Are You Missing These Energy-Saving Opportunities?

Energy isn't as inexpensive as it used to be. If you're not careful about regulating the use of energy in your office, your costs can skyrocket -- and take precious dollars away from your business.

To start saving money on energy, see where your business stands on the three levels of energy conservation activity.

1. Your first consideration should be implementing procedures and instructions for use of existing systems and devices, including:

• Closing shades during the heating season when the sun isn't shining.
• Cooling non-critical areas to no lower than 78 degrees.
• Heating non-critical areas to a maximum of 68 degrees when occupied and 60 degrees when unoccupied.
• Using visible reminders of the need to turn off lights and close doors and windows.

2. The next level involves periodic inspection and correction, including:

• Replacing cracked or missing window caulking and adding weather stripping around exterior doors.
• Keeping heat registers and register fins clean and unobstructed.
• Annually cleaning the heating plant and periodically re-balancing multiple systems or zones.

3. The highest level of concern involves modification or improvement of systems, including:

• Lighting improvements. Many structures built before the mid-1970s are over-lighted. Also, replacement of incandescent lamps with fluorescents is always cost-effective.
• Installation of newer, energy efficient heating and cooling equipment.
• Structural modifications: replacement windows, energy-efficient roofing and insulation.

A simple but generally reliable method of assessing energy improvement alternatives is the use of payback period, the length of time it takes an expenditure to pay for itself in savings. For most of the country, energy improvement payback periods fall into the following ranges:

• Electrical items: zero to two years.
• Mechanical systems changes: zero to five years.
• Construction items: 8 to 12 years.

Think twice before making significant expenditures that will supposedly save large amounts of energy. The business can benefit from any energy saving technology, but before high-dollar outlays are considered, it's best to accomplish all lower cost and faster-payback opportunities and to educate employees about the need for conservation.