You can't see energy, so it can be difficult to visualize the potential savings lying undiscovered in your facility. However, you can see and easily understand those utility bills you receive each month. Visualize your energy bill being lower by 25 to 30 percent, or even more. Visualize your potential energy savings as an appreciable pile of cash that could go to your bottom line instead of to your local utility.
Clearly managing energy use makes good business sense, but remember, "you can't manage what you can't measure." Your facility' energy use for lighting, heating, cooling, office equipment and other systems can be easily identified, measured and analyzed. The result is a new and interesting look at your facility -where simple identification and measurement techniques provide the first steps toward eliminating waste and saving money.
You can begin the process today by pulling out your utility bill file and looking at what you are paying each month and each year for energy with the knowledge that you can reduce energy waste and reclaim much of the money you are paying out for energy. Then use the following resources to:
Identify how you use energy compared to similar type facilities.
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Lawrence Berkley National Laboratories ARCH: A Building Energy Reference Tool
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DOE Building Technologies Program: Building Energy Software Tools Directory
Assess your facility and discover energy-efficient upgrade opportunities.
Produced in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Business Gateway and ENERGY STAR®