About: bonuseventusmaintenance

Have you ever wondered what a smart building is? Is it the futuristic buildings of sci-fi films, where everything is interconnected and controlled by just a gesture? Or maybe it’s a building that is run by AI, which could take care of all of those little niggling issues without human intervention at all?

While those inventions might seem nice, science hasn’t quite got to that stage yet!  What we do have are smart buildings that can be monitored and controlled from one panel, helping facilities managers keep an eye on their buildings in a much easier way.

What Is A Smart Building?

A smart building is any building that uses automated processes and technology to automatically control the standard building operations. This includes heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security or other building systems.

It does this by using a variety of sensors, actuators and microchips that are built into the fabric of the building and the building systems. This upgraded infrastructure help building owners and facilities managers monitor their systems more effectively and gives them greater control and performance over the course of each asset’s life. They also reduce energy use, optimise how space in the building is used and help minimise the environmental impact of buildings from day one.

There’s no set standard for what a smart building should look like or how it should function. But the common thread is integration, and how these buildings have technology built into their very infrastructure, connecting everything together.

The Benefits Of Smart Buildings

Smart buildings are capable of all sorts of things, and the development of new technologies will only add to the list in the future. But right now, there are 7 key benefits to smart buildings that all facilities managers should know about.

Automation Opportunities: The more ways you can link a physical space with digital management systems, the more opportunities there will be to automate basic tasks. Things like motion-sensitive lights, floor sensors for occupancy, beacons to gauge workspace utilisation and more are all possible with smart buildings, taking the burden off both facilities managers and IT teams.

Quantifiable Building Insights: All smart tech provides feedback and data. Each data point generated by a smart building gives you an insight into how your building is functioning, how occupants are using it, and when each system sees the most load. Using these data points you can build up a realistic picture of your building’s  use and maintenance needs.

Predictive Maintenance: Through digital twins and similar technology,  buildings and workplaces become manageable assets. This means you have a clearer overview of what the maintenance needs are, and can become more proactive as a result. This approach saves you time and money and using the technology you can see where more proactive maintenance would benefit you.

Better Resource Utilisation: Smart buildings allow facilities managers to take the resources of a building, like space, manpower, and technology, and quantify them within the context of the facility as a whole. This means a better understanding of how people use the facility, and how you can improve things for them.

Reduced Energy Consumption: One of the big benefits of automation is your systems being able to identify and understand when they are needed and when they aren’t, which results in significantly less energy use. Whether that’s motion-sensitive lighting or a sensor-controlled HVAC system that can adjust useable depending on occupancy, smart buildings help you use less energy and help the environment.

Reduced Operational Costs: Investing in the technology and infrastructure needed to support a smart building is often a block for businesses, but the ROI is almost always worth it. By creating a building that can gather data and use it to make intelligent decisions, you can save a small fortune in operational costs year-on-year.

New Workspace Opportunities: In the new age of evolving working styles, change in the workplace is unavoidable. Flexible working and hybrid working are fast in their way to becoming the new norm, and there’s a big demand for systems to help manage these new working styles. This level of oversight is much easier to achieve with a smart network and systems that generate data to support it.

So, are smart buildings the future? In a word, yes! Not only is technology becoming more advanced by the day, the changes mean it’s never been easier to monitor and control your building’s critical systems. As smart buildings expand, the functionality will be made available to residents as well, giving them greater control over their environment and the ability to work more efficiently.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment, and about helping facilities managers make the most of technology to improve their buildings. We work with a number of companies already who are looking to implement smart technology into their buildings, and we would love to work with more in the future. If you’re interested and would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

In this ultra-modern world, you might be forgiven for thinking that no one really needs to meet anyone in person anymore. Especially in the times of Covid, where meeting in person is actively discouraged. But there is one very good exception, which is when it comes to property maintenance. You probably know by now that we are HVAC maintenance specialists, and we spend a lot of our time assessing and quoting for maintenance and repair work. But if a property manager won’t meet us in person to talk about the quotes and work, then there are a lot of problems that arise – and it’s not just our company. In particular, there are 4 problems that comes up time and time again for maintenance workers.

You’re Too Busy

People are busy, and property managers are no exception. There is so much for you to keep up with that it can be easy to miss something, and sometimes that something is incredibly important. All too often we’ve received replies to quotes or questions that have seemed rushed, and the answers don’t really make a lot of sense. This is usually because property managers are working under a lot of pressure, and the issues we’re presenting to them are quite complex. This can make understanding the issues difficult, and cause a lot of back and forth emailing that just wastes more of your time in the long run. A 10-minute meeting is sometimes all we need to properly explain the issue to you in a way you can understand.

No Communication Issues

This issue goes hand in hand with the last, because a lot of things can go wrong in back-and-forth communications. Many times we have been attempting to explain an issue or situation to a property manager and they have not been able to understand what is wrong, or what needs to be done to fix it. In simple cases this is frustrating for the managers, as they just want to get to the bottom of the problem. But in particularly complex cases this can actually cause so many communication issues that the work doesn’t get done at all. This is problematic as the issue won’t go away, and will likely get worse without attention. Meeting with your contractor means there can be an immediate conversation and any confusion can be cleared up right away, leaving you confident in what needs to be done and what action you need to take.

Stops Delays

Some of the maintenance work we do is remedial, or routine maintenance that can be slightly flexible on scheduling. But in other situations the work has to be done quickly in order to avoid further damage or cost. Email communication isn’t always quick, and it can sometimes take hours, days or sometimes months to come to an agreement on what needs to be done and when. These delays are not only difficult for us, but they can cause a huge amount of problems for you, not to mention cost you a lot of money. Again, a face-to-face conversation can end in a decision right away, which means we are able to get to work quickly and stop any further problems before they start.

Gives You Options

Once we’ve been to your site done a survey, we will usually provide you with a quotation for the works. This can be a sticking point for many property managers, particularly if the first 3 issues have all cropped up along the way. But there is more than one way to skin a cat, and often there will be a few different options available to resolve your issue. Different approaches we can take, different cost profiles and so on. This is the kind of thing we can only really do in conversation, as you can explain your concerns and we can explain your options, allowing you to pick the best course of action for you and get the ball rolling.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance our job is to keep your HVAC systems in proper working order, running efficiently and at as little cost to you as possible, and the best way we can do that is to meet with you and discuss your needs. If you would like to know more about maintaining your HVAC systems and how we work, just get in touch with the team today.

In October last year, the government announced that it was going to offer £5000 to people in England and Wales to replace their gas boilers with heat pumps, as part of their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. Now, we love this idea, because heat pumps are one of the most efficient ways to provide heat there is, and their effectiveness has been proven in the commercial sector time and time again. But if you’ve never heard of a heat pump before, what is it, and how does it all work?

What Is A Heat Pump?

A heat pump is simply another method of heating a property. But instead of using gas or electricity to heat air and water for your property, heat pumps draw thermal energy from natural sources. They are usually reserved for commercial buildings, like offices, restaurants, blocks of flats and shopping centres, since the units needed to run them are quite large and the compressor is quite noisy, so they benefit from being housed in their own plant room. But residential units can be fitted to your home, so it’s worth considering it as an option if you’re looking to upgrade your home heating.

The main sources you can draw energy from with a heat pump are:

• Air source
• Ground source
• Water Source
• Air to Water

Each type works slightly differently, but the outcome is always the same – heat.

How Do They Work?

The basic premise of a heat pump is to absorb any low-grade thermal energy from your chosen source, and transfer that energy to a heating element that can bring it to the desired temperature before dispersing it throughout the heating system of your building. This heating element is confusingly often called ‘coolant’, and it doubles as a pump for the energy absorbed as well as a heating mechanism. The way this works is a bit different for each source – for example, an air-source pump will suck in outdoor air and pass it over a set of tubes containing refrigerant fluid to produce heat. The refrigerant is then pumped through pipes that compress it to your desired temperature before being send to the radiators and hot water cycler in your building.

It’s similar to the idea of a standard gas boiler, but instead of drawing energy from your gas source to heat the water, you are drawing it from a more natural source instead. By doing this you are cutting your carbon emissions considerably as well as your general energy cost, since heat pumps are on average 400% more energy efficient than a boiler.

How Much Do They Cost?

This is the question on everyone’s minds, especially with the recent energy crisis and sharply rising energy prices. Heat pumps can certainly be a much cheaper option long term, especially if you have solar panels fitted on your building, but there is debate whether they are a more cost-effective option in the short term, especially for residential properties. The installation often requires a retrofit or a complete refit of your current heating system, which can be costly and difficult to time in the colder months when you don’t want your building to be without heat for any length of time while it’s being installed. But the government are currently working to make sure that heat pumps cost no more to install and run than a standard boiler, and have set themselves a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 – as part of their commitment to reaching their zero carbon commitment.

