JULY 2015 – Tips to Help Take The Heat Off Energy Bills

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3 Energy Tip Picture As the owner or manager of your business, you know that electricity can account for a large percentage of your operating expenses. Knowing where you use electricity is critical for your business’s bottom line. Below, you’ll find a useful list of things you can do to help your business reduce its energy usage, especially during the Time-Of-Use (TOU) on-peak period from noon to 6 p.m. weekdays, when demand is at its highest.

  • Replace incandescent or halogen lamps with cooler LED lamps for offices, displays, exit signs, pools, and exterior area lighting
  • Install inexpensive occupancy sensors in general usage areas to automatically turn off lights when the area is not in use
  • Install dimmable ballasts to lower energy use in fluorescent lamps
  • Install sensory controllers on vending machines
  • Upgrade to new-generation, low-wattage T8 lamps and fixtures
  • Switch fluorescent fixtures in refrigerated display cases with LED, found to be more appealing to customers as well
  • Replace fluorescent fixtures in menu boards or backlit signage with LED lamps
  • Limit outdoor lighting system usage to the hours between dusk and dawn by installing photocells or time clocks
  • Take advantage of day lighting options and reduce lighting levels
  • Install timers or program thermostats to power down after closing for the day
  • Sign up for HVAC maintenance to perform routine maintenance on heating and A/C filters, belts, coils, and bearings
  • Switch to LED bulbs and decrease the amount of office heat and A/C energy use
  • Pre-cool work areas at night or in the morning and consider raising your thermostat by four degrees during peak hours of noon to 6 p.m. weekdays to help reduce your energy usage while still keeping cool
  • Consider installing window film to keep out summer heat
  • Add interior or exterior blinds to block heat in the summer and provide more daylight in the winter
  • Install plug load occupancy sensors to turn off equipment when the workplace is unoccupied
  • Upgrade to high-efficiency EnergyStar® office equipment, including laptops, which use less than a third of the energy of a desktop
  • Install PC network software to automatically control the power settings on all networked computers