Turn on the Savings with Con Edison’s Energy Savings Programs.

by Courtney C. Capshaw, Lockheed Martin
Member of the Con Edison Green Team
Did you know lighting consumes up to 40% of a commercial facility’s electricity? The heat output from lights also impacts cooling loads. The following four options can help reduce lighting costs.

Turn Off the Lights
This sounds very basic but “turning off the lights” is an easy, energy-saving practice that can produce substantial cost savings benefits. And remember; switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will save about 75 percent of your lighting costs, and even more when you remember to turn them off.

Use Occupancy Sensors
Occupancy Sensors are an effective method of reducing lighting costs in almost every space where people move in and out in unpredictable patterns (e.g. offices, restrooms, warehouses and conference rooms). In fact, a study conducted by the Lighting Research Center, “An Analysis of the Energy and Cost Savings Potential of Occupancy Sensors for Commercial Lighting,” showed a 43% energy savings when occupancy sensors were installed in private offices.

Con Edison provides a $50 rebate per installed sensor (minimum 100 watts controlled).

Take Advantage of Natural Daylight
The concept of “Daylight Harvesting” is simple: when sufficient daylight is available, an easy to install daylight sensor will automatically dim or turn off the lights. A daylight sensor will continually monitor the lighting level and make adjustments to the electric lighting based on a pre-set target. Not only can you save energy by dimming or turning lights off, studies such as the U.S. Department of Energy Greening the Building and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through Energy-Efficient Design show increased productivity when employees have access to natural daylight or views outside.

Earn $60 per sensor (minimum 75 watts controlled) from Con Edison when you install remote mounted daylight dimming controls, or $30 per sensor (minimum 45 watts controlled) for fixture-mounted daylight dimming controls.

Integrate Lighting Control into Your Facility

Lighting control panels can be installed next to a building’s electrical panel or near the lighting load the panel is controlling. The lighting control panel controls a group of light fixtures by sending a signal to turn the lights on/off at pre-programmed times. You can program the panels remotely or have the factory program them prior to shipment. Another benefit to using control panels is that they can be used in conjunction with the “daylight harvesting” and occupancy sensor techniques outlined above. Lighting control panels are easily adaptable into existing facilities and can provide you with automated lighting controls for a minimal cost while providing substantial energy savings.
Many lighting control projects qualify for incentives under the Custom Incentive Program. An energy assessment is needed to fully provide the right course of action.

Con Edison offers cash rebates and incentives for the installation of lighting and lighting control upgrades to commercial and industrial customers in New York City and Westchester County through our Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Energy Efficiency Programs. To learn more about Con Edison’s C&I Energy Efficiency Program, visit conEd.com/energysavings or call an energy efficiency representative at 1-877-797-6347.

by Courtney C. Capshaw, Lockheed Martin
Member of the Con Edison Green Team
Office buildings consume more energy than any other building type, according to the U.S Energy Information Administration. These buildings use 198 billion kWh of electricity each year, equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed by 18 million American homes annually. The cost of this energy usage is on average $1.51 per square foot in office buildings nationwide. That number is closer to $2.50 per square foot in New York City, where buildings consume almost 80% of all energy.

Con Edison’s Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Energy Efficiency Program can help to reduce energy consumption in office buildings. This program provides C&I customers cash rebates and incentives for implementing energy efficient solutions and installing energy efficient equipment upgrades. Available for both gas and electric projects, these energy efficiency upgrades can help improve your company’s bottom line by reducing energy usage and maintenance costs while increasing operating efficiencies.
Con Edison anticipates these cash rebates and incentives will encourage the completion of energy efficiency projects in the Company’s service area, which includes New York City and Westchester County.

With rebates and incentives available for both gas and electric, the program offers a variety of participation options. “Since the launch of the C&I Program last summer, we’ve received over 1000 project applications, accounting for nearly 67,000,000 kilowatt hours and 512,000 therms savings and almost $ 6,500,000 in rebates and incentives for our commercial and industrial customers. Con Edison is committed to providing our customers with the resources they need to lower their energy usage and we encourage more customers to take advantage of these financial incentives”, stated David Pospisil, Con Edison C&I Program Manager.

Saving money, energy and the environment are simple reasons to participate in Con Edison’s C&I Energy Efficiency Program. More specifically, the program provides cash incentives to reduce the cost of your capital investment – a welcome benefit in today’s current economic environment. The program also provides customers with a network of approved energy efficiency contractors, distributors, and other energy professionals for your efficient upgrade projects.

