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Energy Efficiency

Improving efficiency can significantly reduce your electricity bills and trigger other benefits like improved process integrity, reliability, comfort and productivity. It is the most cost-effective step you can take.

Energy efficiency is based on proven technologies and practices. In 2006, efficiency provided about 8% of the nation's power¹
In general, efficiency improvements are more cost effective than purchasing that same amount of electricity or installing renewable technologies - often by a factor of 3 or more.
The US DOE projects that electricity demand will continue to increase by 1.4% each year, requiring an additional 8,500 MW of capability to be added to the current infrastructure. With a likely 85% of this energy produced by burning fossil fuels, the DOE predicts global CO2 emissions to rise 37 million tons per year by 2020.²

How do you know if you're a good site for efficiency? Every site is.

We start with an interview of property management to understand their unique needs and objectives. Then we perform a walk-through of the property looking for low-cost projects with attractive ROIs as well as possible capital improvement projects that can have a tremendous impact on consumption and bottom line.

How are your buildings, facilities and processes performing today?
- Building control systems, the building envelope and installed equipment will greatly impact energy usage.
- Tremendous technical advancements have been made in lighting, VFDs, motors, pumps and other system components which will save on electricity costs while improving system performance and reliability.
Common areas of opportunity include:
- Lighting Upgrades
- HVAC efficiency improvements
- Building automation and control systems
- Variable Speed Drives
- Motor and motor system optimization
- Refrigeration
- Demand response
Technical and Financial Assistance is often available
- Since efficiency is the most cost effective way for utilities to meet rising demand for electricity, utilities, state energy offices or other administrators of public funds often provide financial, technical and/or educational assistance for efficient building construction, building improvements, installed equipment, or system optimization.. And the funding for these programs is growing.³
- Go to http://www.dsireusa.org/ or your local utility web site to search for available incentives in your area.

Easy strategies to help reduce demand charges:

Turn off equipment that is not being used, including computers and related equipment. Turning off equipment and lights can also reduce cooling costs because you won't have to compete with heat generated by that equipment. Sometimes it is helpful to install timers to make sure things get turned-off.
Automate transition to sleep mode during the day for computers and related equipment.
Use natural lighting where possible (e.g. windows and other daylighting techniques).
Use ceiling fans where practical. Ceiling fans allow you to reduce the heating load in winter (by sending heat back towards the floor area) and raise the AC temperature in summer (by keeping the moving the air).
Don't overcool at night or other times when the building is not in use.
Don't keep equipment operating for long periods before and after working hours.
Become familiar with your electricity bills and learn about the various charges, how they are calculated and how you can impact them. You may be able to reduce the energy and demand components through conservation, staggering equipment start-ups, taking advantage of lower off-peak rates, etc.

RPM can help you identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency as well as understand the associated costs, energy savings and available incentives. Together, we can develop and implement a cost-effective plan for making your facility energy fit.

Remember: Efficiency first. Renewables second.

¹MA is about twice the national average. RGGI Workshop June 18, 2008.
²RGGI's Energy Efficiency Release. August 2005.
³According to the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, U.S. electric program budgets increased 14 percent from $2.4 billion in 2006 to $2.7 billion in 2007.