clogged with dust, they can consume twice as much energy and even break down. To avoid this, simply clean the air filters and check the cooling systems regularly.

Luminous efficiency

 Installing LED lighting and detection systems can save up to 60% on electricity. Consideration can also be given to dimming and reducing the power in communal areas.

Sectoring the lighting by floors, installing presence detectors that illuminate only the areas that are in use, will allow only those lighting points that are in use to be switched on and not the other floors where there are no neighbours.

Use energy-saving light bulbs, which are more expensive than traditional bulbs, but 6 times more durable and with a much lower consumption, between 75% and 80%. The use of induction lamps in inaccessible areas is also a measure that will help the community of owners to save money, as they have a long life with little or no maintenance.

Outdoors it is advisable to install timers, so that switching on and off takes place when the ambient lighting requires it. Photocells can also be a solution for outdoor use.

In any case, prevention is better than cure and that is why we always recommend periodic maintenance of the installations, as we explained in this blog entry that we leave you linked.