Are you under the influence?

We live in a world where ‘influencers’ are making a huge difference. With social media a large presence in our lives these days; whether we like it or not, those that stand out from the crowd and share their expertise, passion and innovative ways of thinking are capturing the attention of a very eager audience.

This covers all walks of life; from food to fitness, travel to our planet. We have all been tempted to try a new restaurant based on some tantalising photos someone has shared or perhaps book a holiday to a relatively unheard-of city based on a stellar review on TripAdvisor. Words, photos and videos shared on social media are more powerful than you may realise…

In the dynamic world of building controls, one of the BCIA’s key objectives is to reach out and attract new talent. We are in an excellent position to offer exciting opportunities to those that want to problem solve, work on unique projects and really make a difference to the evolution of commercial buildings.

We want to inspire the next generation of engineers, so we need to be proactive and share the wonderful and clever things we do on a daily basis. We need our future engineers to be fully engaged with energy saving starting from right now, so how do we achieve this?

By sharing the #OneSmallChange concept online. The BCIA’S mission for 2019 is to bring energy saving to the forefront of people’s minds, in particular those youngsters who may be in the dark or not fully appreciate the importance of energy efficient buildings.

Being energy-savvy is an absolute must in today’s world for many reasons, be they driven through legislation or perhaps a softer but potentially more powerful lever in that we each individually take on the personal responsibility wherever possible to reduce energy consumption.

The climate change debate is an interesting one and the discussion can often be presented as though something big has to be done and with the added impression that it will be done by someone else. I think slightly differently and propose that we each seek to make small changes and the ‘big’ action will be achieved collectively.

In terms of reaching out to engineers already in the BEMS sector or those seeking to join our growing number, it’s a strong message that we can each make an impact on getting the UK Building Stock operating significantly more efficiently. The opportunities are immense.

Whatever your views are on climate change, burning less fossil fuel and saving money by reducing energy consumption is a shared objective for all of us.  What’s more, the need to protect our planet is becoming more and more critical, something many are very passionate about. As we know, energy efficient buildings play a pivotal role in helping to achieve this but not everyone knows how to make energy savings a reality.

As mentioned, energy saving is not about doing something really big, time-consuming or expensive, small and simple actions can yield big results when we act collectively.If every hand/off/auto switch was returned to the auto position throughout the UK, imagine how much energy would be saved? The results would be colossal!

Don’t underestimate the power you have at your fingertips. We all have examples of energy saving methods in a building, whether it’s something as small as remembering to close the window once the air-conditioning is turned on or something more complex as implementing an effective control strategy to optimise HVAC plant.

So, next time you are online, why not take a few minutes out of your day to share examples of best practice to increase energy efficiency by using the designated hashtag #OneSmallChange. Post your words, images or videos online on Twitter and LinkedIn and let’s drive a change in people’s perceptions.

Let’s lead so others can follow. We are calling on BCIA members to share their knowledge and let their voice be heard to motivate others into following suit. Who knows, perhaps this will tap into the minds of budding engineers, buzzing with new ideas, keen to tackle energy usage head-on and future-proof our buildings over years to come.It’s up to us to set the right example, are you ready to be an influencer?

#OneSmallChange