As has been well-publicized (and in companion article), the US has been hit by both high inflation and supply chain issues. Cost inflation rose in 2021 by 7%, the highest rate in over 30 years. And energy costs remained the top driver of this high inflation in 2021, rising 29%. Gasoline costs rose 50% and fuel oil costs 41%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. If all of the other arguments made over recent years to do an energy audit and prioritize reasons to save usage and cost have not succeeded, now they must. And if you are thinking “Oh, these increases cannot be maintained”, well, that’s simply not necessarily true. And the beauty of energy savings is that smart actions you take will save you energy costs for many years down the road in future good times and bad. So don’t wait!

So what is the first step? Get a handle on your energy bills. Go back and retrieve your energy bills, going back 2 years. Don’t forget to include oil invoices, too. Just like you track sales, expenses, etc., you should track energy usage and costs. Create a simple spreadsheet or Word document to catalog the usages and note changes over time. See if your energy bills have risen that much.

Then have a professional energy audit done. There has literally been a revolution in the last 5 years of new technologies that will save energy costs. A professionally-performed energy audit will inform you of what options you have either in terms of modern replacement technologies or of changes in operations to reduce energy waste. Some of the options may be very cheap or free, such as changes in settings. Others may be expensive upfront, but many utilities and governments have rebates and other subsidies to partially pay the upfront cost. If you pay your utility bill, you would qualify. And a growing number of governments offer “C-PACE” financing, which is subsidized and allows you to pay back the loan in installments like you pay your local taxes in the same payment. Even without that, lenders know that energy efficiency technologies are cash positive; there is less risk of lending money because the savings will be there.

Take your energy audit report seriously and read deeply into it. The energy professional will likely provide multiple ways to reduce energy usage. Take them seriously. You may not be able to do all of them at once, but certainly be assertive and go forward with several. You do want to cut down your energy costs as they rise so much. Consider hiring a project manager to implement the strategies you select. Yes, you will have to pay extra for the expertise, but if that person will better ensure the strategies are incorporated properly and the energy savings predicted will be achieved, then it is worth that price. Remember your energy savings from just about any upgrade is not a one year thing, but will continue to save you money for many years in the future. If poor or no project management means the device is 10% less effective, then that is a much greater loss in avoided cost over time than what you would have paid the professional.

There have been many cases – and many I have seen – of companies and managers who have turned down good, energy-saving projects because they did not “have to” or they felt the savings were not enough. Those days are gone. Those that held back a few years ago are paying a steep price now for that attitude with energy costs having risen by 29% in the last year. Don’t make that mistake. Do an energy audit the right way and go forward on smart energy saving projects!

CCES has the experts and experience to perform these services for a variety of building and operation types. We have many years of experience of performing many types of energy audits and equipment assessments and retro-commissioning to determine multiple ways for you to save energy costs. We can project manage and bring in the best experts to install and ensure good performance of energy strategies you select. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.