Utility costs continue to fluctuate. Rising costs may be uncontrollable for you. However, there are ways you can effectively control the ultimate costs of energy (especially electric power) used to operate your facility, site, plant, and/or building by employing two tried-and-true strategies.
You can reduce your demand (need) for energy
Reducing the amount of energy your building requires to run fans, pumps, furnaces, and chillers can effectively lower your costs. Lighting system upgrades and controls can drastically reduce your energy needs. Enabling standby power control options on typical office equipment such as printers, fax machines, and computers further reduces energy use.
Choosing operating practices focused on “energy efficiency improvement” in your custodial services, cafeteria operations, in-house reproduction services, mailroom, and plant operations units can optimize your need for energy. Focusing on improving energy performance often leads to overall improvements in business performance as well.
You can reduce energy use.
When local and regional demand for electricity is high, eliminating electric power charges as part of a structured reduction program can benefit both the cost and revenue of your operation.
- On the cost side, you win immediately by reducing the amount of energy used, thus the total cost of energy.
- On the income side, your participation in an economic demand response program positions you forgain when you reduce your request in response to a request to “shed your load.” Economic demand response programs are voluntary and are offered in three typical business areas. Your local utility program, third-party aggregators, and independent system operators may offer programs. Independent system operators provide services in unregulated energy markets.