The most important way to save money on energy is to use less by reducing waste and increasing efficiencies. The following are 10 tips to use on a commercial property to save energy by using - and paying - less:
1. Recommissioning - which includes tuning up HVAC systems, running tests and making necessary adjustments - is recommended for buildings five years or older, or where major renovations have taken place. Recommissioning identifies problems that may have occurred during construction or that have developed.
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.
3. Really read the 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 increase asset values
4. Practice paper conservation. Drastically reduce paper consumption by following these simple rules of thumb.
5. Don't be in hot water! Turn down your hot water temperatures. Consider putting time clocks on circulating pumps. When using electric water heaters, consider timing them out during peak electric periods.
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.
7. Delamp overlit spaces. Delamping by removing fluorescent lamps from existing fixtures.
8. Cool it! Simply put, lower your thermostat temperatures in winter and raise them in summer. A one-degree change may save up to 3% in small buildings.
9. Stop flushing money down the drain. Most water utilities will submeter the cooling tower makeup water and deduct it from the sewage bill. The savings will depend on the size and number of cooling tower(s). A payback within six to 12 months is common.
10. Put the computers to sleep. The EPA is offering free, easy-to-use software to help computers get automatic shut-eye. A company with 1,000 monitors can save about $17,000/yr. For details, visit:www.energystar.gov. Tags: