Review by: Surendar Balakrishnan | Editor, Climate Control Middle East

Energy Management in Real Estate: The Secrets to Success, by Sougata Nandi, is a timely reminder in a world distracted by COVID-19 that much still needs to be done in mitigating climate change. Written by an Energy Engineer by training, who had the distinct privilege of working for clients and working as a client in marquee energy management projects, the book, expectedly enough, is a multi-perspective narrative that gives readers an insight into how to navigate a corporate minefield to achieve the objective of energy savings. At the same time, it seeks to inspire consumers to become energy managers by overcoming self-doubt and eliminating myths on the pathway that threaten to derail well-meaning efforts at curbing energy use.

Heavily anecdotal, the book draws from the author’s numerous project-related experiences, among others, to drive home the importance of commitment, goal-setting and understanding the challenges at hand, prior to implementing an energy management programme. Perhaps one of the most important chapters is on why energy management programmes fail. The author is in his elements as he provocatively lists and elaborates the reasons, among them being ‘inadequately empowered ownership and stakeholder mismanagement’, ‘inappropriate energy management service model’ and ‘inherent building design and operation challenges’.

The author is quite the eco-sage in page after page of riveting narrative. His advice is based on sound engineering and management principles and, at the same time, underlines the importance of human psychology and understanding organisational behaviour. The book is a crucial read for those wishing to draft customised sustainable development guidelines and checklists in corporates as well as in residences.

Energy Management in Real Estate: The Secrets to Success is available at https://www.amazon.com/ENERGY-MANAGEMENT-REAL-ESTATE-professionals/dp/B09QP9NLGN