In today’s economic world, with a global recession affecting most nations, it’s important to cut down on costs wherever possible. This is especially true for large corporations, where the imperative is to try to save money, preserve profit and keep job losses at a minimum. One of the most common ways to cut expenses is to try and reduce the company electric bill where they can.

There are several ways to save on electricity. The most common one is to make sure the office lights are turned off when they’re not needed. The light bulbs can also be changed to low-energy models or compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. Air conditioning and heating shouldn’t be used excessively and should be maintained and serviced regularly.

Programmable thermostats should be used in office buildings and access should only be given to certain people. Getting an energy audit may also help and asking the electric company itself on how to cut down on electricity is a good idea.

When a computer isn’t being used it should be turned off or placed in standby or hibernation mode. Doors and windows should be checked for cracks and leaks as this can let in both hot and cold air depending on the season. Cell phone chargers and microwave ovens and other electrical consuming devices should be unplugged or placed on bypass as well when they’re not in use.

Depending on where you operate, you may also have the option of changing service providers. If this is possible, check out the rates of all electricity and gas providers in your area. You will of course, want to go with the cheapest rates possible without jeopardizing service quality.

It’s a good idea for businesses to calculate their electricity cost if they want to save on company electric bill. If they know exactly how many kilowatt hours are being used up it will help. They can also check out the internet for articles and tips on how to reduce their costs. Many of these tips can then be integrated into their energy-saving plans.

Ultimately, a professional energy services company or engineering firm will be a valuable resource once you have picked off the low hanging fruit mentioned above. These companies can help you design and implement long term strategies and technologies to significantly reduce your energy consumption and corresponding costs.

LEED Certified and Green Technology, Energy Edge Technologies can help save your Industrial, Hospital, Grocery Store or any other high energy commercial buildings massive amounts of money! We Take A Full Facility Approach or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

Buyer Beware – Using Power Factor Correction and Transient Voltage Surge Suppression to Reduce Energy Costs.

Today’s energy conscious climate has motivated many to do what they can to become more efficient and conserve energy and money. Unfortunately this same climate has prompted others to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers’ wishes to save energy and reduce expenses.

Companies that tout power factor improvement (kVAR correction) and transient voltage suppression are a good example of this bad trend. Lately we are seeing more and more of these companies cropping up and feel it is time to set the record straight.

First, transient voltage surge suppression (TVSS) plays a valuable role in improving power quality to protect sensitive equipment inside a facility. However, TVSS does not save energy. TVSS’s are only active a tiny fraction of a second to protect against voltage surges which only last for less than a millisecond. To actually reduce energy consumption the TVSS would need to actually cut power consumption for an extended period of time which is not what they are designed to do. Again, TVSS is important to protect sensitive electrical equipment but buyers should avoid vendors promising, or even guaranteeing, that they will reduce energy consumption.

Now what about vendors who claim that improving power factor will save 15% or 20% or 30% of energy consumption and corresponding cost? This one is a little trickier.

For residential applications, power factor does nothing to save energy because the typical home already has an average power factor of about 0.97 which is almost the perfect power factor of 1 or unity. In addition, the device (called a capacitor) is placed at the main circuit breaker. According to IEEE 5.5.3.3 capacitors must be situated at or near the respective inductive loads to reduce power system losses by reducing heat and distribution losses known as I2R losses.

So what about commercial and industrial facilities using power factor correction to reduce energy costs? It is perfectly appropriate for a company that is incurring penalties or a kVA billing structure from the utility company to improve the facility’s overall power factor by employing a capacitor bank at the main service entrance or individual capacitors at or near the respective motor loads. Doing so will eliminate the power factor penalties and/or reduce the kVA demand charges on the utility bill which can save significant money and provide a significant ROI on the investment.

But what about power factor correction reducing kWh consumption? IEEE also tells us that I2R losses only account for 2 to 5% of the total load in a facility. Simple math tells us that it would be against the laws of physics to get the 15% to 30% energy reduction claimed by some vendors. Think about it. Even if your facility had 5% distribution losses and you could correct 100% of the problem via power factor correction at every load (which can’t be done) you would still only save 5% at the most. No where near the claims of some capacitor vendors and manufacturers.

All that said, power factor correction when done properly will eliminate utility penalties and kVA demand charges, improve facility power quality, increase electrical system capacity, and save a little energy when applied to the appropriate motor loads.

So make an investment in transient voltage surge suppression and power factor correction when appropriate and necessary. But caveat emptor!

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.

Reducing utility costs is good for the bottom line but there are many other financial benefits to reducing energy consumption.

The US Green Building Council tells us on average a “green building” benefits from: – 30-50% reduced energy use – 35% reduced carbon emissions – 40% reduced water use – 70% reduced solid waste So what does that really mean in real value to a business or property owner in terms of value beyond lower utility costs? The following include brief facts illustrating some other, demonstrable benefits of “going green”. PR Opportunities: Improving how energy efficient your facility is: – Protects global resources – Decreases pollution and emissions generated during the energy production process – Protects the environment – Reduces solid waste Improving the efficiency of your facility: – Provides you the ideal opportunity to gain constructive, no cost publicity – Allows you to represent your business in a positive light – Gives your local community and your marketplace a depiction of your company as a responsible steward of the environment.

Considerable Economic Benefits:

In addition to reducing your energy costs, “going green”:

- Reduces maintenance, replacement and production downtime costs via longer life expectancy of the different loads ranging from lighting systems to HVAC systems to production equipment

- Increases the asset value of the property and enhances profitability

- Improves tenant attraction and retention for building owners and leads to higher premium tenants and higher-end leases

- Demonstrates the strength and intelligence of your executive team and attracts clients and investors

- Improves worker productivity and safety and reduces absenteeism and turnover via improved lighting and indoor air quality and comfort. According to the US Green Building Council, “green buildings” save $58 billion of sick time and add $180 billion in increased worker productivity annually.

In the end, the decision by a company or organization regarding improving energy efficiency will be based for the most part on cost effectiveness measures such as rate of return on the investment or project cost. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to acknowledge and consider the other aforementioned considerable benefits of “going green” as a part of the decision making process.

Save Money On Your Company’s Energy Bill, visit Energy Edge Technologies site for strategies on saving a tremendous amount of capital on your Corporate Energy Bill or call 888-729-5722 Ext. 100.