Are There Alternatives?

Of course! As with everything, there are a lot of different methods you could choose to heat your commercial or residential property, many of which are being specifically developed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Alongside heat pumps and gas boilers, some options include:

• District heating – energy giant Vattenfall is currently planning a network of hot water pipes in south-east London as a proof of concept that could benefit up to half a million homes, businesses and public buildings. This option is still a long way from being rolled out nationwide.

• Hydrogen – This substance could flow directly from big gas companies and into your home pipes. The government is currently running trials on hydrogen heating solutions, with a series of pilots due to finish at the end of the decade. However, this is the last carbon neutral option being explored.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance Ltd, we believe that heat pumps are often the best option for providing heat and hot water in an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way. That’s why we offer comprehensive information at our consultations, along with step-by-step installation and guidance on maintenance and future use. If you’d like to know more about heat pumps, just get in touch with our team today.

Wherever there are communal or commercial buildings, there are property managers. With the recent growth of blocks of flats and office blocks being built, there has been a rise in demand for property management services. People that can look after the building, arrange its maintenance, understand all relevant legislation and in general keep everything ticking along in a timely manner. But property management isn’t without its challenges, and as a heating and air conditioning maintenance company we have seen our fair share of them.

Regular Maintenance

One of the main responsibilities of a property manager is to ensure that the fabric of the building is regularly inspected, maintain, and refreshed to the standards set out in their lease agreement. If they do nothing else, they still need to do this. The easiest way to manage this fairly large responsibility is to set up a maintenance schedule, which can help ensure the building meets the current regulations and any problems are picked up right away. This means property managers need to build a network of professional maintenance contacts who can inspect and carry out work on the different areas of their building to a high standard– including heating and ventilation. Some of the issues around maintenance that often plague property managers include:

• Work not being properly
• Poor work leading to residents refusing to pay
• Financial issues
• Missed maintenance issues leading to more expensive repairs

Communication Consistency

This is something we see a lot of issues with, since we work closely with property and block managers. It’s a sad truth that staff turnover is incredibly high among property managers (after all it is a stressful job), which makes it challenging for them to keep up with the maintenance needs of the building, and understand who’s doing what work. At Bonus Eventus Maintenance Ltd we will sometimes work with four or five different property managers over the course of a single year, and in many cases there has not been any real handover done between them. This often means that vital information is missing, property managers don’t know what issues their buildings have, what work has been done and more importantly what work needs to be done in the future. This often results is us having to re-send every single email, quote and piece of paperwork to the new property manager every time there is a switch, which is frustrating for us and the manager. It can also cause issues, as if the property manager doesn’t have the right information they may miss critical repairs or maintenance that could mean their residents don’t have heating or hot water over the cold months.

Service Charges

It’s no surprise that money comes in as one of the bigger challenges for property managers. In particular, ensuring they have budget and permission for maintenance work. A good property manager should always have a good understanding of how the leave for the building they’re managing works, and how it requires any maintenance charges to be raised. Obviously the maintenance charge arrangements need to satisfy any current property management legislation, including the requirement that there must be accounting procedures in place in order to provide leaseholders with final accounts and annual statutory summaries. This is on top of their responsibility to protect any leaseholder funds in a separate client account for management and maintenance, in accordance with the specifics of the lease. All of this can be a complex process, but a necessary one to ensure essential maintenance work can take place.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance, we know that property managers have a lot on their plates, and it’s not always easy to stay on top of it all. Our number one priority is the safety and security of the people living and working in those buildings, which is why we work closely with property managers to create a regular maintenance schedule that works for them. We support them in making handovers simple and easy, and minimise expense by carrying out regular maintenance rather than the odd emergency repair (which is always more expensive. If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

Did you know that buildings represent 39% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK? And more worryingly, that 28% of that comes from the energy needed to heat, cool and power them. It’s not something you think about often, but if we’re looking to take action on climate change, then reducing the carbon emissions of buildings is a great place to start. And it turns out that world leaders have noticed this too, as they have announced a new scheme called the ‘zero carbon buildings initiative’, designed to help unite leaders in decarbonizing the building sector and repairing some of the climate damage done.

The Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative

The Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative was first launched in 2019 at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York, with the aim of incentivising leaders across sectors to come together and meet climate goals by decarbonizing the construction industry. The core components of this initiative include securing commitment from:

• National and local leaders to develop and implement policies to drive decarbonization of all new buildings by 2030 and all existing buildings by 2050.
• Financial and industry partners to provide expert input and commit $1 trillion of market action by 2030.

Our own UK government was one of the first to announce their commitment to this initiative, and have also announced their goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Since a large portion of carbon emissions are generated by buildings, this is one of their first focus points.

The importance of this has been brought to light again very recently by retail giant Marks and Spencer, who announced plans to demolish their flagship store in Oxford Street and construct a new replacement structure. This sounds all well and good, until you realise that the demolition and construction process for that project alone would create so much carbon dioxide that 2.4 million trees would need to be planted just to offset it. And that’s just one building!

So it’s no surprise that the first call is for existing buildings to be retrofitted wherever possible with zero carbon solutions, rather than knocked down and a new building erected. This will save a significant amount of carbon by itself, and if new buildings are being designed and constructed in a carbon neutral fashion, suddenly zero carbon buildings become a lot more achievable.

Zero Carbon HVAC

One of the bigger focuses for both existing and new buildings in reducing carbon emissions lies in the HVAC systems. Global warming has resulted in more electricity demand to provide air conditioning and heat in areas that previously didn’t require as much, leading to higher costs for the owners and higher carbon emissions. Even with a decarbonized energy supply, energy efficiency in HVAC systems needs to be a top priority. This includes steps like integrating building management systems, automating building controls and installing energy efficient or renewable solutions for heating, cooling and conditioning the air. If planned properly it is absolutely possible, but it’s one of those things that should be done sooner than later.

Why Act Now?

Put simply, because this is something that can’t be put off. It’s not an optional rule that you can just decide not to follow – it’s something the government will be enforcing and monitoring fairly rigorously. So at some point you will have to review your building and make changes. Zero carbon emissions buildings are relatively simple to build from scratch, but because this initiative applies to all buildings you will have to do some remedial work to bring all of your properties up to code. This is going to cost a lot of money, and it will be easier for you to bear if you were to spread that cost over the 10 years, rather than have to invest a huge amount in one go later on. For reference, the average cost to transform a standard block of flats into a zero carbon building is about £500,000 – half a million pounds.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are passionate about the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of our own business as well as our clients. We are currently consulting with a number of block and facilities managers on the changes that would need to be made to their HVAC systems to meet this target, and if you’re in a similar position we’d love to help you too. Just get in touch with the team today for a free consultation. And if you want to know more about energy efficient HVAC solutions, keep an eye on the blog, as we’ll be talking more about it in the new year!

As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, school children are sitting at their desks looking into the now-dark sky, dreaming of Christmas. Playtime is spent huddled inside rather than out on the school fields, and it won’t be long until parents start moaning about lost coats, scarves and gloves. During this time, staff are trying to figure out how to keep classrooms warm without going over budget – something that’s even tougher than normal this year. Luckily, we have some tips to help make your school’s heating more efficient, saving you money along the way.

Keep To Recommended Room Temperatures

We all know how uncomfortable it can be to work in a cold office, and the same goes for children at school. But that doesn’t mean you should crank the heating up to full power, as being too hot can be uncomfortable too! It’s a balancing act, and getting it right will help keep morale up and boost productivity across the board. Believe it or not, there is an ideal temperature. According to the Department for Education and Skills, temperatures in schools should be kept at the following levels:

• Normal teaching environment: 18°C
• Circulation spaces (e.g. corridors): 15°C
• Areas with high activity levels (e.g. sports halls): 15°C
• Areas with low levels of activity: 21°C
• Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools or areas with very young children: 21°C

You will need to bear in mind the surface temperature of your radiators as well, as there have been cases of children being burnt by radiators in school. The surface temperature of your radiators should never go above 43°C.

Consider Timing

Schools are not occupied 24/7, which means that there are times when you don’t need to worry about the temperature. Taking advantage of the timers on your heating system means that you can lower the temperature during those vacant hours, and still make sure that it rises back to those ideal levels before the children arrive in the morning. Simply adjusting the timers on your heating system can save you a huge amount of hassle and money, so we always recommend you start there.

