It seems to make sense that the higher the occupancy of a building (commercial or
residential), the higher the energy use. More people in a building means more activity.
Well, COVID taught us that this is not totally true. While office buildings were shut down
during pandemic lock-downs to near zero activity, building energy usage declined only
by 10-30%. In New York City, even when there was a partial return of activity
(commercial occupancy decline averaged 85%), electricity use was down only 20-40%.
Are electricity usage changes driven by tenant activities or common area requirements?
Studies indicate a little of both. Several buildings showed a reduction in electricity usage
in the upper 20’s to 40% in March and April 2020, compared to the year before, when
we had the virtual complete COVID lock-down. These buildings showed reductions in the
teens percent in October and November 2020 compared to one year before, as tenants
began to return to their offices.

Why? Because there are basic needs that use energy that must occur at all times, such
as heating and cooling. OK, without staff in an area, one can manipulate a thermostat to
a more beneficial setpoint, efficiency-wise. But not running one’s boiler or AC units is
not good for the building or business either. In the summer of 2020, I performed an
energy audit of an office building, and most offices were empty. One particular business
that was empty that I studied had turned off their cooling system totally to save costs. It
was a very hot day outside and the indoor temperature as I walked around was 86⁰F!
This is not good for the building or business. With humidity uncontrolled, this can cause
the growth and proliferation of mold and potentially damage equipment, adding to the
woes of the business when staff begin to return. While one can set a high summertime
setpoint to save on cooling if nobody is present. But you need some conditioning to
prevent these effects. Of course, all this becomes irrelevant if even one person returns
to the office. The thermostat must be set and equipment operated to keep that person
comfortable even if he/she is the only person in the office.

So, where do we go from here? This demonstrates that reduced activity does not result
in a similar reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. While the first
year of the COVID pandemic led to a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, that
was short-lived. As we began to recover economically, “carbon” emissions grew greatly,
too. And it shows that neither landlord nor tenant is “at fault” on this matter. This shows
that site-specific smart planning for energy efficiency and tenant / landlord collaboration
can effectively reduce energy consumption and not just stopping an operation.
CCES has the experts to help your business create and implement smart, long-term
strategies to reduce your energy usage and costs that will stand the test of time.
Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.