It is excellent that CIBSE is to start a second 100 Days of Carbon Clean Up Campaign, ending just before Christmas and thus covering part of winter (BSj 08/07).

The three basic steps, again, are switch off, lift off and turn off. The middle step is not as effective as people may think.

Modern counterbalanced electric traction lifts are highly efficient and use little energy to move people about. In fact, walking the stairs may use more carbon as human beings are very inefficient equipment. Lifts do, however, use significant energy when standing idle (lights, fans, controller, etc).

May I suggest that, unless you want the exercise, you use the lift and persuade the facility manager to switch it off at night.

Source

Building Sustainable Design

Postscript

Dr-Eur Ing Gina Barney, PhD, MSc, BSc, CEng, FIEE

Diary date: October 30, CIBSE lifts group annual seminar and meeting point, Manchester. Details at cibseliftsgroup.org