Prevent Interference With Radiators

Schools are big places, and there are a lot of ways staff and children can interfere with the heating and ventilation, even if they don’t mean to. Just take a look at the inside of a traditional radiator next time you walk past, and see how many pencils, pieces of paper, half-chewed gum and other debris have made their way inside. Look in a classroom and see how many things have been piled in front of a radiator by a teacher with limited space to work with. All of that interferes with the heat distribution and will be costing you money. The ideal solution here is to invest in tamper-proof radiators or radiator coverings – but if your budget won’t stretch that far, then ensuring they are cleaned regularly and briefing teachers on not blocking heat sources will also work.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we understand how difficult it can be to keep your school heated and ensure no money is wasted in the process. That’s why we offer free site visits and reviews to any and all educational establishments. Our experts will asses your school heating systems and provide free advice and information, including recommendations for thermostat settings, heat zoning and even governmental support options if you’re eligible. If you’d like to know more, or to book your free school survey, just get in touch with the team today.

If you run an office of any size, you might have noticed your heating bill going up over the last few months. In fact, we would be amazed if you hadn’t! Every business in the UK is feeling the pinch of rising energy costs, and we’re all looking for ways to maximise the heat we do pay for. And since working in cold office is bad for morale, for health and for your business, we wanted to help with some heating tips. These tips are designed for bigger office spaces, but they work just as well on small ones too!

Understand Your Heating Systems

Warm air heating systems, i.e. heat pumps, were traditionally used for large spaces such as factories and warehouses. However, buildings with large roof spaces can see heat trapped in the rafters with these traditional systems, leaving the people working at ground-level cold. Destratification can be used to help this problem, which recirculates the warm air in your building, but this may not be the most efficient system for a building with high ceilings and open rafters.

Radiant heating on the other hand, does not heat the air but instead uses infrared technology to heat people and objects it comes into contact with. This may be suited to spot-heating in large spaces rather than attempting to heat the entirety of the space. The best way to understand how your building affects the type of system you should install is to seek the advice of a professional.

Air Rotation

Circulating the air in your offices ensures that the hot air doesn’t just rise to the ceilings and stay there. Instead, it’s moved around the room to keep the ambient temperature warm. This is called air rotation, and typically uses high-powered fans to move the air around. This saves you money by optimising the performance of your existing units. Depending on the size of your building you might already have a unit installed, or you may wish to have one retrofitted.

Harness The Sun

The sun is the most reliable source of heat there is, and while we might not see it as much at this time of year, you can still use it effectively. If you’re lucky enough to have windows that the sun shines on, make sure any curtains or blinds are open and allow it to shine in. Once it starts to get dark or cloudy, close the blinds to keep that warmth in the office.

Draft Exclusions

It may seem silly, but often the simplest solutions are the most effective. And there’s little point in investing time and effort into high-performance HVAC and heat circulation if it can all easily escape! Aside from the obvious (ensuring all windows and doors are closed), invest some time and money in proper seals on the windows for long term savings. Use blinds and curtains to stop drafts sneaking in, and place draft excluders along the gaps at the bottom of your doors to really seal the heat in. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference!

Set Your Thermostat Properly

Thanks to the revolutionary invention of the thermostat, you have the ability to control the temperature of even the largest spaces. But you need to use them properly to get the full effect. If a building is allowed to get too cold, people tend to turn the heating up so high that before you know it, you want to turn on the air con! Which just wastes money in the long run. Instead, set a constant temperature on your thermostat that doesn’t need to be fiddled with, and let the heating system do its work.

Use Timers

Most heating installations these days will allow you to use a timer to control when your system turns on and off without you necessarily having to be in the building. For a large space, which will take longer to heat, you can utilize the timer to ensure the heating comes on and warms the building before staff arrive and turn it off once they are gone without the need to leave it on all night.

If you’re struggling to heat your space, there could be a fault with your HVAC systems. It’s always worth getting them checked and having regular maintenance work to ensure they’re working efficiently and effectively – and not costing you money! If you’re concerned about your HVAC system, we’d be happy to help. Just get in touch with the team today to find out more.

Fluorinated gases (also known as F Gasses) is a type of refrigerant most commonly used in HVAC systems. It was extremely popular for a long time, and became the dominant refrigerant used to provide cooling in commercial HVAC systems. It’s man-made, easy to mass produce and is incredibly efficient at cooling, which all made it immensely popular.

It’s also a significant cause of global warming, which is why most HVAC companies are moving away from using F Gasses.

