Posts Tagged ‘lower electric bills’

Financial Choices for Companies in Good Times and Bad

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Revenue So, you’re a CEO, CFO or COO of a company struggling to generate demand for your products or services. You decide on a new or tweaked strategy that will get your revenue on the right track, back to growth or new areas for growth. You implement the changes. While efforts are continuing to make the behavioral and tactical improvements to achieve the goals and objectives you have set forth in your strategy, you begin to look further into what else can be done to improve the company financials.

Profitability Whether or not your company is grappling with revenue issues, you and your Board are always interested in ways to improve profitability. You look more closely at where you can cut the fat, if there’s any left to cut. Your largest operating expense is your employees. Like many companies in America in the recent and not so recent past, you consider starting a new round of budget cuts in salaries, benefits and even people. Can you really afford to cut or possibly discourage your troop’s way to more productivity?

Energy Expenses If you house your organization in expansive facilities, another large operating expense is your monthly/yearly/ever-present electric bill. What can you do about that, the power company has a monopoly in your geography as it does in most. The least expensive steps you can take are to ask employees to turn-off lights and reduce the comfort level of the thermostat setting. Have you ever walked into a government, commercial or industrial build that is dimly lit or is too warm and stuffy, or even too cold during the winter. Not a very attractive place to visit, let alone work.

Technical Solution to a Financial Problem You may want to consider the things you can do to reduce your power consumption that give you an attractive payback and ROI. Treating your motors, lighting, HVAC and refrigeration systems can give you the best bang-for-your-buck, when the proven approaches and technologies are engineered and installed properly. It may also help your decision to move forward with such a project if it is guaranteed every step of the way, including your continued savings after the installation and throughout your payback period. In terms of savings, the project should result in the gift that keeps on giving, for a couple of decades.

Caveat Emptor Words of caution, when considering such a solution, make sure that you award your project to an engineering firm with experience in designing, installing and guaranteeing your project and results. And be certain you are not hiring a performance contractor or a company that has you sign a long-term contact sharing in your savings for a decade or more by replacing your hardware with insufficient new motors, lighting, HVAC or refrigeration. Otherwise, you could be better off dimming the lights yourself!

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

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How to Save On Company Electric Bill

Monday, February 8th, 2010

In today’s economic world, with a global recession affecting most nations, it’s important to cut down on costs wherever possible. This is especially true for large corporations, where the imperative is to try to save money, preserve profit and keep job losses at a minimum. One of the most common ways to cut expenses is to try and reduce the company electric bill where they can.

There are several ways to save on electricity. The most common one is to make sure the office lights are turned off when they’re not needed. The light bulbs can also be changed to low-energy models or compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. Air conditioning and heating shouldn’t be used excessively and should be maintained and serviced regularly.

Programmable thermostats should be used in office buildings and access should only be given to certain people. Getting an energy audit may also help and asking the electric company itself on how to cut down on electricity is a good idea.

When a computer isn’t being used it should be turned off or placed in standby or hibernation mode. Doors and windows should be checked for cracks and leaks as this can let in both hot and cold air depending on the season. Cell phone chargers and microwave ovens and other electrical consuming devices should be unplugged or placed on bypass as well when they’re not in use.

Depending on where you operate, you may also have the option of changing service providers. If this is possible, check out the rates of all electricity and gas providers in your area. You will of course, want to go with the cheapest rates possible without jeopardizing service quality.

It’s a good idea for businesses to calculate their electricity cost if they want to save on company electric bill. If they know exactly how many kilowatt hours are being used up it will help. They can also check out the internet for articles and tips on how to reduce their costs. Many of these tips can then be integrated into their energy-saving plans.

Ultimately, a professional energy services company or engineering firm will be a valuable resource once you have picked off the low hanging fruit mentioned above. These companies can help you design and implement long term strategies and technologies to significantly reduce your energy consumption and corresponding costs.

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

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Energy Efficiency: Balancing Cost and Output

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Methods and techniques that reduce the energy level required to produce the same level of service from the energy. The term energy efficiency means achieving more results from the same effort. Sometimes, efficiency can be translated into dollars and cents. It is measurable in terms of watts of visible light, or units of heat or degrees or cooling required.

Energy production has taken the path of attempting to produce more energy from the same components, as evidenced by nuclear power plants. This concept is the opposite of efficiency. Efficiency in energy usage studies how to get more benefit from existing energy sources.

Any entity that uses energy, whether it is an automobile, light bulb or huge manufacturing complex can be a target for reducing the amount of energy that is required to operate the entity. Installing skylights instead of additional light fixtures is efficiency at work. Making automobiles that get more miles per gallon is another way to make better use of energy. Trapping the heat from manufacturing processes and using it for building heat is another example of being energy efficient.

Efficient use of available energy helps to address the problem of dwindling resources and sky rocketing costs. New oil fields may be found beneath the earth’s crust, but they are still a finite energy source. By creating a more efficient use for oil, the reserves will last longer.

