We step into them, press a button and move on with our day. But behind that routine journey is an ageing network of more than 330,000 lifts across the UK, many of which have been operating for decades.
New analysis from lift and escalator specialist KONE suggests that around half of Britain's lift stock is more than 25 years old. Modernising those ageing systems could save around 465 GWh of electricity every year – enough to power approximately 128,800 homes.
That is a significant number. But perhaps more importantly for facilities and sustainability professionals, it raises a question that is easy to overlook: how many other building systems are being left out of the decarbonisation conversation simply because they are not immediately visible?
When organisations look at reducing energy consumption, attention naturally tends to go towards heating, cooling, lighting and building management systems.
Lifts are rarely the first thing on the list.
Yet industry estimates suggest lifts can account for around 2–5% of a building's energy consumption, rising to as much as 10% in older systems.
For an FM team managing an older commercial building, that makes the lift more than a transport system. It is another piece of infrastructure that can quietly contribute to rising operational costs and carbon emissions.
And the issue is not simply how much electricity an old lift consumes.
Ageing equipment can also mean more breakdowns, more maintenance requirements and a poorer experience for the people using the building. Modernisation can therefore bring several objectives together: improving reliability, reducing energy use and extending the useful life of existing infrastructure.
The instinct when equipment becomes outdated can be to replace it entirely.
But that is not always the most sustainable answer.
KONE's analysis suggests that upgrading existing lifts could reduce energy consumption by up to 70%, while retaining much of the existing equipment. Its UK modernisation guidance also estimates that upgrades can reduce embodied carbon emissions by up to 78% compared with replacing the lift completely.
That matters because decarbonisation is not just about what a building consumes once new equipment is installed. There is also the carbon associated with manufacturing, transporting and installing new equipment, as well as disposing of what was already there.
In other words, sometimes the greener building is not the one with the newest equipment. It is the one that makes better use of what it already has.
For facilities managers, this creates a potentially useful retrofit conversation.
Rather than viewing lift modernisation as simply another capital expenditure, it can be considered alongside energy efficiency, maintenance, occupant experience and longer-term asset management.
The opportunity will vary from building to building. Not every lift will need the same intervention, and modernisation is not necessarily a substitute for full replacement where equipment has reached the end of its viable life.
But the principle is worth considering: before replacing ageing infrastructure, could part of it be upgraded instead?
That question is becoming increasingly relevant as organisations look for practical ways to reduce emissions without undertaking wholesale building redevelopment.
The UK's ageing lift stock may not be the most obvious place to look for energy savings.
But with potentially 465 GWh of electricity sitting within an overlooked retrofit opportunity, it could be time for facilities and sustainability teams to give the humble lift a little more attention.
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