A guide for care homes and buildings for people with special needs
Energy usage
Care homes and other buildings for people with special needs may appear similar to other buildings, but they have unique environmental considerations. Energy consumption is often higher in these facilities due to several factors:
- Laundry: Extra bed linens and towels need frequent washing
- Hot water usage: More hot water is used for additional sanitary washing
- Staff: Care staff’s daily activities also contribute to higher energy use
Seizing opportunities for energy savings
Conducting an energy audit is a great way to identify opportunities for saving energy and reducing costs. While many opportunities are common to other buildings, such as improvements to lighting, building fabric, and heating systems there are others. We have found quite a few opportunities that are quite unique to the special conditions of the people that occupy these types of buildings. Interventions are often easy to implement and can save huge amounts of energy costs, and therefore reduce CO2 emissions as well. In our energy audit and ESOS work we typically identify savings over 3 times our audit fee.
The benefits of going green
While protecting the environment is a primary reason to focus on sustainability, there are many other compelling drivers for care homes and similar buildings to improve their environmental performance:
- Legislation: Providers may need to comply with regulations like SECR and ESOS.
- Regulatory bodies: Regulators are increasingly requiring better environmental controls.
- Financial interest: Banks and investors are showing interest in a client’s environmental compliance.
- Customers: A growing number of customers want their suppliers to demonstrate environmental responsibility.
- Cost savings: Energy audits can result in savings that are more than triple the audit fee.
- Staff retention: There is increasing evidence that employees are seeking employers with strong sustainability credentials.
Making a real impact
Sometimes, meeting a regulatory requirement can feel like a simple tick-box exercise, but the real reward comes when a client realizes the practical steps they can take. We get a real buzz when a client says to us, “Wow, there is stuff I can actually implement here!”
Here’s what some of our clients have said:
“Carrying out our SECR reporting with SHIFT has allowed us to better understand our carbon emissions. Thanks to Rob for issuing the report quickly, in order for us to meet our deadlines.” – Steven Williams – Head of Asset Management and Development, HFT
“Thank you so much for your ESOS work. You have ensured that this process has been very simple and easy for us and the reports are really interesting; we will be following the plan!” – Penny Harris, Director, On Track Education Services Ltd
Ready to take the next step?
If you run a care home or other building for people with special needs and are looking for assistance with SECR, ESOS, strategy development, carbon reduction plans, or ESG, feel free to get in touch for a chat. Email [email protected]