Since the 1970s, more effort has been expended in making building codes more energy conscious. Individual efforts are helpful but are less certain to create efficiency in the uses of energy. Studies have found that up to 75 percent of the energy used in the United States today could be eliminated through simple measures that are not costly or burdensome.

A three-fold process for increasing energy efficiency places efficiency first, use of renewable resources second and new fossil power sources in third place. The benefits are not only in non renewable resource protection, but in the cost per unit of electrical power produced and delivered. Ultimately, efficiency in both cost and service should be the goal of a technologically advanced and energy conscious society.

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

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Important Parts of Energy Efficiency

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Energy Efficiency in the home is very important as you do not want to be paying for heat or cooling that is simply escaping out of your home or business and ultimately heating or cooling the neighborhood. Basically you always want to try your best to use less energy for the same amount of results you are currently accustomed to. One way to achieve this is by using the proper type and amount of insulation. Another example of this type of efficiency is using natural light instead of light bulbs to brighten the room.

Many new buildings are being constructed to be energy efficient and older buildings can be inspected to determine what can be done to make your home or business more efficient. Being energy efficient is the number one solution for stopping and reversing global warming. Of course using renewable energy sources instead of burning fossil fuels is the other solution.

The other important benefit of being truly energy efficient is that efficiency will significantly reduce your energy costs and allow you to retain monies that otherwise would be given to the utility companies. Keep in mind though that making your home or business truly efficient will require an investment on your part. The good news is that the investment usually comes with a strong ROI and the investment will likely be paid back after only a few short years. In addition to insulation and day lighting opportunities, look to higher efficiency equipment and appliances to help improve energy efficiency.

Most of today’s energy efficient appliances and equipment uses much less energy than the comparable older models. By using less power this reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emission released into the atmosphere during the electricity generation process. These appliances and equipment are given efficiency ratings and the Energy Star label. When the appliances or equipment are not in use they will either turn off or go into a low energy mode. So if your appliances or equipment are at the end of their useful life, consider replacing them with new, high efficiency models.

There are several things you can change in your home or business to make it more energy efficient. Another is to make sure your window seals are tight and not letting air in or out. Many times this may mean getting replacement windows or caulking the edges. You also may need to add double glazed windows or different insulation.

Again, there are many ways you can make your home and business energy efficient so go out a get it done!

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

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Reducing and Managing Energy Costs in Hospitals and Medical Centers

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Hospitals and Medical Centers have many opportunities to significantly reduce and manage their energy costs while maintaining or even improving patient care and comfort.

Healthcare facilities are significant energy consumers, typically using an average of 28 kWh and 110 cubic feet of gas per square foot. HVAC (including cooling and space heating) represents about 62% of hospital energy use with lighting comprising 13% more. Focusing on these two areas with their combined 75% of total energy usage is very useful for developing an energy efficiency plan.

However, knowing where to focus does not mean it is always clear exactly where to start. By taking a carefully planned “whole facility” approach, it is easier to feel confident that you are making the best, most financially and operationally prudent energy efficiency choices for your unique facility. In today’s industry there are proven and recommended engineering approaches and technologies available that can guarantee results. And by working with an experienced, energy services company or engineering firm, choosing the right options does not need to be complicated.

The best first step is always to focus on quick, low cost or no cost solutions. This can include training staff to turn lights off when they leave unoccupied rooms, using sleep mode settings for computers when not in use, shutting off AHUs that serve unoccupied areas at night such as cafeterias, offices, conference rooms, etc, using programmable thermostats in rooms and areas not occupied 24 Hrs / day to turn up or down temperatures in different seasons, and having the HVAC systems serviced and cleaned on a regular basis. After you’ve addressed the “low hanging fruit”, next steps can involve choosing from a variety of longer term options that are designed to deliver much greater energy savings. Options should be considered based on their proven track record of success, whether they are “Approved” or “recommended” by organizations such as Energy Star, US DOE, USGBC, IEEE, etc., their cost effectiveness and return on investment as well as consistency with your hospital’s goals and culture Experience has shown that some of the better programs for hospitals include lighting upgrades to high efficiency fluorescent, CFL and/ or LED, use of occupancy sensors and day-lighting opportunities , sine wave modification for lighting circuits, liquid pressure amplification for central chiller plants, energy management based on occupancy, anti-compressor short cycling for roof top units, demand controlled ventilation, use of variable frequency drives and possibly equipment replacement for older systems that are approaching the end of their useful life. As you move forward with this, it helps to know that you don’t have to do it alone. There are experienced firms who can help make recommendations and provide turnkey services for you. In choosing a partner to guide this type of “whole facility” approach for you, it is important to look at a number of factors. You may want to ask the following: What is their level of experience using these various technologies, do they use proven and recommended approaches, what are the credentials of their staff, are they members of key industry organizations, what is their level of knowledge of your industry, do they offer a free initial evaluation and do they offer guarantees at each step of their process.

And remember that the sooner you begin, the sooner you start saving your hospital’s valuable and limited resources.

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

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