Energy consumption in 14 of Statoil's office buildings was reduced by 19 per cent in 2000, compared with 1997. This reduction is a result of a collaboration established in 1997 at a number of the group's office sites in Norway.
The 14 office buildings form a building network with a total floor area of 335,000 square metres. The collaboration is organised by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate which has overall responsibility for energy economising in Norway.
Savings in 2000 are estimated at 15 gigawatt hours. This is roughly equivalent to the energy consumed by 600 detached houses. With an energy price of NOK 0.40 per kilowatt hour, this means savings of about NOK 6 million.
Kjell Sirevåg in Statoil's property administration unit heads the project. He says that the results have been achieved through training personnel in buildings management, by experience transfer and through efforts to raise consciousness among office-users. Clarifying "best practice" in one place has provided savings when transferred to other buildings. Energy consumption for the different office sites can be compared by using common monitoring and reporting procedures.
"Economising on energy provides gains for the environment, the business and not least the community," maintains Mr Sirevåg. "With today's high electricity prices and heavy load on the network, this represents a positive contribution."