With support from the BEP program local businesses are implementing a wide variety of energy efficiency measures and are thereby reducing energy use and operating cost. The improvement measures almost invariably have phenomenal return on investment, contribute in a long term way to the businesses’ financial health, and collectively move us toward solving our problems with energy supply… and thereby nibbling away at the (energy) elephant. These businesses are distinguished as being among the growing number that is directly benefitting through reduced operating cost while benefitting the community through reduced overall energy consumption.
To illustrate the upside of energy efficiency in business, here is an example of our colleagues and neighbors in Northern Nevada who are implementing energy efficiency:
At the Ross Manor Apartments, a vintage 64,000 sq ft. residence facility in downtown Reno built in 1907; the owners and managers are moving forward with a program of continuous energy and comfort improvement. With BEP assistance, Ross is looking at upgrading windows, adding insulation, sealing air leaks, and changing lighting just to name a few. One small but not insignificant contributor to their moving forward with energy efficient operation was as simple as changing Exit signs. Changing the total of forty-three incandescent Exit signs to LED has reduced their energy use by 13,560 kWh, thirteen and a half million watt-hours per year. Resulting operating cost savings of almost $1,900 per year have been achieved with an estimated reduction in maintenance cost of over $800 per year. The energy savings from the Exit sign change-out alone is equivalent to over 8 tons of CO2 per year not added to the atmosphere, or taking 1.2 cars off the road for a year. Think about it, forty three old-style exist signs can use more energy than one car operated for a whole year! Additional savings from other measures in the works are estimated to save tens of thousands of dollars in operating cost while greatly improving occupant comfort. These latter projects are under way.
Project Summary: Retrofit 43 old exit signs with LED lamps. Annual savings: 13.5 MWh per year, about $1,900 per year in electricity cost, with about $800 per year in maintenance cost saved.
By Peter Millar