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Posted on 17 Oct 2008

All businesses, whether they're small, medium or large multi-national corporations use lighting, heating and air conditioning, power for computing /equipment and water. By taking the following steps at their facilities, businesses can significantly reduce their electricity, gas and water bills and protect the environment at the same time.

1. Install Efficient Light Bulbs. According to Energy Star, Energy Star qualified CFL bulbs consume about seventy-five percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to ten times longer, resulting in about $30 or more in energy savings over each bulb's lifetime. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs have come a long way in the last few years: their costs have dropped and there is a bulb for just about any application. Switching to CFLs is easy to implement and can yield a quick payback in savings.

Switch to LED exit signs. Most shops have more then one of these and switching to an LED exit sign can save $10 per sign in electricity costs. Also, because they've a long life, the LED exit signs don't need regular replacements that existing signs do.

Most businesses have the T12 fluorescent lights bulbs (1.5 diameter) which as not as energy efficient as the newer T8 fluorescent tubes (1.0 diameter). Consider switching to the T8 tubes for extra savings.

2. Install Motion Sensors. Also known as Occupancy Sensors, they detect activity in areas where they're installed. They can automatically turn lights on and off by sensing motion. Motion sensors, can save on lighting costs. This is particularly important for facilities with areas that are infrequently used such as warehouses.

3. Use clever Power Strips to monitor and manage computer and accessories power usage. Computers and peripherals such as printers, fax machines, monitors, copiers and hard drives suck up power even when they're not in use. clever power strips can detect when these devices are in use or idle and can turn them off automatically. clever power strips can save up to 72% of the power your systems use, and additionally provide surge protection.

4. Programmable Thermostats give you flexibility to adjust temperatures based on time of the day, seasonal changes and occupancy. for example, in the winter time you can program the temperature to the lowest level that is comfy for tenants, and in the summer time to the highest level that is tolerable. You can adjust the thermostat lower when there are fewer tenants in the building or even turn off the heating / air for a predetermined interval before close of business e.g. 30-60 minutes before close of business.

5. Install Lighting Timer Controls . Timer Controls are available for indoor and outdoor lighting. They can be programmed to automatically turn lights on and off based on a schedule. Solar Timer Controls can control outdoor lighting based on the time of sunrise and sunset for your location.

6. Water Efficiency: By installing water efficient fixtures, you can save thousands of gallons of water. Installing low flow toilets and urinals allows you to conserve a significant amount of water each day. Low flow Faucet aerators are cheap and easy to install and can achieve an immediate return on investment. If your facility has showers, consider replacing the standard shower heads with water saving showerheads such as water efficient a 1.5 gallon per minute shower head.

Find efficient light bulbs, clever power strip, low flow shower heads at Conservation Mart.

Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.