According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it’s estimated that up to 30 percent of the energy consumed by commercial properties is wasted. From heating and/or cooling spaces where nobody is present to lights unnecessarily left on to the various draws of electronic equipment and high utility rates, this wasted energy is energy that your firm is paying for. And when you consider that commercial properties account for about 20 percent of all the energy used in the United States, even a modest decrease could go a long way toward also reducing emissions to achieve sustainability goals.
But in order to reduce energy consumption, it’s important for a firm to gain actionable insight to create a strategy. As you might expect, this can’t be done by just guessing what improvements or adjustments need to be made to reach energy reduction goals. That’s where an energy audit can come in handy. In this post, we’ll discuss why it’s important to perform a commercial energy audit, the benefits of conducting an energy audit in Atlanta, and other ways to save power. Here’s a closer look.
Why Do A Comprehensive Energy Audit?
According to National Grid U.S., the average office building in the United States spends more than $1.30 per square foot on electricity and nearly 20 cents per square foot on natural gas. Take a minute and do the math based on the size of your property and these figures. The amount that your firm pays in utilities is likely to be significant. But like we said in the opening, some 30 percent of this energy that is used is wasted. And beyond energy conservation, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate. In order to know how you can improve energy efficiency, it’s imperative to identify where it’s being wasted and where adjustments can be made. That’s the big value of having an energy audit performed, as a professional will analyze every nook and cranny of your property and deliver a detailed report that identifies inefficiencies and potential improvements.
Improving energy efficiency doesn’t typically involve instituting one big change or initiative, but a multitude of small changes that all add up collectively. An energy audit can help identify these small changes that your firm can enact.
How an Energy Audit Works
Energy audits are multi-step analyses that involve a lot of moving parts. Here’s a look at how a typical audit from Green Line Rates tends to unfold:
Initial Kick-Off
Audits tend to begin with an initial consultation to review current utility usage, operation schedule, and any energy reduction goals your firm is striving for.
Access to Utility Records, Rate Analysis
After the kick-off, energy audits will typically take a close look at your firm’s utility bills and utility rate history. In this phase, auditors will scan energy bills to look for any errors, opportunities to negotiate better rates, alternative energy options, and more. In many cases, an audit will find that properties are not receiving the lowest possible rates eligible for the property. Auditors will work with the utility companies to optimize service and negotiate better rates.
Present Energy Audit
Once the audit crunches the numbers, firms are presented with a comprehensive report for their review outlining the recommended changes and potential savings that can be realized.
Implement Suggested Changes
After reviewing the energy audit, firms typically sign a customer agreement to permit the strategies outlined to go into effect. From negotiating lower utility rates to other improvements outlined in the audit, energy auditors will track your firm’s monthly savings so you can get a better idea of just how much money you’re saving on utility costs in the short and long term.
Benefits of Energy Audits
While energy audits come with an upfront cost, they tend to pay for themselves over time in reduced overall utility bills when the strategies outlined in the said audit are followed and executed. Some of the other key benefits of energy audits include:
- Reduced environmental impact and release of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Reduced consumption of natural resources and dependence on foreign energy.
- Reduced heating and cooling costs also tend to mean less wear and tear on your firm’s HVAC equipment, which can help it last for longer.
- Reduced energy without sacrificing the property’s comfortability.
- Identify renewable sources of energy that your firm may be eligible to operate on.
- Energy audits can help a firm achieve any published sustainability goals.
- More efficient operations can become a competitive advantage for certain firms. For example, with more consumers making purchasing decisions based on how environmentally conscious a firm or brand is, efforts to become more sustainable can become a marketing talking point when advertising to current and prospective customers.
And finally, an energy audit can help reduce overall operations costs, thereby improving your bottom line and allowing a firm to potentially run more profitably.
How Can I Save Money on Georgia Power?
Saving money on utility costs involves a lot more than just making sure you turn the lights off when you leave a room or turning the thermostat down when nobody is left in a room or building. That’s why an energy audit is so crucial to meeting any energy reduction goals and cost savings. An audit can assess current consumption within a facility and provide actionable insight into what a firm can do to significantly reduce its output. An audit will provide the details on how to save money on power, it’ll just be up to your firm to follow through on the plan.
Contact Green Line Rates Today
For more information on the value of an energy audit in Atlanta and to get started with your firm’s audit, contact Green Line Rates today. Start slashing that 30 percent of wasted energy your facility likely uses and improving your bottom line.