The English Oak is used figuratively
to represent "Britishness"
to represent "Britishness"
An Oak is known for :
his moral rectitude - "A Good Oak" - or he may be a politician,
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| Many British pubs are called 'Royal Oak' such as this one in Fishguard, Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
It is also the name of many a pub 627 'The Royal Oaks' at last count
One thing is clear - the Oak as a management style is straightforward - it is
rather like the kiss principle, "do as I say" stated clearly with no room for doubt -
but it can equally be simple and stupid.
If straightforward is a strength then so is flexibility, this leaves a choice.
I read this somewhere...
"On matters of opinion, sway like a reed...
on matters on principle, stand like an oak"
on matters on principle, stand like an oak"
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| Beautiful Oaks (Photo credit : unknown) click for original res. |
We can illustrate the pros and cons using a very simple idea relating to this question. When should I switch my heating on ?
We assume comfort as an objective, and energy efficiency as a constraint.
In this diagram we see two rather different strategies showing start times for different months of the year in two English pubs.
On the left - the OAK
On the right the REED
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| Red shows peak energy use by time of day - Rows are months - click to enlarge (Graphic credit kwiqly.com) |
The OAK on the left starts just before opening at around 11:30, simple !
The REED is more flexible - heating starts later in summer and earlier in winter. This is called start optimization:
Optimization sounds good doesn't it ?
- almost ideal !
The REED starts heating between 03:00 and 06:00 right through the year - WHY ?
So flexibility is a good thing - but creates room for mistakes. Optimization is a useful feature, but is only a benefit when deployed in conjunction with the KISS idea of switching off when not needed at all !
In reality both of these pubs could save a good few beers, by rationalizing their expenditure and management strategy - but which would you choose as a default - The Oak or the Reed ? - And more importantly how do you like your beer ? let us know in the comments
Whether or not you drink beer - (we are flexible but we like it as a rule ! ) for energy management matters please do get in touch.