The program team is robust, ready and willing to support you on your path to a more efficient future. You can learn more about the Con Edison C&I Energy Efficiency Program by visiting their Web site at conEd.com/energysavings or by calling toll-free 1-877-797-6347.

Got this interesting blog item from Real Energy Writers, a talented group of energy writers who I have been following for a year. They have good access to research and updates in this growing market. Energy efficiency of course is the other big nut in the energy equation. Sure we can go find new sources of energy and try to make they as efficient as possible, but in the end we can do way more good in the short and long term with the development of better energy efficiency across our society.

Sixty percent of those responding to a recent survey by the Association of Energy Services Professionals cited a lack of talented workers in energy efficiency.

“Energy efficiency is a rapidly growing segment of the overall energy industry and we believe there is a clear lack of talent that is necessary to fill the positions that are open,” said Meg Matt, the AESP president and CEO.

So where do you find these jobs?

Another recent report, this one by the Brookings Institution and Battelle’s Technology Partnership, sheds some light. Look to major metropolitan areas and young businesses for jobs not only in energy efficiency, but also in other segments of the clean economy, according to Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment.

In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the clean economy expanded by 8.3 percent, says the report. Efficiency, renewable energy, biofuels and other clean industries accounted for 2.7 million US jobs in 2010. To put that number in perspective, that’s more jobs than you’ll find in fossil fuels or biosciences, but still less than information technology.

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So what do you think about this growing market space of energy efficiency? Lots of growth of course but what will sustain it? Comment below with your thoughts.

Today’s guest post is a good one that deals with how your company and HR department can implement green practices to everyday business standards. This is something that can be simple to do and yet have far ranging impact if we all set it up in the way we do daily business.

A large multitude of human resource management departments across the world are opting with practices that promote going green. Going green is an excellent way to be environmentally friendly, while at the same time increasing the satisfaction of employees. Many HR staff members have testified they enjoy going to work for a company that utilizes green practices. Let’s take a look at several ways HR departments are being Mother Earth friendly; these very same practices can be utilized in your HR office.

Purchase Green Office Products
There is a large range of green office products available on today’s market that are equal in performance of traditional products, but these products help lower waste, lower energy usage, and use a lesser amount of chemicals than traditional products. Utilizing green office products often times means an HR department will endure cost savings in addition to being environmentally friendly.

Recycle Ink & Toner Cartridges
There are several retail stores that offer consumers with the ability to purchase re manufactured ink and toner cartridges. These ink and toner cartridges cost up to 15% less than traditional cartridges, so always remember to recycle used cartridges and buy re manufactured ones.

Purchase PCR Paper
Buying PCR paper means an HR department is buying paper made of Post-Consumer Recycled content; these types of paper are just as high in quality as non-recycled paper.

Store Paperwork Using Electronic Methods
HR departments most certainly use a lot of paperwork to conduct business; however, there is a large amount of paperwork that does not have to be printed. Storing paperwork in electronic methods extremely cuts down on the amount of paper being wasted in an office. HR workers are most times familiar with email methods, so instead of printing a piece of paper to show the worker next door, email it. Any paper that does get printed should always go into a paper recycling trash can.

Make Sure Electronic Products are Energy Star Labeled
Office electronics, ranging from computers to fax machines, can be bought with Energy Star labels. These types of electronics automatically shut down if they are not in use; this helps HR departments use up to 75% less energy when compared to using products that are not Energy Star labeled.

Go Fluorescent
An additional 75% of energy can be saved in HR departments by using Energy Star fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, which also helps reduce maintenance costs associated with hiring someone to switch out light bulbs within an HR department.

Always Hook up Electronics on a Power Strip
Another additional 75% of energy can be conserved when HR departments use power strips to power their electronics. Plugging all electronics up to a power strip that can be turned off and on on a daily basis may be one of the simplest ways to go green.

NYSERDA funds 17 energy-saving transportation ideas from Long Island to Rochester

$4.6 million to help curb greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced the award of $4.6 million to help 17 New York State companies develop and commercialize innovative new transportation technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease reliance on fossil fuels, and create jobs.

Six of these projects are located in New York City or Long Island.

The funding will support projects including an electric motorcycle designed for the urban environment, a company making car parts from mushrooms and farm refuse, and a system that would shorten jetliner idling times. Other projects involve a product that would reduce fuel consumption on ferries and others to reduce diesel engine pollution.

“The imaginative technologies being explored here will help create green jobs and also help New York meet its goals of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “NYSERDA is pleased to continue investing in clean energy business in New York that will strengthen the state’s clean energy economy.”

