| Because there are various ways to control how much | | | | on an energy audit, allowing you to see how much |
| energy a building uses, there are various approaches | | | | you'll benefit from the measures. |
| to achieving commercial energy savings, with some of | | | | A third method for cutting energy cost is power rate |
| them being more effective than others. When a | | | | picking. In rate picking, a company hires a power rate |
| company decides to pursue commercial energy | | | | brokerage and consultancy firm to negotiate the lower |
| savings, there are numerous factors that influence its | | | | gas and electric rates with a utility provider. As a cost |
| approach, with the biggest being how much an | | | | cutting method, the biggest drawback of rate picking is |
| approach costs to implement. As a result, some | | | | that negotiated rates can't be depended on to stay the |
| companies choose to control their energy usage with | | | | same over the long term. While rate picking can indeed |
| the oldest conservation method of all: manually | | | | save company's money, it is best pursued in tandem |
| monitoring a building's energy components (lights, | | | | with other energy saving measures, such as the |
| machines, air conditioning, etc.) in an attempt to cut | | | | conservation measures and energy saving retrofits. |
| unnecessary usage. Although not resulting in | | | | A fourth method for lowering utility cost is implementing |
| consistently high cost savings, manually adjusting | | | | energy efficient design in the form of energy efficient |
| energy usage has the advantage of costing nothing. | | | | retrofits, with the two most common targets being |
| But it has the disadvantage of bothering workers with | | | | HVAC systems and interior lighting systems, which |
| something outside of their job description: monitoring | | | | combine to account for the majority of a building's |
| energy usage, which is not something that a | | | | energy usage. Compared to other energy saving |
| professional company would encourage. | | | | measures, energy efficient design offers the most |
| If a company wants to curb energy usage through | | | | annual savings, with a 50 percent or higher reduction in |
| conservation measures, a better approach is to | | | | total annual energy cost being common. However, |
| implement official energy conservation measures, such | | | | implementing efficient design is also the most costly |
| as a lighting control system, which dims or turns off | | | | measure, although the phenomenal ROI of most |
| lights on a set schedule or when no movement is | | | | energy efficiency projects, along with the fact that |
| present; an improved building envelope, which | | | | energy efficiency providers now offer attractive |
| maximizes the heating and cooling effects produced | | | | financing, can eradicate this concern. Overall, achieving |
| by an HVAC system; and energy efficient windows | | | | the highest savings doesn't depend on choosing a |
| and doors, which serve the same purpose as an | | | | single cost saving option, but on combining as many |
| improved building envelope. Unlike manually controlling | | | | options as possible. For companies that are dedicated |
| energy usage, controlling it with the above methods will | | | | to reducing energy usage, this usually means combining |
| result in purchase and installation cost. But an energy | | | | energy conservation measures and power rate picking |
| efficient consulting firm will present an ROI that's based | | | | with energy efficient design. |