Reduce Energy Costs

Reduce energy costs and save money

Recent research shows that 40 percent of companies worldwide are paying a lot more attention to energy efficiency now than they did 12 months ago, citing energy cost savings as the number one reason for efficiency programs. The Institute for Building Efficiency 2012 Energy Efficiency Indicator surveyed nearly 3,500 executives, owners and managers of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings to gain insight into their priorities. With cost savings as the most important factor, more than 50 percent of companies said they use these savings to reduce their overall budget. Working with our customers, Johnson Controls is doing just that reducing costs. To date, we have saved our private and public sector customers more than $7.5 billion in energy and operating costs. For example, working with Johnson Controls, the owners of theEmpire State Building are implementing a comprehensive retrofit program to make the building 38 percent more energy-efficient, reduce operating and occupancy costs, and increase the buildings marketability and profitability. Projects to reduce energy costs at Buffalo Public Schools, New York andWyandotte Public Schools, in Michigan funded improvements that turned aging schools into exceptional learning environments without increasing residents taxes. Going hand-in-hand with energy costs savings in commercial, industrial and institutional buildings is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Johnson Controls projects have cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 million metric tons, equal to that of 1.3 million homes in one year.

How to reduce energy costs

A structured approach to energy management can help you to identify and implement the best ways to reduce energy costs for your facility. With an ongoing program, you can manage your energy costs and take targeted actions to enhance your facilities including:

Establishing energy efficiency goals for your organization. Identifying and benchmarking your organizations best practices in energy management. Determining success metrics and targets for energy efficiency improvements. Developing a strategic plan that provides a roadmap for increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions.

Implementing energy savings systems and equipment such as upgrading or replacing inefficient equipment, installing high-efficiency lighting or installing Johnson Controls Metasys building management systems to optimize energy and operational efficiency.

Integrating renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to provide clean, sustainable energy or geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool buildings more efficiently than conventional systems.

Offset project costs via energy savings

There are a number of ways to make your projects affordable. For example, performance contracting is a way to fund improvements by using energy and operational savings to offset a projects costs. This financing model provides relatively quick payback on your investment. Once youve realized that payback, savings typically continue to flow to your bottom line year after year. And, Johnson Controls is committed to providing ongoing support that can help you identify additional savings opportunities and educate occupants on what they can do to reduce energy costs and conserve water.

10 Tips for Saving Energy

Reduce energy costs without sacrificing comfort or building functionality

1.

01Help make sure building occupants are more informed through energy-saving tips.
Create Web dashboards and on-site kiosks that educate and engage building occupants to promote energy conservation and reward wise energy decisions and behaviors. For example, a common misconception is that screen savers reduce energy consumption by monitors; they do not. Its more efficient to switch a monitor to sleep mode or manually turn it off.

2.

02Conduct regular energy audits to determine what condition your equipment is in and
how it is performing. These audits will show where and how energy is being wasted and help you prioritize energy improvement measures. Dont know where to start? Begin with Guidelines for Energy Management available with other tips for saving energy at www.energystar.gov.

3.

03Use more energy-efficient equipment. Install new energy-efficient equipment and

replace or eliminate outdated, inefficient equipment. Look for Energy Star labels on equipment and appliances. Dont forget your IT department. Energy Star-rated servers use as little as one-third of the power at idle that other servers do, resulting in energy cost savings.

4.

04Match HVAC and lighting output to occupancy. Install programmable building

controls that enable systems to provide light, heat and cooling to building spaces only when they are occupied. For systems that are already time-programmed, re-tune the schedules to reflect actual occupancy periods. Savings of another 10 percent are possible. Maximize lighting efficiency. Energy-efficient lighting uses less energy and generates less heat, reducing your costs and easing the strain on your HVAC systems. Leverage the square law of dimming. In areas where an apparent dimming of ten percent is acceptable, you can see energy savings of nearly 20 percent.

5.

05Use Smart scheduling practices that go beyond matching occupancy times with
equipment operation. Intelligent systems factor demand charges into the equation to complete the other half of the energy cost picture.

6.

06Use daylight to help light your interior spaces. Daylight can supplement artificial
light. Smart lighting systems use occupancy, time of day and light sensors to control dimmable fixtures and coordinate with automated shade systems. Continue to reduce lighting loads with advanced fluorescent and LED technology. Compact fluorescents use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

7.

07Learn where the energy you pay for is going. Put energy management software to
work identifying trends in usage. Expand metering wherever possible to include separate plug load and lighting circuits. Additional metering may: a. Help to pinpoint increases in energy use b. Draw accurate consumption trends on a weekly or seasonal basis c. Help to accurately forecast energy use when planning changes in the facility d. Provide benchmarks for comparison with other facilities e. Provide archival proof of improvement for justification of additional energy management projects

8.

08Link and correlate multiple building management system points to identify efficiency
outliers that require immediate attention. For example, BTUs/sq.ft. is a good indicator of energy efficiency, but normalizing that data to outside air temperature or degree days of heating and cooling is much more meaningful.

9.

09Model your buildings. Take advantage of energy modeling software to help

understand the interdependence of multiple energy conservation measures in your facility. Basic modeling is easy and inexpensive when taking advantage of the wizards and dynamic defaults available in eQUEST, a free design tool available from the Department of Energy: http://www.doe2.com/equest/.

10.

10Schedule cleaning during regular work hours to maximize your energy cost savings.
Experiment with different day cleaning schedules. Arrange cleaning schedules to overlap with work hours instead of having cleaning done after hours and keeping the lights, heating, and air conditioning on at night.

Ways to conserve energy There are many ways to conserve energy. It depends on the kind of choices we make to help us save our environment and also help our future generations. There are many things that will use less energy and by using such things you will conserve energy in a sensible way. Instead of normal tube lights, you can choose energy efficient bulbs. Energy efficient bulbs require less energy to perform the same function that normal tube lights do. Turning off all electronic devices when not in use is also a good way of conserving energy. Replacing or repairing leaky faucets help in saving lot of water. Use air conditioner only when required. Instead, you can keep the doors and vents closed to keep your room. Also, you can save lot of energy by switching off the lights and using natural lighting during day time. Embracing an energy efficient lifestyle today will help you get a better life tomorrow. So let us slow down the demand for energy and give a better future for our coming generation.