3 Ways Energy Modelling Can Help Developers in NYC

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Energy modelling|3 Ways Energy Modelling Can Help Developers in NYCThree ways energy modeling helps developers in NYC are: UBEM tools allow large-scale simulations of buildings’ energy usage, and performance-based approaches allow for more design freedom than prescriptive codes do. According to thecotocongrop – NYC local law 97 provider, NYC’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires that buildings over 25,000 sf benchmark their energy use. This data is then used to determine a building’s energy grade and ENERGY STAR score.

Electricity markets facilitate change in the power system

New research has shown that electricity markets can help developers in New York City make changes to their power systems. The current research focus on two types of electricity markets: spot markets, which involve immediate physical delivery, and futures markets, which involve delayed delivery and are used for risk hedging. The researchers are interested in developing new rules and frameworks for electricity markets. They also study the impact of active demand-side participation and price-responsive bids on the day-ahead power market.

The electricity industry faces new challenges as it attempts to modernize its power system. It must replace outdated infrastructure, mitigate storms, integrate variable large-scale renewables, and incorporate distributed resources into the system. The electricity industry needs to change its business model and integrate new technologies in order to keep pace with the demands of its consumers. Historically, investor-owned utilities have operated as vertically integrated monopolies or were deregulated markets. These systems were expensive and inefficient, and today, only one third of the US population is served by these utilities.


UBEM tools allow the energy simulation of buildings at large scales

UBEM provides the energy demand of buildings at a large scale and incorporates several key characteristics, including building geometry, glazing area, and year of construction. This model allows for the calculation of energy efficiency in agglomerate building stock and its associated service provisioning. Unlike top-down simulations, UBEM allows for the evaluation of several refurbishment scenarios with detailed analysis of the energy saving potential and economic aspects.

While UBEM tools allow for detailed simulations of buildings at a large scale, they require considerable computational effort to develop. However, the resulting models are capable of identifying the right mix of renovation measures and policies. Other typologies of UBEMs are limited to annual energy consumption and do not include spatiotemporal detail. UBEM tools enable energy simulation of buildings at large scales, and they can be divided into two main types: bottom-up physics-based UBEM and top-down UBEM.

Electricity storage capacity is expected to grow

New York is pursuing policies to increase energy storage, and hopes to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. To date, New York has established a 3GW goal for energy storage deployment. The Commonwealth of Virginia set a slightly larger goal of 3.1GW by 2035. As of this writing, nine states have energy storage targets, with Maine becoming the most recent to adopt one. By the end of this year, New York will have a total of 1.7GW of electricity storage capacity installed.

Despite this significant increase in demand for electricity, the impact on grid capacity is small. Energy storage resources contribute a net load to the grid, or electricity consumed more than they inject. NYISO predicts that these resources will only affect 1% of the system’s load, though new, more efficient technologies may reduce this impact. But it is still not enough. Until then, electricity storage is expected to continue growing in NYC.

Impact of electrification on future electric system demands

In the city, a bill has been introduced in the City Council to ban gas hookups for new buildings. State lawmakers are pushing for an all-electric building requirement by 2024. The bill would also ban fossil fuel conversions after that point. In New York, the bill was introduced in May but was amended in late October. As a result, the bill could face stiff opposition from the same players.

The electrification of citywide buildings will likely shift peak power demand from summer to winter. This will raise demand levels. But these changes will not happen overnight, since the pace has been slow. The utilities have time to adjust to the new peaks. By upgrading the energy efficiency of buildings and installing heat pumps, developers can keep demand increases manageable. This may require governmental programs and infrastructure upgrades to keep up with the rate of electrification.

Keeping Your Business’ Energy Usage Low

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business Energy Usage|Keeping Your Business' Energy Usage LowThere are many reasons why you might want to keep your use of energy as low as possible in your business. For one thing, it is obviously a good time to be doing that right now, with the way things are with the planet, and you can say that you are doing your part while also being a more attractive brand in the eyes of people. But energy saving is also financially savvy, and your business’ books are going to be much better balanced as a result of these kinds of changes. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to keep your energy consumption down.

Strip Down Processes

Many businesses that have been in operation for a long while end up having far too many processes going on at one time. This can be a real nuisance, as it often means you are just going to be expending more energy than you need to – and you’ll probably be wasting time, money and other resources in the process. So an easy thing you can do to help with this is to strip down your processes until you are left only with what you really need. Do this once a year and watch as it changes everything about how you work.


