Energy Conservation
According to the U.S. Energy Conservation and Efficiency : Benefits and Costs report published in 2002 at Cornell University:
“Energy use in the United States increased nearly 40% from 1970 to 2000. Projections are that it will increase by an additional 40% by the year 2020. The finite energy resources of petroleum, natural gas, coal, and other mined fuels provide the U.S. with about 93% of its energy needs at a cost of $567 billion per year. With increasing energy shortages and prices, this growth over the next 2 decades cannot continue.”
The following are key steps that the Main Line Chamber of Commerce can undertake to help conserve energy and become a green business.
- Perform an Energy Audit
Use either an internal staff member or an environmental professional to assess the current status of energy use. Some of the key areas to examine include:
- Types of lighting fixtures and bulbs in use
- Review of past 12 months electric bills
- Status of computers, appliances, printers, etc. when not in use
- Utilization of dimmers, timers and sensors
- Setup and efficiency of the heating and cooling system
Kevin Nolan of Nolan Painting, a Chamber Board of Directors, began his company’s move toward green business by doing an on-line survey offered gratis, by B Lab. B Lab is a local independent company focused on creating a certified group of businesses that are socially responsible and environmentally sustainable for future generations. It is a good first step in finding out where the environmental issues are in your company.
- Lighting
Lighting can be one of the largest energy consumers in a business. So often lights are left on overnight without even a second thought as to the energy being consumed. Simply turning off lights when they are not in use or installing timers and sensors can make a big impact in the effort to go green. Utilizing natural light to the extent possible during the day is another way to reduce reliance on electric lighting. It is also imperative to replace older incandescent fixtures with modern compact fluorescent fixtures (CFL). Replacing a 75-watt incandescent fixture with a 20-watt CFL fixture that is in use for 10 hours a day will not only recoup its cost within a year but also last 10 years longer.
Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group, Inc., a Chamber Member, completed energy-efficient lighting upgrades and discovered how green business is smart business shown in the following savings snapshot:
Total Investment for upgrades: $30,000
Facility: Commercial Print Facility with two buildings (2-story and 3-story)
totaling 29,000 square feet.
Employees: 100
Electric bill savings from lighting upgrades: $21,017
Payback Period: 18 Months
Pollution Prevented: 406,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
4,600 pounds of sulfur dioxide
1,450 pounds of nitrogen oxide
- Phantom Loads
Phantom loads are appliances such as computers, printers, fax machines, copiers, etc. that use power all the time, even when they are turned off. An easy remedy to this energy drain is the use of power strips which can be turned off when the items are not in use. Any appliance with a wall cube transformer should also be checked as the warmth of the black box is an indicator of wasted electricity. When plugged into the wall, some power cubes will use the same amount of power regardless of whether or not they are even connected to the appliance.
- Energy Star Products
Energy Star is a joint program between the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy with the goal of helping consumers to save money and protect the environment through the use of energy -efficient products and practices. Energy Star products meet stringent energy-saving guidelines established by these two agencies that can help the financial performance of a business by reducing energy waste and costs, while protecting the environment. If all consumers selected Energy Star products for the next 15 years, they would save roughly $7 billion per year.
- Alternative Energy Credits
According to the State of Pennsylvania Senate Bill No. 1030 in 2004, an “Alternative Energy Credit” is the equivalent of one megawatt hour of electricity from an alternative energy source. Those sources may include: solar photovoltaic or other solar electric energy, solar thermal energy, wind power, various sources of hydropower, and geothermal energy just to name a few. There are many local businesses, Margaret Kuo’s and Eastern University included, which utilize wind power through our own local utility, Community Energy, based in Radnor.
