MONEY

Cost-effective ways to cut down on your company’s energy bills REDUCE

USE YOUR

BY LJ PETRONI W hen you incorporate energy-saving practices into your business, you motivate employees, reduce overhead—and do your part for the environment as well. Here are some relatively inexpensive ways to reduce your energy bill, listed in rough order from “really simple” to “can probably be handled inhouse” to “better call an expert.”

USE SMART POWER STRIPS EVERYWHERE YOU CAN. Traditional power strips let electronic equipment continue to use power, even in standby mode. Smart power strips shut down power to products that go into standby mode.

REPLACE THE REFRIGERATOR(S) in the company kitchen. Companies overlook this option surprisingly often. If a refrigerator is over 10 years old, it’s likely using too much energy. Upgrade to a model with an Energy Star label.

HAVE A CLOSE LOOK AT YOUR DOORS. This is another opportunity that’s frequently missed by businesses. If you can see light around the edges or through cracks, you have an energy loss issue that should be addressed. Do so with weather stripping and gasketing. If necessary, adjust or replace knobs to be sure doors close properly.

INSTALL OCCUPANCY SENSORS. These inexpensive pieces of equipment detect the presence or absence of people in a room—for example, conference rooms, sections of warehouses, and printer or server rooms—and turn off the lights when no one’s there. Tip: if your maintenance team can install new light switches, they can install occupancy sensors.

CONSIDER WINDOW FILM. This thin film, usually made from polyester, is available in a range of tints and types. Window film reduces the amount of heat transfer between inside and outside, making it a highly effective means of reducing heating and cooling costs. You will probably need to hire an outside expert for the best outcome with window film.

INVESTIGATE RELAMPING. Some fixtures need to be replaced in order for your workspace to take advantage of new, energy-saving bulb technologies. However, many existing fixtures can be retrofitted to new-style T-8 LED bulbs.

FIND ENERGY LEAKS WITH THERMAL IMAGING. A specialist can use a thermal imaging camera—a method of detecting heat distribution—to identify energy “leaks” in a building that are not visible to the naked eye. These leaks may have come from changes to the structure over time—for example, a pipe or duct was removed because it was no longer in use, leaving a hole in the structure. They may have come from inadequate insulation, or improperly installed air conditioners—the list goes on. In any case, thermal imaging lets you find an energy leak and patch it.

GET A PROFESSIONAL ENERGY ASSESSMENT. An experienced and reputable contractor should be able to provide an initial assessment at no cost, with the option of a more detailed and comprehensive audit for a fee. The contractor should look at your entire building and the way different energy components relate to each other. (For example, a building could have a brand-new HVAC system that isn’t operating at peak efficiency because of poor building insulation.) Your consultant should be well informed about any opportunities for grants, rebates or incentives provided by local or state governments. The contractor should also be able to give you a prioritized list of the costs of any energy-saving efforts and the time required to recoup your investment, with the goal of giving you the best bang for your buck.

LJ Petroni is director of commercial development for Mark Group, a leading provider of energy efficiency analysis and installed upgrades to residential, commercial, multifamily and educational property owners.