Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR)
For us at Ecovis, sustainability is not simply something at the periphery of our operations, but rather a core element of our business strategy. This is because we believe that our efforts to take care of common resources today are essential to guarantee the quality and availability of those same resources to our children in the future, a business value that defines our corporate environmental and social responsibility.
Energy Efficient Offices
With this motivation, one of the areas where we have invested is energy efficiency. Energy efficiency not only makes good business sense because it helps the company to cut down its costs of energy consumption, but is also one of the ways by which enterprises contribute towards the implementation of the investment plan of the European Green Deal, a regional growth strategy with the purpose of making the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
One obvious area to start from is reduction of waste. This is precisely the rationale behind our roof thermal insulation and thermally effective double glazing in apertures. These features belong to the category of passive energy efficiency measures that are aimed to reduce heat gain in summer and heat losses in winter.
Furthermore, the Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning System (HVAC) is an integral component of the building services of our offices to ensure optimal working conditions for our Ecovis family in the Maltese weather. In our case, as a result of due consideration, we have opted for a system, known as VRF, or Variable Refrigerant Flow, that gives superior energy efficiency. The VRF-type HVAC is ventilated via a centralized heat recovery ventilation system, which helps to reduce the amount of cooling capacity needed in summer. The system also features the option to be operated in free cooling mode; this is when the outdoor air conditioner units admit ventilation because the outdoor temperature is favorably cooler than the temperature of the inside. With our long ‘shoulder’ months in Malta, this free cooling mode of operation is particularly advantageous, and results in both energy and cost savings.
Energy Consumption Reduction Methods
We have also gone a step further and implemented active energy consumption reduction methods – these are the ones that result in savings of energy through a reduction in the consumption. For this purpose, within our offices, we have installed a state-of-the-art artificial lighting system that uses the latest LED-based energy efficient lamps.
A more interesting feature is that the chosen lighting system is controlled by artificial intelligence (AI). In this case, when the offices are occupied and there is a sufficient amount of natural light entering the space, AI programs reduce the amount of illumination being provided by the system. The programs can also control the lighting and power outlets at the desks and switch these off when the occupants have moved away and are no longer working at their desks.
An additional benefit that comes with this lighting intensity and switching control system is that it helps to extend the life and performance of the LED lamps, which means increasing significantly the time by when replacement lamps are needed, and also addressing another important environmental aspect, which is the end-of-life and the waste management of electrical and electronic equipment.
All this supported by the latest technology photovoltaic panels covering a significant area of the roof, producing over 15MWh annually.
A Conscious Choice
It is often said that businesses will not take up environment- and climate-friendly measures unless they have the financial motivation to do so. This is expected, because by definition, a business is an organization that is geared to make profits. Another reason is that, at any given time, a company will have different priorities, and will need to choose where to invest. This is why at Ecovis we are proud to have made the conscious choice to integrate sustainability within our business operations with the belief that our clients deserve the type of business that upholds corporate environmental and social responsibility.
The Management