The NYSERDA funding will leverage $7.5 million of private sector investment to bring total funding for these projects to $12.7 million. Each company is required to match NYSERDA’s funding with their own investments, and funds will be awarded following development of a final contract.

The investments will support demonstration projects, new product development and feasibility studies. The $4.6 million for the projects comes from statutory funds ($3.1 million), Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative cap and trade auction proceeds ($850,000) and Systems Benefit Charge funds raised through electric bills ($650,000).
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Lowering costs is an important exercise today when you realistically want to bank on a terrific financial future for you and your household.

Being economical is a notable strategy to help ensure you are able to be effectively equipped monetarily for the long term, whether your ambitions include paying for a new home, purchasing a vehicle, sending your teen to higher education, taking a long-sought family trip, or just the modest aim of paying off all of your month-to-month charges entirely and when they’re due.

You will find no lack of methods to preserve your assets. Simple tactics range from tucking away a percentage of your weekly take-home pay to bypassing several of the tempting small treats you may ordinarily be tempted to spend for yourself.

Changing Your Thinking Patterns

Lowering costs should be part of a different way of thinking (if you did not have it before now) and consequential lifestyle to help make your future security a realistic probability. Certainly such an endeavor is most efficient when embraced with all members of the family. Reducing energy costs is one great strategy for saving money.

Minor Changes with Vehicles and Store Shopping

For instance, avoid operating a vehicle when you realistically do not need to. Any time you’re able, just take a stroll, ride a bicycle or use the bus if the costs are cheap. Along with taking walks or bicycle riding, you get the added in reward of greater fitness – which for many may result in considerable savings in itself.

When auto transportation is a necessity, make an effort to coordinate a car pool together with friends or others who live nearby. You might additionally join with others to do errands with each other, like food shopping.

And while you’re at the store, you should come organized with a checklist of what exactly you need. Take the “hunting” approach to buying and limit yourself to what is on the checklist. This approach helps you to leave behind appealing items that seem to call your name, such as scrumptious goodies or cool consumer electronics.

Speaking of food, it really is advisable to prepare a nutritious, filling meal before you venture into a grocery store. Hungry individuals often purchase much more on impulse of what they don’t pre-plan compared to those who come to their grocer feeling satisfied from food at home.

Preserve Power Usage

Electrical power – Shut off appliances which are not used. Turn the TV set off when you’re not truly watching it instead of using it for background sound.

Shut the refrigerator after pulling out whatever you need. Use lower wattage lights in places which do not require much lighting. Use power efficient lights that cost a tad more than regular lighting, however they last way longer and do not burn as hot.

Water – Check for leaks in your plumbing. Always make certain that your faucet or tub is not leaking. Eliminate prolonged showers. Sure, they feel terrific during the winter months, but shower speedily and get warm through your clothing afterward. Additionally, utilize a glass or cup for water when brushing your teeth instead of allowing the faucet to remain on.

Telephone – Select a company delivering plans which support unlimited long distance phone calls. And in case you do not actually need a mobile phone (swallow hard here), contemplate not even purchasing one.

Gas – Have your automobile tuned up so that you can cut back on fuel. Fill the gas tank at gas stations on the way of your traveling pattern where charges may be less. And buy gasoline on the way to someplace else instead of taking a special trip to purchase it.

Keep the gas tank more than one half full, and ensure your four tires are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Travel at or below speed limits. Limit the use of the vehicle’s air conditioning until the temperature is quite warm or humid.

Any of these suggestions exclusively will likely not create a substantial drop in your energy-related expenses. Nevertheless, initiating a life habit of resource efficiency to reduce your energy expenses – working at the seemingly insignificant things each day – can conserve a surprising amount of money if you stick with it.

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As fossil fuels diminish, energy costs are going to soar until we have a scalable and viable alternative energy source. Until then, making sure we use as little energy as possible directly saves us money with our fuel bills. So in the interest of saving energy, here are a collection of gadgets for your home that are designed to reduce your energy bills.

A central heating system is pretty effective for heating a home, but there are a number of inefficiencies. One of those inefficiencies are radiators, which sink a large about of heat into the wall on which the radiator is mounted. The radiator booster is designed to blast hot air from behind the radiator into the room. By increasing the air circulation, your rooms will heat up more quickly, therefore saving you the need to have the central heating switched on as long. The best bit is that the running cost of the radiator booster is only 30 pence a year (less than $1).

