Manage energy efficiency in workplace and facilities services
Overview
This standard covers the management of energy efficiency in a workplace and facilities services environment. It involves identifying and understanding the energy requirements of the organisation and how improvements can be made to the way that energy is used across the workplace and facilities services provided. It is about developing effective strategies for energy management and making sure that these are sustainable for a range of assets, including buildings and transport.
It is also about recognising the importance of using renewable energy sources, reducing the organisation's carbon footprint, introducing energy efficiency measures and communicating these to decision makers and those involved and affected.
Managing energy efficiency requires an understanding of and compliance with the current legal requirements and the organisation's business plan, strategies, systems, procedures and policies including business efficiencies and sustainable practices.
It is important that you know and understand your responsibilities under the current environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and the policies of the organisation.
This standard is applicable to those who deliver workplace and facilities services, this can be to an internal client (within your organisation) or to an external client, both are referred to as the "organisation" within this standard.
Managers at this level will be required to drive workplace and facilities services within the organisation.
This standard has links to the standards suite Facilities Management and the standards suite Management and Leadership managed by Instructus.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- carry out your work in accordance with the current environmental and health and safety legislation, risk assessment requirements, codes of practice and policies of the organisation, including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- identify and assess energy requirements in line with the current legal requirements and the organisation's business efficiencies and sustainable practices policies as part of the delivery of all workplace and facilities services
- identify your personal responsibilities and liabilities for managing energy efficiency under current legislation and the organisation's objectives, systems, policies and procedures including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- identify the organisation's energy usage control measures which will help meet the organisation's needs for sustainable practices, including energy efficiency
- communicate to decision makers and those involved and affected the long-term benefits of improvements to energy efficiency of buildings, facilities and practices
- contribute to the development of strategies that are sustainable and take account of identified best practice for the management of energy efficiency
- confirm that sources of energy used are renewable and sustainable, where possible, while managing the costs, regulatory and legal requirements
- assess the costs, risks and opportunities of the planned actions
- carry out regular reviews of buildings, facilities and practices to identify where improvements can be made to business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- establish and confirm that those responsible for procurement consider business efficiency and sustainable practices, including energy efficiency, as a priority, including materials and usage, building fabric and insulation
- establish that issues of business efficiencies and sustainable practices, including energy efficiency measures and environmental impact, are taken into account when assessing the viability and sustainability of new and existing buildings, facilities and practices
- communicate with those involved in and affected by the benefits of supporting business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- confirm that the organisation operates within the current legal requirements and social responsibilities
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- your responsibilities under the current environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and policies of the organisation, including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- the current regulatory and legal requirements for managing energy efficiency
- the energy efficiency management requirements within the overall workplace and facilities services strategy in line with and supportive of the organisation's business efficiencies and sustainable practice policies
- how to identify energy requirements in workplace and facilities services
- how to relate energy efficiency management activities in workplace and facilities services to the energy requirements of the organisation
- your personal responsibilities and liabilities for managing energy efficiency under the current legislation and the organisation's objectives, strategies, systems, policies and procedures including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- the available energy usage control measures which will help meet the needs of the organisation for sustainable practices, including energy management
- how to identify best practice in the management of energy efficiency
- the importance of implementing sustainable strategies for the management of energy efficiency
- the sources of renewable and sustainable energy and the importance of making use of these
- the factors to take into consideration when reviewing buildings, facilities and practices to identify where improvements can be made to business efficiency and sustainable practices
- the costs, risks and opportunities of the planned actions
- the importance of confirming that those responsible for procurement consider business efficiency and sustainable practices, including energy efficiency, as a priority
- the methods of communicating to decision-makers and those involved in, and affected by, the benefits of making improvements to and supporting business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- the responsibility of managing workplace and facilities services in accordance with the current legal requirements and social responsibilities
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Business efficiencies
**This relates to the sustainable management of resources such as water, energy efficiency and waste management in line with the organisation's business efficiency policies which aim at improving operational efficiency. In business, efficiency refers to the production of goods or the offering of services by using the smallest amount or resources, such as capital, energy etc. Efficient businesses can create products, offer services and accomplish their overall goals with the minimum effort, expense or waste.
Operational performance
**An organisation's performance can be measured against a standard or prescribed indicator of effectiveness, efficiency, and environmental responsibility such as, time, productivity, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance.
Social responsibilities
**Social responsibilities refer to a type of self-regulatory business plan and the efforts made by a company to improve society and contribute towards sustainable development. It describes initiatives run by a business to evaluate and take responsibility for their impact on issues ranging from human rights to the environment.
The business plan will focus on achieving economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders involved (employees, consumers, investors and other groups). The purpose of it is to encourage businesses to conduct their companies in an ethical manner and work towards having a more positive impact on society through ensuring sustainable growth.
Sustainable practices
**Sustainable business practices are characterised by environmentally friendly practices initiated by an organisation for the purposes of becoming more sustainable. Organisations aim to reduce their environmental footprint through initiatives that cut down on waste, poor environmental stewardship and unethical environmental practices that offer a reduced level of sustainability within the organisation's policies and practices.
Sustainable business practices differ among industries and are often specific to the type of organisation and the product or service it produces or provides.
Workplace and facilities services
Workplace and facilities services is "the organisational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business." Workplace and facilities services professionals are responsible for services that enable and support business performance.
All organisations have responsibilities under current health, safety and welfare regulations to ensure the daily health, safety and welfare of their employees. This includes ensuring provisions are made for:
Workplace and facilities services (soft services)
• Soft services are ones that make the workplace more
pleasant or secure to work in.
Examples of soft services are cleaning, catering, security.
Facilities Management (hard services)
• Hard services are ones that relate to the physical fabric of the
building and cannot be removed. They ensure the safety and
welfare of employees and generally are required by law.
Examples of hard services are plumbing, heating and lighting.
Hard services are covered in the Facilities Management suite