Digital Signage and Energy Saving for Buildings – two unlikely peas in a pod. With the cost of living prices rising at a rapid rate across Europe, some countries have decided to shut off these signs in order to save energy.

In Germany, illuminated displays are no longer allowed after 10 pm. The measures came in soon after Spanish shops and government offices were told to switch off the displays after 10pm, as part of the country’s commitment to reducing its gas consumption by 7%.

These changes have been enforced since September 1 and many companies are wondering what they can and can’t do. Munich-based digital signage consultancy firm Invidis claim that the regulations are difficult to understand.

Company managing director Florian Rotberg said: “Most contracts explicitly require outdoor advertising companies to operate backlit city light posters and screens well into the night to provide passengers with more security in the waiting area. The published regulations talk about a ban from 10 pm to 4 pm, whereas a ban from 10 pm to 6 am had previously been announced.”

This change, written about in the AV Magazine in August, certainly provides food for thought. In Ireland, we too are struggling with the cost of living. In fact, Sinn Fein Senator Lynn Boylan recently called for the same. She said: “Over a year the typical screen would use the equivalent electricity of nine Irish households, with some having the capacity to reach the equivalent of 33 homes.”

As electricity providers continue to increase their rates, maybe it could be time for us to look at implementing similar measures here in order to both save costs and reduce usage as targeted by the European Union.

What Can We Do?

Of course, most of us are not in a position where we can make these decisions on a national scale. However, there are a number of avenues that can be explored in order to combat our own energy usage. One is taking a look at the technology you are using – is it energy efficient? If not, this could be an easy way to cut some costs down. If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to upgrading your equipment, Hereworks would be happy to help.

Another is implementing a system like our own Hereworks Happy to monitor the energy usage of a building. If you understand more about your building, it is far easier to devise solutions and combat any issues that arise.

The Hereworks Happy™ Score is a percentage score for the building and is unique to Hereworks. The goal is to achieve 100% happiness for the building and to create a comfortable, productive, warm, engaged, secure and healthy workspace. This ensures the well-being of occupants while operating at maximum efficiency and minimum carbon emissions.

The happy score is comprised of weighted scores from the following high-level categories:

1. External Environment
2. Building Occupancy
3. Energy & Waste
4. Internal Environment
5. Occupant Selection
6. IT
7. Amenities

A smart building will leverage machine learning, energy information systems and control functionality to reduce consumption by managing environmental influences like solar gains and HVAC load spikes.

Our CEO Tomás Mac Eoin explains: “Optimising for energy efficiency is a given, but critically smart ready buildings should be able to adapt their operation to the ever-changing needs of the occupant. Future buildings need to be agile and offer insights as to what might improve the user experience for its occupants, improve well-being and thus improve productivity.”

Learn More

If you would like to see Tomás’ full blog post, see here. If upgrading your own building to cut energy usage is something you are considering, feel free to get in touch with us at info@hereworks.ie.