What Are F Gasses?

F Gasses are a collection of man-made fluorinated greenhouse gasses that are used in all sorts of industrial applications. After years of research, we know now that F Gasses can stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, meaning they are contributing more to the ‘greenhouse effect’ and global warming than carbon dioxide. Around 23,000 times more than carbon dioxide, in fact. F Gasses are most commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating. They include HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons) and SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride). And despite how effective they are for refrigerant purposes; the industry and the government couldn’t ignore the harm they were doing.

Phasing Out Plans

In 2014 the EU triggered a plan to phase down and eventually phase out the use of F Gasses, including introducing new regulations on their use. Since around 75% of F Gas use was in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating, the landmark F-Gas Regulation was designed to reduce the use of the harmful gasses. The regulations introduced a quota system based on the highest GWP (global warning potential) F Gasses, designed to phase down their use between 2015 and 2030. The target is to reduce the CO2 equivalent of all gasses to 21% of the baseline by 2030.

It’s also now a legal requirement for all companies handling F Gasses to hold the F-Gas Company Certification. Even sole traders have to be certified by an approved body if they’re servicing equipment operated by others that contains F-Gases. No one is allowed to work with F-Gasses without the correct certification.

So now that the plan has been in place for 7 years, it’s time to review how things are going.

Is It Working?

Using the 2015 data as a baseline 100%, by 2020 F Gas use had reduced to 63%. Projections show that between 2021 and 2023 the rate should reduce to 45%, with the baseline meeting 21% by 2030. However at the moment, there is no ban on any particular type of F Gas, and equipment using them can still operate. Instead, the quota system makes the gas more expensive the more global warming potential it has. Higher GWP, more expensive gas. Which does mean that gases with the highest GWP have already been eliminated thanks to the impact on service and maintenance costs.

In 2020, a service ban was brought into force, which means that equipment with a charge in CO2 equivalent greater than 40 tonnes could no longer be refilled or serviced using F Gasses with a GWP higher than 2,500. This means that once these machines need servicing or their gases run low, operators will need to switch to a new refrigerant.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we are fully F Gas certified, and are able to service any and all varieties of HVAC systems. But we do prefer working with HVAC systems that are kinder to the environment and are always happy to help our clients switch to a different refrigeration method. If you’d like to find out more about F Gases or how to move away from them, just get in touch with the team today.

There is a lot of talk happening about sustainability at the moment. The climate change debate is heating up, and more and more businesses are getting on board to start making real changes. But that means the big question needs to be addressed –  what does corporate sustainability really mean, and how can businesses embrace it?

Because while consumers may be focusing on reducing their consumption of single-use plastics, businesses should be investing in new technologies and creating more efficient ways of operating to not only lower their impact on the environment but attract new audiences and stabilise their future.

What is the Definition of Sustainability?

The first step in working out what something should mean to your business is to understand what it is. When we talk about ‘sustainability’, it means:

“Something that can go on, and continue and be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

For consumers, that might mean their health, their environment or the health and environment of others – but also their budgets.

But sustainability also means:

“The avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”

Which on a large scale is much more applicable to businesses. Businesses, particularly those in manufacturing, are the biggest consumers and wasters of natural resources on the planet – and it’s them who are making the real differences, both positive and negative. Because if more businesses were committed to reducing their use of natural resources, they could make a real impact on climate change and the general sustainability effort.

The Three Pillars for Business Sustainability

For businesses, sustainability is a completely different ballgame. At a corporate level, there are many more elements to consider, and the need to achieve sustainability across the board grows with every passing year. And while the same ideas of health, environment and budget apply, the way these are approached, implemented and managed is completely different. It’s clear that there are 3 areas of interest, known as the three pillars or the triple bottom line. These are:

• Environmental – Reducing your carbon footprint, packaging waste, waste use and overall effect on the environment.
• Social – Having the support and approval of employees, stakeholders and the community, treating employees fairly and being a good neighbour.
• Economic – Ensuring your business is profitable and compliant, with proper governance and risk management in place.

The Business Benefits

Research shows that companies with high ESG ratings have a lower cost of debt and equity, and that sustainability initiatives can help improve financial performance while fostering public support. According to McKinsey, nearly 3,000 employees said the strongest motivating factors to adopting a sustainable mindset are to: align with a company’s goals, missions, or values; build, maintain, or improve reputation; meet customer’s expectations; and develop new growth opportunities. In simple terms, “doing good” can have a direct impact on your company’s ability to do well.

