10 Quick and Easy Ways for Businesses to Save Energy AND Money

As anyone responsible for overseeing corporate utility costs can attest, steadily rising energy costs can quickly and adversely impact a company’s bottom line. While prices for some energy sources — including gasoline and natural gas — have backed off last year’s highs, the indication is that the trend upward will continue for these and other resources, which, in turn, will impact the cost of other utilities.  (Please see below for full color version of this article) Added to these potential financial woes is the environmental impact attributed to the very buildings occupied by corporate America. Buildings currently represent the largest source of energy consumption in the world, accounting for 48 percent of all greenhouse emissions — compared to 27 percent for transportation and 25 percent for industry Faced with numbers like these, corporate moves toward energy conservation are an essential way to improve a financial — and environmental — bottom line. There are only two ways to save money on energy: you can either pay less by finding the best rates, or use less by reducing waste and increasing efficiencies. Below, I count down 10 tips you can use in your commercial property to save energy by using — and paying — less. 10. Put your computers to sleep. The EPA is offering free, easy-to-use software to help your computers get automatic shut-eye. A company with 1,000 monitors can save about $17,000. For details, visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_ mgt.pr_power_management. 9. Stop flushing money down the drain. Most water utilities will let you submeter your cooling tower makeup water and deduct it from your sewage bill. Your savings will depend on the size and number of cooling tower(s). A payback within six to 12 months is common. 8. Cool it! Simply put, lower your thermostat temperatures in winter and raise them in summer. A one-degree change may save up to three percent in small buildings. 7. Delamp overlit spaces. Delamping by removing fluorescent lamps from existing fixtures is feasible if you follow this rule of thumb: maintain at least two to four lamps per 64 square feet. Remember to disconnect the unused ballast. 6. Stop burning the midnight oil. Reduce unnecessary lighting by using occupancy sensors and tuner switches. In new facilities, current energy code requires the use of lighting schedule control devices. 5. Don’t be in hot water! Turn down your hot water temperatures. Consider putting time clocks on circulating pumps. If you are using electric water heaters, consider timing them out during peak electric periods. • Hand washing — recommended is105°F; code max is 110°F • Showers — recommended is 110°F • Dishwashing — 160°F 4. Practice paper conservation. Drastically reduce your paper consumption by following these simple rules of thumb. • Don’t print e-mails. • Save documents as PDFs instead of printouts. • Buy a duplexer so your printer can print on two sides of each page. • Save paper printed on one side for second-side use for printouts like in-house copies. 3. Really read your utility bill. Track utility bills monthly to identify patterns, spot unexpected increases or decreases in consumption, and determine how energy-saving initiatives can translate into utility cost savings. 2. Pick the low-hanging fruit. Take advantage of energy tax incentives, as well as resources like the Utility Rates Analysis, to generate cost savings or cash back. To keep track of energy use and related costs, create or buy an energy accounting system and/or Web-based Utility Tracking 1. Recommission. Recommissioning — which includes tuning up HVAC systems, running tests and making necessary adjustments — is recommended for buildings fi ve years or older, or where major renovations have taken place. Recommissioning identifies problems that may have occurred during construction or that have developed. A study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory found an average recommissioning payback occurs in less than one year. Wayne Robertson is the founder and president of Energy Ace, a premier sustainability consulting firm helping architects, engineers, building owners and developers design, create and operate sustainable environments. Robertson is a Professional Engineer (PE), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Commissioning Agent (CxA) and LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). In addition, Robertson has been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a member of its prestigious LEED faculty. www.boma-atlanta.org | ISSUE 3, 2009 | INSIGHT 3