December 2010

For do it yourself energy efficiency improvements there are thousands of websites offering advice and suggestions. Here is a collection of some of my favorites. These include one by the State of California, one by the U.S. Department of Energy and a rebate program site for PG&E customers. Through these sites you can easily identify and implement a variety of low cost energy saving opportunities, which are great financial vehicles for your money. Just as company stocks, CDs, bonds, U.S. Treasury notes and other banking investment can be a good opportunity to invest your money, energy efficiency projects are too, usually even better. Energy efficiency projects can take an upfront capital investment and then pay you back over time. Also, many of these projects have a much better rate of return and lower risk than many of their bank investment equivalents. Take a look at these sites and consider many of the projects they pose as worthy investments of your time and money. Do the calculations yourself and see how great these projects can be for your bottom line.

For business owners and decision makers with multiply facilities, energy management and energy efficiency is of the utmost importance because of the financial impacts that improved management practices provide. A portfolio management tool allows for business managers to control and understand their various energy uses throughout all of their facilities. By allowing a manager to access this information quickly and efficiently it allows them to be able to indentify improvement opportunities for money savings and other facility improvements. Some of the tools provided in a benchmarking program such as the Energy Star Program’s Portfolio Manager include: a rating opportunity to compare facilities to similar buildings, ability to calculate carbon footprint of facilities, prioritizing investment opportunities, tracking improvements and gaining EPA recognition for good performance. Through this tool, facility managers can also communicate with other facility managers to share best practices, stories and other critical facility management insights. If you or someone you know manages facilities as part of their job please take the time to look through this tool and use it to improve your facilities energy use and reduce your operating budget and greenhouse gas emissions.