3
Corporate Office 5415 Oberlin Drive San Diego, CA 92121 O: (858) 654-0102 F: (858) 654-0103 Wesley S. Dymek, Principal Rosemary Dymek, Principal VOLUME 68 PARAGON NEWS ENGINEERING NOVEMBER 2019 WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? If you would like to share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at [email protected] 8 SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ENERGY SAVINGS Take charge of your electricity bill with these quick tips. With winter right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to implement new strategies to save energy and cut costs. But we all know it’s not as easy as that—with occupant needs to consider and the seemingly ever- increasing price of energy, setting aggres- sive reduction goals and seeing them through to the subsequent savings can be an uphill battle. Nothing helps an initiative get off the ground like some easy victories, so the Greater Cincinnati Business Council has shared 8 tips (including some you can do to save money today) that can help your energy- reduction efforts score big on the electricity bill. USE PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS (PROPERLY) Programmable thermostats offer the dual benefit of not only allowing for a quick way to reduce heating and cooling costs, but also the convenience of not having to constantly worry whether the temperature is appropri- ate. A property-installed programmable thermostat allows you to program set points that allow you to reduce energy use when your facility is unoccupied but maintain comfort by the time you re-open. IMPLEMENT LIGHTING CHANGES You probably know that LEDs and CFLs can offer significant savings over incandescent bulbs, but an area of lighting that often goes overlooked is exit signage—since they are always on, make sure your exit signs are as efficient as possible. Occupant sensors are another quick fix that can help reduce light- ing costs, as well as checking for rebates that may be available from your utility provid- er. TURN OFF COMPUTERS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT AT THE END OF THE DAY Be sure to remind occupants to turn off their computers, printer, and copiers at the end of every work day, ideally have them un- plugged as well. An easy way to maintain this consistency is through the use of power strips that can simply be turned off, making it as simple as a button-push for occupants who may balk at the idea of having to unplug and re-attach their equipment every day. FORM AN EMPLOYEE GREEN TEAM Don’t underestimate the value of your occu- pants. If you want your energy-reduction initiative to get off the ground, you’ll need their support and participation. An employee green team is a great way to help keep everyone responsible for saving energy. CHECK INTERIORS AND EXTERIORS FOR DAMAGE You can’t fix it if you don’t know it’s there, so make building audits or walkthroughs a priority. Make sure to look for insulation issues with the roof, ceilings, doors, and windows. Any cracks or gaps can let air into the building, which diminishes energy perfor- mance. FIND UNDERPERFORMING EQUIP- MENT (AND REPLACE IT) During your regular building audits, take a look at your equipment to make it’s functioning as well as it can. Any efficient equipment should be re- placed, and be sure to look for ENER- GY STAR models if possible to ensure any new equipment is as efficient as possible. BENCHMARK YOUR ENERGY PERFORMANCE Use a tool like the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark your facility’s performance and find the right incentives to help implement improve- ments. Your building may even qualify for ENERGY STAR certification if your efficiency performance is good enough. JOIN OR START A LOCAL GREEN BUSINESS COUNCIL Green business councils give compa- nies a great resource to help identify sustainable strategies, share success stories, and identify ways to maximize available resources.
