Monthly Archives: May 2020

Roadmap for You to Reduce Energy Usage

As mentioned in another article in this newsletter, it is critical these days for your business to lower expenses, such as your energy costs, to be able to bounce back. Reduce energy usage and still be productive and make your staff and customers comfortable. There is no “magic wand” to achieve this; careful planning is needed. But success can happen! What follows is a roadmap, an approach that works to reduce energy usage and costs smartly.

• Determine your goals; determine your limits. Are you going “all in” on energy savings? Or just looking for economic opportunity? Both are valid, but it’s important to map it out. Conduct meetings with your Facilities staff, tenants, vendors, etc. to discuss the topic.

• Review utility bills and oil invoices. Determine energy use by metered usage. Benchmark your energy. Ideally, create a profile in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to keep track and compare yourself to similar buildings. Review your utility bills. Are you properly classified? Who is your energy supplier? Are you under contract? Are you paying a fair rate? Can you take advantage of Demand Response and related programs to get paid for using little-used equipment?

• Conduct an initial energy assessment of areas or operations that you control and can upgrade. Count lights and plug load equipment. Learn the capabilities of equipment (HVAC, motors, pumps, etc.). Estimate your energy usage based on operations (i.e., number of hours operated). Does this estimate match up with your utility bills?

• Conduct a more thorough energy assessment and identify energy conservation measures (ECMs), strategies to reduce energy usage of key end-use processes that use a significant amount. What are the ROIs and simple paybacks of feasible ECMs?

• Identify opportunities for on-site renewable power (solar, CHP, geo-thermal, etc.)

• Evaluate and choose the ECMs for you, such as LED light retrofits, lighting controls, building envelope upgrades (roof, windows), HVAC repairs or upgrades, VFDs for motors, building automation systems (BAS). Which ones and in what sequence? This also includes identifying and applying for government and utility incentive programs.

• Implement your chosen ECMs. This is a lot of work. It is worth it to hire an experienced energy project manager to bring in bids, select the best vendor(s), and oversee work to ensure you are getting the savings that should occur. So you focus on your business!

• Measure and report results. Was the effort worth it? Are there future potential projects?

• Implement a regular commissioning and maintenance program. What is the use of procuring new, advanced equipment if it will not be properly maintained? Consider such regular commissioning and maintenance an investment, not just to maintain their energy efficiency, but also for them to last longer before needing to be replaced.

You know that smart energy upgrades are a great investment of resources, with an excellent ROI and payback. Emphasis on the word “smart”. This little guide shows you the necessary steps to do your upgrade right and maximize the cost benefits.

CCES has the technical experts to do a complete energy evaluation and project manage the energy upgrades that make the most sense for you. We are here to help you save lots of costs and have others pay some of the bill. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

5 Good Reasons To Apply Energy Conservation As Part Of Business Bounce Back

As this is written, the US is debating when and how to re-open businesses to bounce back economically yet maintain safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. While public health and economic experts debate strategies, eventually, businesses will re-open. Good energy management should be a part of the plan for any business. A smart energy conservation program has the following major advantages:

1. It is crucial to cut costs. For nearly all businesses, revenue will be slow to recover. With, sadly, many deaths and high unemployment, there are simply fewer customers to sell to. Thus, cutting costs is crucial to have any chance to make a profit or be viable. Being energy smart is a proven way to reduce expenses. What’s particularly powerful is that one-time actions to reduce energy usage and demand save costs year after year. After all, it’s not like after year 1, you’ll put back in the old, inefficient equipment! Energy conservation has a great ROI and a continual source of cost savings!

2. Financial advantages of being certifiably green. Consider raising the level of your building to LEED or Energy Star-certified. Studies have shown:
o 5-16% rental premium
o 6-31% sales price premium
o 3-6% occupancy rate increase

3. Competition for commercial tenants. Many predict that commercial building occupancy rates will drop in the future as more firms will allow staff to work from home. That means reduced occupancy and more competition to attract tenants. One way to beat the competition is with an energy efficient building allowing a landlord to charge less or, if the tenant pays utilities, reduce their expenses, a good way to attract those who must minimize costs. Plus, smart energy upgrades raise a building’s sales price.

4. Good for sustainability reports. More companies are compiling and posting sustainability reports and scorecards. More energy efficient workspaces, whether leased or owned, are big steps to showing positive results to stakeholders.

5. Others will foot part of the upfront costs. Many companies do not have or are reluctant to spend the needed funds upfront on energy upgrades. While our focus is on COVID-19, many parts of the country also have energy management concerns. Utilities and governments have reason to offer financial incentives to those that do energy upgrades, often paying as much as half the upfront cost. What a great opportunity to get a high ROI, attract more tenants, with others pay some of the upfront costs!

CCES has the technical experts to help you upgrade your energy systems in a smart and financially beneficial manner. We know incentives and can get you the greatest package you qualify for. We can not only tell you where it is best to upgrade, but we can project manage the upgrade to maximize the benefits with the least disruption. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

What the COVID-19 Pandemic Teaches Us About Climate Change

The world is fighting hard to minimize the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on news reports, some nations have carried out policies that have achieved moderate success, while, in other cases, there has been failure. The crisis can provide us insights for ways to act for the next big global crisis we face: climate change.