Focus On Conservation

It’s generally best to put more of your efforts into conservation of energy rather than simply using less. There is a subtle difference, in that with conservation you are employing methods for holding on to energy rather than limiting yourself in any way. To achieve this, you might use a variety of techniques, from heat wheel reliability to building your office building with Passivhaus in mind. However you do it, conserving energy in this way is absolutely something you want to make sure you are doing right.

Take An Energy Audit

Every now and then, it is wise to submit your business to an energy audit, as this way you will be able to work out exactly what is going on, how much energy you are expending, and so on. You can start to see where the main problems might be and gain recommendations for improvement too, all of which will help you considerably if you are keen to improve your business with energy in mind. You can carry out the audit yourself, or for more reliable results hire an external auditor to do it for you.

Look At Supply

Sometimes all you really need to do to improve your energy usage is to take a look at the supply of it to your business. It might be that you are not with the best supplier, and often changing them out can make all the difference in the world, so that is something that you are going to want to consider for sure. This might be all you need to do, and as such it would be a particularly easy and simple approach to take in order to keep your business’ energy usage much lower.

What Should You Do If Your Business Is Spinning Its Wheels?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business spinning its wheels|What Should You Do If Your Business Is Spinning Its Wheels?Feeling stagnant in life is never a pleasant emotion, but of course, this goes tenfold when it relates to the company we’re trying to build. Companies, by their very nature, are dynamic entities rather than the oiled machines we have come to regard them as. After all, companies that fail to innovate, to grow with the times and to develop a comprehensive plan for the future will often be left in the dust of history.

For this reason, the impression that your wheels have been spinning rather than leading to your destination can be a tiresome one, and even an impression that causes once-heralded professionals to feel productively and creatively drained.

However, just because some of your results have been questionable as of late, and just because you may be in need of something new to revivify your brand, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to sit back and fade into obscurity.

There are worthwhile steps you can take. In this post, we’ll try to help you avoid catastrophising and instead focus on the hard facts, using them to boost your approach and get your engines fuelled again. With that in mind, let’s consider some of the worthwhile advice below:


Reconsider Your Values

Reconsider the values your firm may be operating on. Could now be the best time for a change? For instance; might it be that in order to keep up with others in your industry, sustainability has become the name of the game? Might it be that while other companies used the pandemic to reinvent in their online presence, you’ve been lagging behind and struggling to tap into the online market? Sometimes, reconsidering your values and how they determine your focus will enable you to see what market you’re serving, one that exists now, or one that may have been present five years ago.

Assess Your Marketing Plan

Without a comprehensive marketing plan you’ll struggle to offer a unifying narrative and that in itself could be considered a disadvantage. At a time when social media advertising is more quick-fire and easy to ignore than ever, campaigns that have some bite to them are pretty much the only ones that get noticed. So – what kind of approach would you like to take? Using this resource to determine the best advertising approach may be the optimal path to take, helping you move forward with the best aid in sight.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Have you decided why your business is spinning its wheels without listening to feedback? You may only have half of the story, then. It’s good to challenge your preconceived ideals, especially if they’re not performing as well as you would have otherwise hoped. Focus groups, online surveys, and reading reviews can make a big difference. Any firm can make use of this, from hotels to companies selling software services. Speak to those who operate within the market you appeal to, and those adjacent to it. Get all sides of the story. This will help you identify flaws that you may not have considered or even thought possible before.

With this advice, you’re certain to gain some traction even after your business has been spinning its wheels for a time.

Why Exterior Maintenance is Essential for Business Success

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Exterior Maintenance|Why Exterior Maintenance is Essential for Business SuccessYour commercial building’s exterior can make a big difference in whether you attract the right customers, meet organizational standards and comply with regulations, save money on energy costs, and protect your assets. Whether you give your exterior a commercial soft washing or make repairs and replacements, here are a few reasons why exterior maintenance is essential for your business’s success.

Attract the right customers.

A well-maintained building can help attract the right customers. The first step to attracting the right customer has a clean and professional image. When it comes to businesses, cleanliness is a key factor in customer satisfaction, leading to repeat business.
If your business is to flourish and grow, keeping your exterior maintenance up-to-date is essential for success.

Comply with the law.

