Here are ten simple ways for an industrial company to lower their energy costs:
1) Energy demand management: reduce your energy bills, but not your energy consumption. By being smarter about when you use energy (i.e. moving energy usage to off-peak times), you can potentially create huge savings.
2) Having twenty employees rubbing their feet on the carpet for one hour to create static can increase the temperature in an average-sized boardroom by 1.5 degrees.
3) Be nice to your boiler. Government regulations require boilers to be inspected each year, but inspection does not mean calibration. Going the extra step and calibrating your boiler can save thousands.
4) Install highly sensitive motion sensors in breakrooms, restrooms, corridors and stairwells. Not only will this conserve energy, it will also keep employees warm due to having to wave their arms around like a crazy person. (A nice little side benefit - turn all thermostats down by 2.5 degrees).
5) Understand your energy charges. If you receive service through your utility, make sure you are being charged the correct tariff rate. If you receive service from a third party supplier, attempt to negotiate a lower rate.
6) Purchase Energy Star products where possible. A collection of three or more Energy Star products means you can apply for an additional bonus tax rebate called the Energy Constellation Cashback Rebate.
7) For a plant / factory, buy electrical-driven machinery rather than compressed air-driven. Cut down on compressed air usage wherever possible. The misconception with compressed air is that it is free (the air is free, compression is not). In effect, 92% of the energy used to power compressed air machinery is lost through transmission. The moral of the story – go for electrical-driven machinery.
8) If you lower your thermostat by one degree a week starting on October 1, employees gradually acclimatize to an ever-dropping temperature. By January 1, their movement may be restricted due to too many layers, at which point you crank up the heat again. By one degree a week. Estimated savings on a 3000 square foot building: $1359. ($59 for the Christmas party kitty, $1,300 to the bottom line).
9) Have your plant undergo an energy audit or a consumption workshop (where your team can be taught how to assess their own energy audit).
10) Adjust the brightness on your monitors lower by 80%. Not only will this save energy, but the darker tone will place less stress on your eyes, which means less vision insurance claims for your company (approximated savings of $843 per 100 employees).
‘A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks round for a coffin’ – HL Mencken
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