The “good” news of the COVID-19 pandemic is that global actions can be implemented quickly when faced with a crisis. Except for a couple of outliers, just about every nation in the world did act, although some were painfully slow. Many nations deserve credit for actions, imperfect as some are, given that there is no “playbook” for handling this crisis. We are learning about the coronavirus “on the fly” and thus, prescriptive remedies (do this and the virus will disappear) do not exist. It is human nature to be careful and not embark on a strategy unless one is sure of success. That is not the case here. Nations implemented extreme lockdown measures, at the risk of upsetting their populations and causing economic hardship, to slow down the virus’s spread, without a guarantee of success (how compliant would people be? would it actually slow the spread?).

Another bit of “good” news coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efforts to combat the spread of the virus, such as the lockdown and closing of many businesses has resulted in noticeably cleaner air, as much data now confirms and pictures demonstrate. For those who worry we can never reduce greenhouse gas emissions, here is proof that it can be done. Now, how can we keep reducing levels even more as businesses re-open and people begin to move toward “normal”? Can some of these changes (telecommuting, home school, reduced auto/plane travel) become permanent?

However, the COVID-19 pandemic teaches us hard lessons in case of a future crisis or for dealing with climate change. Ultimately, the world was poorly prepared, despite warning signs, such as other pandemics (SARS, MERS, Ebola) causing huge numbers of deaths in recent decades. If we had planned for this pandemic using the lessons of past ones, COVID-19 would not have been avoided, but probably would have been less deadly. We now see early warning signs of climate change-caused effects on Earth. We should plan and invest smartly to lessen future climate change worst-case scenarios.

Another lessen is that national borders do not hinder the spread of the coronavirus. Thus, coordinated national and international planning and communication are critical. Even the many robust local responses to COVID-19 may be for naught if other places are more lax in containing the virus hastening its spread. We learned cooperation is critical for distribution of equipment (ventilators) and PPE. Thus, we must make an effort to coordinate a global response to climate change. Reducing global GHG emissions and coping with its worst physical impacts will similarly require concerted global action.

Finally, what will our economic recovery be like? It is an opportunity not just to bring economic activity to life, but, with a concern for climate change, we can recover smartly by favoring energy efficiency and clean energy which would also address the next crisis, climate change. It is a simple fact that for most businesses recovery will be slow. With high unemployment, few people have the money to buy what they have to offer. Thus, revenue recovery will be slow. That’s all the more reason that companies need to cut their expenses, and reducing energy costs is a very good, long-lasting way to do so and put yourself in a more competitive situation. CCES has the experts to suggest proven, company-specific strategies to significantly reduce energy costs and manage their implementation for your benefit. To minimize the inconvenience to reduce your expenses. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.

Spending More Time At Home? Make it Healthier and More Energy Efficient

Many of us are staying home. Whether we are working or staying home for safety, this is the most important thing we can do during the COVID-19 pandemic – stop the spread of the coronavirus. For many, our homes are a place to sleep, have a few meals, watch TV, and, maybe, not much else. But now that we are spending more of our time there, it is important that it be healthy for us and energy efficient for our wallets.

With many people having free time, this is an opportunity to upgrade your home to be more energy efficiency and healthy. The good news is that material is available to help you improve your home in these areas. For some, incentives exist so that others pay part of the cost. Many energy efficiency upgrades improve family health, as well.

Projects, such as improved insulation and sealing, reduce the impacts of extreme weather (the chance that your home will be unhealthily hot or cold) and reduces infiltration by pests and allergens, improving family health (fewer asthma or allergy attacks). If you are hesitant, remember that such projects also reduce the amount of heating and cooling needed, saving energy costs, making the effort more worth it.

And, remember that governments and utilities have incentive programs that pay out billions of dollars annually to building owners who implement an energy efficiency upgrade. The US Dept of Energy has a Weatherization Assistance Program to provide information and resources to help improve inefficient homes by offering costs to implement such projects or even to repair or upgrade existing HVAC equipment.

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, in the State of Ohio, energy efficiency programs also resulted in positive health impacts, saving 187 lives and $1.5 billion in avoided costs in 2017. Similar results were seen in other states.

While upgrading one’s kitchen and entertainment equipment, insulation, windows, HVAC equipment, etc. are positive financial investments, simple changes in home procedures can also save energy costs and improve health.

• Cooking has become family fun time. It is best to clean and maintain kitchen equipment and perform operations at the same time.

• Hand washing is so important to inactivate coronavirus. However, many studies show that the water temperature is unimportant. Cold water cleans as well as hot or warm. Therefore, use cold water to wash hands. The use of soap is the key. The same is true of laundry. Cold water is as good as hot. And make sure your laundry and dishwasher is full before using.

• Adjust the thermostat based on actual use. If one is leaving a room or area, make sure the AC or heat is off in the area. Set the temperature to a comfortable and not extreme temperature.

• Use equipment efficiently. It is not good for one parent to watch one video, the other to stream an old show, and each child play separate games. Try to do activities (and use electricity) together and have fun, too.

The COVID-19 pandemic is making us all spend more time at home. Let’s make sure that they (for ourselves, family members, and friends) are healthy for us to live in (so we do not come down with another malady) and is energy efficient, too.

And remember, as we begin to move toward normal, such upgrades will also improve health impacts and energy usage of commercial buildings you work or shop in, too.

CCES can help you and your firm develop and implement appropriate, proven energy-saving strategies to improve health and save significant energy costs. Our technical professionals have done this for many different building and company types. Contact us today at 914-594-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.