Energy thrift and thermal comfort in public houses

To contribute to achieving improved energy-effectiveness of future designs of public houses and the equipment employed therein, energy usage and wasta ges have been examined for two "pubs", one of modern and the other of tradi tional construction. The use of pertinent energy-consuming equipment was su rveyed and the associated patterns of operation assessed. Energy tariffs in force are analysed with respect to their influence upon demands. Thermal c onditions within the public areas of the public houses were also monitored, and the proportion of energy used for space heating determined. Pub manage rs and staff were involved with the survey. Refrigeration equipment was par ticularly energy consuming, owing to the conditions under which it was requ ired to operate. Despite the availability of more efficient alternatives, t ungsten lighting is still in common use in bars, and accounted for up to a quarter of the electricity used in the public houses considered. There, con trols for the heating systems are basic but ill-devised, so leading to extr eme thermal conditions in some areas of the pubs: consequently there are si gnificant opportunities for savings. Ventilation controls were overlooked, so large rates of heat loss occurred via the exhaust air. The potential for achieving significant energy-savings through the introduction of waste-hea t recovery equipment is hampered by (i) the brewery's requirement for a pay back period for such investments of 1 year or less, and (ii) the reality th at energy bills amount only to similar to 3% of turnover at present unit-en ergy prices and are therefore of less importance than customer comfort. Val ues of the recommended 'energy indices' are calculated in order to assess t he pubs' overall performances: according to these nationally-accepted bench marks for these concepts, both assessed pubs are classified as 'good', desp ite the shortcomings of each enterprise identified in the present research. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.