Using central heating is all well and good, but if the room is losing heat, you’ll be wasting energy. The Thermal Leak Detector from Black & Decker is essentially a remote thermometer that helps you find cold spots in a room. The detector shines a beam of light on to the part of the wall you’re checking. The colour of the light changes from red to blue when a cold spot is detected, with the temperature being shown on the LCD display on the detector. By finding the cold spots, you can then patch them up and save more energy.

For the kitchen, you can make your morning breakfast greener with a Morphy Richards Ecolectric Toaster. The toaster saves up to 35% of the energy compared to a conventional toaster. The Ecolectric Toaster uses a special cover that closes when you start to cook your toast, resulting in less energy needed to cook the toast. The toaster also uses a motorised carriage to ensure your toast is evenly cooked. It’s a bit more costly than a standard toaster, but it will save you money if your family consumes a lot of toast.

Finally, something for the bathroom, namely the EcoDrain. The EcoDrain is a clever heat exchanger device that takes the excess heat from waste shower water and uses it to pre-heat the cold water inlet to the shower. This means the shower’s heater uses 25-40% less energy compared to using just cold water. The EcoDrain has no moving parts, but it does have a non-stick coating on its waste pipe to ensure it doesn’t get blocked by dirt and debris. What makes the EcoDrain practical is that it needs very little plumbing work to fit it into your existing shower system!

I hope you enjoyed reading about these interesting energy saving gadgets. This article was written by Dan Harrison who writes about eco-friendly technology for EnviroGadget.com. EnviroGadget features all kinds of gadgets and technology that save water, save energy or just do something to help save the planet!

Part 2 Appliances.

When crude oil finally hit the $100.00 per barrel mark, we all groaned inwardly knowing that the price will just be passed onto us. Never mind our environmental conscience, now we have to try and cut down just because of our wallets!

The Labor Department has also released figures showing that unemployment benefits are at the highest level for two years. As the American dollar is at its lowest against other International currencies since comparison records began, we know that what we buy will cost more. We must buy less, spend less and use less to get through.

We can’t help the big picture, but we can help our own situation. The average American home spends around $1300 per year on heat, light and cooling. Small economies can add up to big savings and here are some tips for saving energy when using appliances in your own home.
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We are all looking at the news and even the most optimistic of us are realizing that things may change for a while. We’ve been here before, we’ve seen the rising prices, the unemployment and the foreclosures – but for many of us the problem becomes more individualized. What can we do to preserve ourselves; to keep the roof over our own heads?

Home energy costs are a large monthly outlay for all of us at this time of year. Americans spend more than $160 billion a year to heat, cool, light, and live in our homes. This is about 21 percent of the national total and many households could save 20-30 percent on their household energy bills.

Small savings may seem futile when we consider the big picture, but many little savings will actually lower your bills. Things may be falling down around you, but you will know that you are actively taking control of your own expenditures. So let us look at some small energy savers.
More on Time To Tighten The Belts – Part 1 Conserving Energy in The Home

Part I debunks one of the many myths about oil and the rising price of gas. Fuel prices are not rising because of oil supply shortages. Fuel prices rise due to shortages in refinery capacity.

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Environmental organisations around the word keep informing citizens to save energy and water where possible, but few actually do. The average person would love to help the environment but he or she is a bit unsure on how to do it. People also say they don’t have the energy to do it either. Recycling is a good example of people not having enough energy to do their part to protect the environment. The energy to create about 6 bins for every type of material is too much for some people. Even if they manage 6 bins separating different materials, with labels on the bins for tin, paper, plastic, etc., the process of remembering to recycle only lasts a few months.

The good news is that there are other ways to save energy and help the planet stay a bit greener without using too much energy on your self. Saving energy doesn’t have to involve you going out of your way. For example, a simple energy saving principle can be used not only at home but at the office as well. All it involves is closing a door. If your office or home uses heaters or air-conditioners, closing a door to unused rooms saves energy.

By closing the door, you trap the heat or cool air in the room you are using. Thereby the heater or air-conditioner only has to maintain the temperature in one room instead of two. This not only saves energy but will also save you money on your electricity bill.

Even better, instead of dressing for style and letting machines maintain your body temperature, just dress for the weather instead. By wearing long pants, socks and shoes, and a jersey, you don’t have to even turn the heater on. Take the jersey off and it’s instant coolness without a fan.

Another energy tip, which doesn’t take much effort, is to turn off your screen monitor. Most people believe that screen savers are there to save energy. To some extent they do save some energy off the overall energy cost of a PC. But turning the monitor off completely saves all the energy from the screen. If you touch the top of your monitor after a long day you can feel the heat it has generated while inactive. By turning it off you can save all that heat, which is essentially energy.

