Article By: Heidi Fritz Martinez -Confessions of A Motor Gal CEO Re-Motor America

So many terms are broadly used these days “Climate Change”, “Going Green”, “Global Warming”, “Energy Efficiency”, “Renewables”, “Carbon Free” but let us talk about the Green some may blush to even think about but is on everybody’s mind: Money.

It is the taboo discussion point of “Going-Green” because rarely do people want to talk about their interest in money when it comes to caring about the environment. But here is where a little bit of money talk may actually help you keep more of your profits.

P.S. Your competitors are already doing this.

Sure, it would be nice if everyone wanted to jive to hippie music, sit around a campfire and sing Kumbaya but the answer is that in order to actually solve an energy problem in Industrial, Municipal and Commercial settings it is going to take a lot more than R.E.M.’s “Shining Happy People Holding Hands.”

Cold hard facts: Factories, businesses, cities, schools and towns if you are not doing energy conservation measures you are losing money. If you are implementing new technology and not adding energy efficient products in new construction you are leaving money on the table.

Read that One More Time

So, let’s take a break from the humble talk or the PR posts about your love of trees and polar bears. Feel free to read this while no one is looking but pay attention and most importantly take action.

Let’s talk about just three ways to get more money from your next energy project or new construction venture. Please Note: While all of these may not apply to you, it is definitely worth an investigation into your options. 

Rebate Money

Since about the 1980’s utility customers (including residential) paid the power companies into a collective fund towards energy efficiency. Sad news, there is no rebate stork nor has your power company suddenly become Santa Claus. A great portion of the rebate program is your money along with several other customers. The good news is that regardless of how much you paid into the fund it is based on qualifying equipment, program eligibility and geographic location. Obviously, if you opted out or never paid, this may not be an option for you.

The sad news is most people don’t know they are available or how many resources there are to help with the application process so they never even apply! Worse they install technologies leaving in some cases millions of dollars in what would have been rebates on a table! So always find out if you are eligible ahead of any construction upgrade or efficiency installation as these cannot be done retroactively.

Energy Efficiency Technologies

“Utility bill blindness” is a chronic condition for most companies who after the first three paper bills may have even set their utility bill up for “Auto-Pay” completely forget to keep looking at it. They may see the kWh or the kW line items but have no idea where the technologies they are using equate to rising power costs. Implementation of energy efficient products which reduce or optimize energy use are a really good way to chip down that bill and save more of your money.

Sadly, most facilities, regardless of architecture mechanically have a lot of old systems that needlessly using a lot of power. Just like doctor’s appointments, regular audits with specialists can help you identify and chip away at the largest energy hogs in your facilities. Just as an example uncontrolled electric motors can equate to up to 69% of your total energy costs but are often the most missed in an energy review because they are hidden in machines. So definitely start with the “energy heart surgery” areas and widdle down to the “energy headaches” or vice versa.

As A Service Energy Options

With or without a rebate program there are lots of Energy Service Companies available to help implement energy solutions. Many companies, like one in Wisconsin, are willing to help you implement one or several hundred projects without touching your current budgets. Many are willing to implement even multi-facility energy projects in exchange for shared savings over a contracted time. While some may not like the shared savings idea, many forget the cost in not implementing means losing the projected savings number per year until it is installed which in some cases could mean several hundred to several million depending on the project size.

The Take-Away

Bottom line is that there are lots of ways to implement energy efficiency technologies on both existing facilities or new construction and keep more profits. Secondly, you don’t have to be a “tree-hugger” or suggesting America needs to return to tribal days in order to something about your carbon footprint either. Using the resources available to you, reach out to experts who know the industry and can help you make intelligent and cost-effective energy money decisions. As with any thriving industry be sure to check out the people offering you services as much as they are checking out you and read the find print. Energy efficiency only happens when energy conservation or generation equipment is installed and there are certainly options where things can be implemented even yet this year.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or need any further information please do not hesitate to reach out. We want you to participate in the discussion and be part of the energy solution.

Motor Namaste