Building codes are necessary because they ensure that your building complies with safety regulations, zoning laws, and fire codes. Failure to comply could result in fines or even the closure of your business. It’s also important for you to keep up with these regulations because it keeps your customers safe from potential hazards related to your business operations.

Save money and energy.

Your building’s exterior is one of the most important parts of your property. Not only does it protect your interior from the elements, but it also helps to regulate temperature and keep your energy costs down. Taking care of your exterior can reduce your energy costs, repair costs, and downtime.

Have a regular maintenance schedule. This will help identify potential problems early and prevent them from becoming more significant. You should also clean your exterior and repair the damage. Taking care of your exterior can keep your building in top condition and save money in the long run.


Protect your building and contents.

A building that’s well maintained and in good repair is a much safer place to work. Regular inspection will also help to ensure that all necessary repairs are carried out before potential problems become major ones.

As well as protecting your building from fire and theft, regular maintenance will also help protect it from the elements. For example, maintaining a strong waterproof membrane on your roof can go a long way towards keeping out rainwater which can cause dampness in the building fabric, leading to mold growth or even structural damage if left unchecked.

A properly maintained drainage system prevents water ingress into basements, while skylights and roof lights allow natural light into dark areas of warehouses and other industrial premises without risking heat loss by letting warm air escape through poorly sealed windows during winter.

Your business may also benefit from having access cover fitted over loading bays so that vehicles can drive in at any time, day or night, without needing extra lighting installed inside buildings as would otherwise increase electricity consumption costs – not forgetting that this type of cover also helps keep thieves at bay.

Conclusion

Whether you need exterior building maintenance or interior HVAC repair, keeping your business in good condition is important. Not only will this improve the customer experience, but it also keeps your building safe for everyone who visits.
Hopefully, you now better understand why exterior maintenance is vital for your company. In addition, using these tips could help inspire you to get out and start working towards a better-looking company.

The Biggest Challenges Of Going Paperless

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Going paperless|The Biggest Challenges Of Going PaperlessThere are many benefits to giving up paper in the office. Paper files take up a lot of space, cost money to buy/print and are often slow to share and distribute compared to digital files.

All in all, it seems like a no-brainer to go paperless in 2022. However, as many businesses realise, there are some challenges to giving up all paper. Below are just some of the challenges and what you can do to overcome them.

Digitizing old files

It’s possible that you may have lots of old paper files that do not have digital copies. If you want to get rid of all paper in your office, you need to be prepared to create digital copies of all these old paper files.

You can do this by using a scanner or by taking photographs with a camera/mobile phone. This can be a time-consuming process if you have hundreds or thousands of documents to digitize. One solution that you could look into is to pay a mass scanning service to digitize all of these paper files for you. Just make sure that you are happy sharing all of these documents with another company.

Signing contracts

Many businesses still like to print contracts so that they can be signed manually with a pen. The same goes for forms, which may still require people to manually write information or tick boxes.
Fortunately, electronic document signing is now possible. There are also digital options for filling in forms such as using a PDF editor to digitally edit a PDF form. This could prevent you having to send out or receive paper contracts and forms.


Reducing incoming paper mail

How do you stop customers sending you paper newsletters and documents? In most cases, it’s possible to opt out of paper mail by simply talking to the company.

If a company prefers to send out physical documents, but you don’t want paper of any kind in your office, another solution could be to outsource a virtual mailbox. This is when another company collects your mail. They can then send you digital copies of all your mail so that you don’t have to physically receive it.

Preventing digital file loss

Digital files can be lost in various different ways. They could be accidentally deleted, corrupted due to software issues, lost as a result of faulty hardware or compromised during a cyberattack. This puts off some businesses from going paperless.

The solution to this however is simple – backup your digital files in different locations. This could include backing up files on the cloud or storing copies on an external hard-drive. Just as having multiple paper copies can protect against the risk of damage and loss, so can having multiple digital copies.

Dealing with digitally illiterate customers

What happens if you want to send information to a customer via email but they don’t have an email address? In this day and age, it’s becoming a much rarer occurrence, however there are still some older people who don’t use email and aren’t computer literate.
You have to decide whether to sacrifice these customers or make a special exception to cater to them. It may depend largely on who your target customer base is. If you’re an audiologist, you’ll likely deal with a lot of older customers, so it may make sense to still provide the option of paper newsletters and reminders. If you run a gym that is mainly aimed at younger people, it may be better to stick to digital newsletters and promotions.