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As utility costs continue to increase, chances are you are doing all that you can to lower the amount of energy you use in your home. Both electricity and gas bills are a concern for many families today. While there are some things you can do around your home, like turning off lights or lowering the thermostat in the winter, sometimes you will need some outside help to find a way to lower electric bill amounts.

There are several tools you can use to reduce electric bill costs and save power. One option you can use is the high efficiency light bulbs that are becoming popular. These light bulbs provide as much light as incandescent bulbs do, but they last longer, thus creating less waste. They also use far less electricity than traditional bulbs. These bulbs use around a quarter of the amount of electricity that standard bulbs do. For instance, a 25-watt compact fluorescent bulb provides as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. By replacing the incandescent bulbs in your home with these higher efficiency light bulbs, you will save power.

The Power Save 1200 is another option you can use to lower electric bills for your family. The Power Save 1200 reduces your electricity consumption by actually reducing the wasted electricity in your home. While you can control some electricity waste, such as the electricity you waste when you leave a light on, some wasted electricity is unavoidable. When electricity runs through the wires and the appliances in your home, some of it converts to heat. The heat is wasted power. The Power Save 1200 helps to eliminate this form of wasted power. The Power Save 1200 is a box that you place by your breaker box. It contains transformers that can store and release electricity to some of the items in your home. Specifically, the Power Save 1200 can help power motors in your home.

When something with a motor in it, such as your air conditioner, needs to run, the appliance or device sends a signal to the transformer at your utility company’s box requesting the power it needs. This request must travel through the wiring in your house, your circuit panel, the meter, and all the way to the transformer. This path creates a lot of heat, which is wasted electricity. However, when you have a Power Save 1200 installed, the request for power will stop at the Power Save 1200 device, because it has the electricity stored that your device needs to begin running. This reduces how much is lost to heat. In fact, this device can lower electric bills by as much as 25% when used correctly. On top of the money you will save, you will also notice that the items in your home that contain motors last longer, because they do not heat up as much as they did before you installed the device.

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Awareness of environmental issues and the difference we as individuals can make to help protect our planet is increasing day by day. Even energy companies are now changing the way they operate so that the impact they have on global warming can be reduced.

However, rules and regulations that govern energy companies have, up to this point, been failing to help with this enormous task – until now.

Earlier this year, the energy watchdog Ofgem published details of its so-called Supply Licence Review, which it says will help open up the market and allow both greater innovation as well as fresh opportunities to existing and new electric and gas suppliers.

One of the biggest changes is that of ending the “28-day rule”, which prevented energy providers from tying in customers for longer than four weeks after joining. By lifting this rule Ofgem is opening up the market to other suppliers who, up until now have found it difficult to build in long-term deals that may include energy-saving measures.

Other innovations that are part of Ofgem’s wide-ranging review include:

• Simplifying its other rules and halving the number of licence conditions, to open the way for new suppliers entering the market

• Allowing suppliers to offer remote “smart meters” that can help consumers cut their energy consumption

• Allow greater access to information on carbon monoxide risks to more vulnerable customers

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According to the U.S. Department of Energy, almost 50 percent of a typical home’s utility bill is attributed to heating and air conditioning, 30 percent to appliances and lighting, and 20 percent to the water heater and refrigerator. This equates to almost $1,500 in energy bills for a typical household.

Following are ways to reduce your utility bills:

Tune it. A pre-season tune-up and filter is a good investment for removing dirty air that clogs your HVAC system, improving airflow and helping your system run efficiently. A tune-up also reduces the chances of an HVAC breakdown in mid-winter and improves safety. Keeping your system running at peak efficiency equates to less energy use and lower utility bills.

Upgrade it. If your HVAC system is older than 10 years, it may be time for an upgrade. Installing a new, high-efficiency system that uses non-ozone depleting refrigerant can reduce your annual heating and cooling costs from by 30 to 50 percent. Installing a new system can pay for itself in what you save.

Replace it. When purchasing new appliances, electronics and lighting, save money on your utility bill and help the environment by purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified products. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR have the highest rating a product can earn for energy efficiency. When replacing light bulbs, be sure to use ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs which are known to use 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

Insulate it. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Check the insulation in your attic, crawlspaces, and any hard-to-reach spaces that tend to be the biggest energy loss areas. Look for gaps in the insulation and areas with inadequate coverage. Adding another layer of insulation can make your home more comfortable by maintaining a uniform temperature throughout your house and can make a noticeable difference on your energy bill.

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