At Bonus Eventus we are particularly passionate about that first pillar – reducing our carbon footprint and helping other businesses do the same so that they can reap the benefits of a sustainable business. After all, the biggest carbon emission of any business comes from its buildings, and by installing carbon-neutral HVAC systems powered by renewable energy you can reduce that to almost 0! If you would like to know more about how we do that, or how you can reduce your business carbon footprint, just get in touch with our team today and see what we can do.

You may have heard the phrase ‘your website is your shop window’. And for a lot of businesses, that’s very true – which is why they invest a lot of time and money in making it flawless. But what if your business’s shop window actually is a shop window? How can you make your wares look enticing enough for busy customers to stop and look, and then come inside? It’s not easy, especially in today’s society where there is so much demand on everyone’s time. And while it might seem like a small thing, the lighting choices you make can significantly impact how many people come into your shop, how much they buy and even what they choose to buy. But there are a few key things you can to do design retail lighting that’s effective, safe and enticing for passers-by.

Know Your Lighting Styles

Accent Lighting: This is the lighting you use in areas you want to draw attention to, like a prominent display or a demonstration area. Anything you want to highlight within your store. This can come in a few different forms, including internal cabinet lights to ceiling spotlights to emphasise racks or free-standing displays.

Task Lighting: Lighting that has a very specific purpose, and is usually found in areas where more lighting is needed to help employees perform tasks or customers make important buying decisions. Task lighting is more often found around checkout counters, dressing rooms, service desks and stock rooms.

Decorative Lighting: This is the light you use to create an atmosphere and make your shop look and feel like a nice place to be. It’s much broader than the previous 2 types of lighting and is usually used as a way to continue your branding throughout the premises. For example, if your shop sells luxury goods then you might have a chandelier. If it’s more modern and edgy then pendant lighting might be more appropriate. It’s your chance to get creative and playful with lighting.

Ambient Lighting: This is arguably the most important since it’s the main source of light in your shop Ambient lighting fills the gaps between all of the other forms of retail lighting and ensures that your customers can actually see. It’s also to make your customers feel comfortable, and ensure they can safely explore the entire shop.

Understanding Colour Temperature

Did you know that all lights have a different colour temperature – or that it has nothing to do with heat? Lighting can come in a range of temperatures, from warmer tones (usually more yellow) to cool ones (usually a brighter white colour). The colour temperature of the lighting you chose can hugely impact the ambience of your shop and how people view your products. For example, if you want to create a cosy, inviting feeling, you’ll want to choose a warm colour temperature. Colder tones give off a modern, crisp tone – which makes them great for tech shops like Apple, or brands wanting to create that futuristic feel. What we’re trying to get at is that the colour temperature you choose will set the tone and feel for your entire shop, so it’s a pretty important decision.

Turning Floor Plans Into Lighting Plans

Before you start buying light fixtures, you need to know what to buy and where it will go. You’ve already done part of that by understanding your lighting styles. Now is the time to sketch out your shop and work out what lighting needs to go where. This is an important step, as it informs not only your buying decisions but also helps your electricians know what wiring needs to go where.

Identify Key Display Areas: Are your displays going to be mounted on the wall, in the centre of the floor space, or a mixture? These are the areas you should place your accent lighting.

Mark Workspaces: Any areas where staff will be performing tasks will need to be lit with task lighting solutions. You should also think about task lighting in key customer areas light changing rooms.

Add Decoration: Now comes the fun part. Think about how you want your shop to look, and let your inner interior designer run wild. Add some decorative flair to your shop wherever you like, to bring a bit of personality and brand identity to the space.

Fill The Gaps: Now that you have the essentials in place, look over your plan carefully. Are there any gaps? Can you see any spaces that might end up being dark, or just on the edge of any other lighting, creating dingy pockets of space? This is where your ambient lighting fits in.

At Bonus Eventus Maintenance we don’t just take care of your HVAC needs. We also have a team of skilled, NICEIC-approved electricians on hand to create well-designed electrical solutions, with the maintenance plans in place to ensure your wiring is always up to code and performing well. Whether you’re installing a new access control system or opening a new retail unit, we can be there to make sure it all goes smoothly. If you would like to know more about our electrical services, just get in touch with the team today.