Demand Side Management

Demand side management is a critical component of a successful overall energy management program. Demand side management, also often referred to as energy efficiency and inside the fence reduction, is generally broken into two categories: behavioral and physical.

Behavioral demand side management relates to how human interaction can be influenced to reduce the volume of an organization’s energy consumption. Are doors propped open in the spring to allow a fresh breeze to enter the building? Do employees leave their computer or overhead lights on when leaving the building for the day? Are conference room lights always on even when the room is not in use? Is staff permitted to have desk lamps? Does your organization have a formal energy awareness program?

Physical demand side management pertains to the implementation of physical improvements to systems within your facility that will reduce the amount of energy previously used to accomplish a task. The physical side of the demand side management equation typically involves greater scrutiny because of its capital expense requirements. Have energy-efficient lighting upgrades been implemented? Would installation of a new high-efficiency HVAC system significantly reduce your annual energy spend? Are on-site solar panels a reasonable way to offset peak energy demand? Does your information technology department factor power consumption into its data center and computer equipment purchases? Are new windows a viable solution for enhancing your building energy envelope? For all physical demand side management decisions, return on investment analysis is a necessary and often overriding consideration.

From creating highly interactive student and employee energy awareness programs to detailed ROI analyses of proposed system upgrades, Legacy Energy has extensive demand side management experience ready to be put to work for you.