Alpine Nov. - Dec. 2010 newsletter

Hinda Miller

NOVEMBER- DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE IN THIS ISSUE

ENERGY SOLUTIONS

TO ECONOMIZE OR NOT?

ECONOMIZER MAY BE A RETAILER'S BEST FRIEND WHEN IT COMES TO SAVING ENERGY COSTS THIS WINTER!

RETAILERS SEE GLIMMER OF HOPE DISCOVER DEMAND RESPONSE

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One of the nation's most trusted weather forecasting websites, AccuWeather.com, is predicting a mixed bag of winter weather for the 2010 - 2011 winter weather season. Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow may be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes with many cities predicted to receive above-normal winter snowfall.

AccuWeather is also predicting the East Coast will be granted a reprieve from the tremendous snowfall that caused 20092010's winter to be dubbed "snowmageddon." The South and southern Plains are also predicted to escape the worst of the winter weather, if AccuWeather is correct, with warmer and drier conditions compared to last year What does this mean for retailers hoping to catch a break from the brutal summer energy consumption records and for utility companies hoping to reduce energy production costs?

Depending on where they are located it may be good or bad news, or it just may be too early to tell.

According to Mark Barraclough, President of Alpine Mechanical Services, LLC, record breaking summer heat was an incentive for many retailers to take the first step of evaluating the performance of their HVAC systems. That may mean they are ready for whatever Old Man Winter has to offer, or not. For

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those not ready it's still not too late to prepare their retail operations.

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AND THE 2010 RETAIL SURVEY SAYS....

RETAILERS SEE GLIMMER OF HOPE Though Americans are still operating with the recession in the back of their minds and many have fundamentally changed their shopping habits, some findings from NRF's first holiday survey imply consumers won't only be focusing on low prices and basic necessities this year. According to NRF's 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted

by BIGresearch, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $688.87 on holiday-related shopping, a slight rise from last year's $681.83*.

As in years past, most holiday gift-givers will spend the largest portion of their budget buying gifts for family ($393.55) and friends ($71.45), though they'll still carve out room in their budget for small tokens of appreciation for both co-workers ($18.26) and others ($34.82). Total spending on gifts ($518.08) is expected to rise 2.1 percent from last year, which is in line with NRF's 2010 holiday forecast. Americans will also spend an average of $41.51 on decorations, $26.10 on greeting cards and postage, $86.32 on candy and food, and $16.86 on flowers.

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"Consumers will still shop with the economy in the back of their minds, but we're starting to see shoppers take baby steps toward a new normal," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

"As Americans open up their wallets for more discretionary gifts like jewelry or take advantage of sales to buy for themselves, retailers will begin to truly believe that the worst may be behind them."

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ENERGY SAVINGS THROUGH DEMAND RESPONSE

DISCOVER DEMAND RESPONSE Utility companies nationwide are increasingly turning to managing demand response within their grid to make electricity more affordable and avoid power shortages. When demand is high and supply is short, power interruptions can sometimes be the result. Building enough power plants to satisfy every possible supply and demand scenario is one possibility, but the cost 2

and environmental impact of that would be tremendous.

Demand response programs are designed to be both fiscally and environmentally responsible ways to respond to occasional and temporary peak demand periods. In many cases, the programs offer incentives to businesses that volunteer and participate by temporarily reducing their electricity use when demand could outpace supply.

Historically, this has been true for manufacturing companies who have embraced a variety of demand response programs; especially those offering financial incentives.

Find Out How to Benefit from Demand Respone: Click Here

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