In any school, office building or commercial center. Once the construction of the building is finished and turned over to the building management, problems with energy management begin to surface. What techniques can be applied to rectify this situation.

1. Different types of spaces should make use of different techniques:
   1. User pays:
      Can be applied to classrooms, dormitories, piano rooms, and any other rental places where the user has the responsibility for using the space.
   2. Conditional use:
      Can be applied to open offices, meeting rooms, libraries and similar shared spaces where no tariff can be charged to any particular user. These spaces can make use of energy saving controllers that allow operation depending on conditions, such as the time of day, having temperature thresholds, or making use of sensors.
   3. Scheduled or sensor control
      Public areas such as hallways, elevator lobbies, halls, outdoors and parking lots could either be controlled through a schedule or by using sensors.
2. A control center is not all knowing, and having local control would be more effective
   Some time ago, when an energy management issue arises, the knee jerk solution is to implement some form of centralized control, but such an approach is not only expensive, but it also doesn’t really solve the problem.
   1. Local automatic control
      For certain spaces, there are ways in which there would be conditions that would allow for local automatic control without having to rely on centralized control, central control would merely serve as a supporting role.
   2. What are some of the methods of conditional control?
      1. Insert card to use:
         Such as with a teacher’s card or a card borrowed from the administrator, only with this card inserted would use be allowed.
      2. Controlled time of use and temperature thresholds, this is especially suited to air conditioners.
      3. Preset time power reset
         This would prevent not turning off after use. Every day there would be specific times of the day where the power would be reset, this is accomplished by first cutting the power off, then after a short delay, the power is restored, but the equipment would remain off, the equipment could only be turned back on manually by the user.
3. Automatic energy saving methods
   1. Delayed auto off: After the user turns the lights on, the lights would automatically turn off after a certain delay.
   2. Sensor based auto off: When the user enters a room, they need to manually turn on the lights, the sensor monitors the presence of the user, when the user leaves, they can turn the lights off, but if they forget after leaving, the sensor detects their absence and automatically turns the lights off after a certain delay.
   3. Scheduled on and off.
   4. Reduced consumption control: alternate lamps, dimmed lights, temperature restrictions.
   5. Sensor control: Such as temperature, lux sensor both indoors and outdoors, occupancy sensor.

1. Event venues open to the public
   Large public multi-purpose venues such as conference halls and gymnasiums have staff use control switches that are restricted to the public. The staff often needs to roam large areas just to control them which is inconvenient and time wasting. Thus these places are ideal candidates for being remotely monitored and controlled.
2. Schedule remote control
   The schedule should be easily changed without the need for a specialist. The schedule should have different control methods for peak and off peak periods. During peak periods, local controls are disabled and central control takes over completely. While during off-peak periods, central relinquishes control to the local, and the local control could be achieved using either sensors or wall switches.
3. Daylight Harvesting
   The purpose of which is to reduce the amount of artificial lighting needed by maximizing the use of natural daylight. This can be achieved by using either a preset time schedule or by using lux sensors during daytime.
4. Restrict the Use of the A/C
   There should be conditions before the air conditioning can be turned on to avoid having turning them on arbitrarily. These conditions can be in the form of having a temperature limit, time restriction or card insertion before allowing the a/c could be operated.
5. More Granular Circuit Wiring
   The lights and the air conditioning should be on separate circuits, while each area should divided into smaller areas, this way the lights need not all be turned on and off all at the same time, and only specific areas need to be lit.
   Taking into consideration whether or not the area is exposed to daylight or adjacent to a window is also very important in how the circuit wiring is to be divided.
6. Single Rooms
   The most power consuming portion of any building are the many individual rooms when added together. Thus they are the focal point of any energy saving measure.
   For rooms that can charge the user for its use, then a prepaid card system or a remote tariff system should be used as much as possible, as these would be the most effective and fair methods to implement energy saving.
   For rooms that are suited to charging the user, then one can make use of a remotely controlled system in conjunction with interactive energy saving smart switches. The purpose of the remote system is to control the room either through a preset time schedule or by the facility manager. The facility manager can decide whether or not to turn on the lights and a/c depending on whether or not there are people present.
7. Local Conditions
   Rooms with different functions would also make use of different types of energy saving smart switches.
   For discrete rooms or small rooms, one could make use of sensor based energy saving smart switches such as the K24 or the K15. These can be operated in either occupancy or vacancy modes of energy saving control.
   Occupancy mode is used for rooms wherein people go in and out frequently and stay only for a short time such as the restroom or the kitchen.
   Vacancy mode is used for rooms wherein people stay for a long periods of time such as the reception area, lounges and offices.
8. Air Conditioner Energy Saving Smart Switches (K62)
   In order to avoid having the a/c used unnecessarily, one can utilize the K62. The a/c can only be turned on manually when the temperature conditions are met; when the occupant leaves, the a/c is turned off automatically after a certain delay.
9. Power Socket Control
   It is not only the lights and the a/c that can be placed under managed control to save energy, but the power sockets can be as well. As a matter of fact, power sockets can be as much a source of saved energy as well and cannot be ignored.