NCMI Blog

Business owners are always looking to cut overhead costs and save money. Our nation ranks first among the developed countries in energy wastefulness and most manufacturers, and facility owners or building managers often don’t realize the no-cost or low-cost options available for accomplishing noticeable energy savings.

1. Change the Lights

In areas where you are using incandescent bulbs (tungsten), change to compact fluorescent (CFL). This change is a low-cost option that produces energy savings of 75% for each bulb replaced. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), up to $200 can be saved for every five bulbs replaced. In the average company building, lighting makes up 50% of the total energy use.

2. Ditch the Phantom Waste

Smart Strip power cords are a low-cost option that will sense when phantom power is being used. When a device or machine is turned off, sometimes energy is still being wasted. Smart Strips monitor this as well as act as surge protectors.

3. Stop Heating and Cooling Loss

When your pipes and ductwork transfer hot air, hot water, AC or cold water from the source to another part of the building, energy loss occurs, causing the units to work much harder and waste more energy. A low-cost, energy-saving option is to make sure your mechanical insulation is up-to-date and regularly inspected. Mechanical insulation has been shown to save large buildings up to 78% on their energy bill and studies have found that up to 30% of mechanical insulation is damaged and not regularly inspected for maintenance.

4. Avoid Energy Spikes

A no-cost way to save energy includes shutting off machinery when the building is not operating. However, turning on multiple machines and systems will cause a major spike in the energy use and incur additional charges. By staging the mechanical turn-on process to ramp up the energy use slowly, these large spikes of excessive energy are spread out, charges are avoided and production is not compromised.

Utilizing these four steps will get your company started in the right direction for cutting out a large part of your energy waste. This will reduce the carbon footprint of your facility, as well as save your company a large amount of money over time.