As a commercial business, you need to be always looking for ways to save money. Hiring an energy advisor or energy consultant is a great way to reduce your energy costs. Here are three tips from a professional energy advisor that will save you money:
1. The importance of an energy audit.
2. Implement an energy management plan.
3. How to find a reputable energy advisor.The Importance of an Energy Audit
Energy audits are essential for understanding how your company uses energy. Conducting an audit will help you to identify areas where your company can be more efficient and reduce energy costs.
An energy audit typically begins with an analysis of your company's energy consumption. This can be done by reviewing your past energy bills or by collecting data from your company's energy meters. Once you have this information, you can start to identify patterns in your company's energy use.
After you have collected and analyzed your data, you should develop a plan to improve your company's energy efficiency. This plan should include specific actions that you can take to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.
Once you have developed your plan, it is important to implement it and track your progress. Regularly monitoring your company's energy use will help you to see if your efforts are having the desired effect. If you find that your company is not making the progress you hoped for, it maybe necessary to revise your plan.
A useful tool for this is Energy Star Portfolio Manager. This is a free energy benchmarking tool where you can enter your facility's energy use, compare it against similar buildings, and track changes over time as energy-efficient improvements are made.
Facility managers have a good idea of how their buildings operate, and what maintenance best practices they need to implement to optimize their buildings' performance. But often they may not have a pulse on how their building uses energy, and more importantly where their building is wasting energy. A professional energy advisor will analyze your energy usage and recommend ways to reduce your consumption.
An energy audit is an important step for any business owner who wants to save money on energy costs. Conducting an audit can help you to identify areas where your company can be more efficient and reduce energy costs. Once a facility manager is equipped with a detailed energy audit, it can be paired with resources like LED lighting financing tools and utility rebate incentives to maximize the ROI of implemented energy-efficient projects.
If you are interested in conducting an energy audit, there are some resources available to help you. Energy auditors can be found online or through your local utility company.
BONUS MATERIAL
When considering these energy audit tips it is important to also evaluate your commercial energy procurement strategies. Check out our 101 guide on energy procurement strategies for the modern facility.
Implement an Energy Management Plan
An energy management plan is a strategy for reducing your company's energy consumption and costs. By implementing an energy management plan, you cannot only save money but also increase your company's efficiency and competitiveness.
There are many different ways to reduce energy consumption, and the first step is to identify which areas of your company use the most energy. Some of the most common energy savings measures are LED lighting, lighting controls, HVAC improvements including evaluated outside air exchanges, and air compressor systems. Once you have a good understanding of your company's energy usage, you can develop a plan to reduce consumption in those areas. A few other simple techniques to reduce energy are:
•Power down idle machines and equipment
•Turn off lights
•Turn off all computers when not in use
•Turn off conveyors
•Institute unoccupied temperature setbacks
After you have implemented your energy management plan, it is important to monitor your company's energy usage to ensure that the plan is working as intended. You may also want to consider periodic reviews and updates to your EMP to ensure that it continues to be effective over time.
How to Find a Reputable Energy Advisor
When it comes to finding a reputable energy advisor, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, you want to ensure that the energy advisor has experience working with businesses in your industry. Next, they must have experience with the types of projects you wish to implement in your facility. For example, if your energy audit identifies LED lighting and advanced lighting controls as a measure that will save energy and money, find an energy advisor or energy consultant that has completed projects with these measures. And finally, you want to be sure that the advisor is someone you can trust to give you honest and unbiased advice.
With that said, here are a few tips on how to find a reputable energy advisor:
1. Confirm the advisor has experience in your industry.
2. Ask for referrals from trusted sources.
3. Meet with the advisor in person to get a feel for their expertise and personality.
Following these tips, you should be able to find a reputable energy advisor who can help you save money and reduce your business's energy costs.
In conclusion, if you want to save your business money on energy costs, there are a few things you can do. First, get an energy audit to see where you can improve efficiency. Second, work with an energy advisor to develop a strategy for reducing your energy consumption and optimizing your energy procurement contracts. And third, schedule a call with us to learn more about how we can help you save money on your energy bills.