Cooperative Living May 2023 - 20

CLOSER LOOK
Making it
Count
by Jennah Denney, Contributing Writer
money, it is important to have energyefficient
food-service equipment.
Additionally, kitchens in many other
kinds of small businesses use microwaves,
coffee makers and refrigerators, which
should be considered when reviewing
overall energy use.
HEATING AND COOLING
SYSTEMS
Heating and cooling account for
a large portion of a small business's
energy bills.
Tracking energy use and maintaining
Energy savings for small businesses
E
lectric cooperatives are proud
to serve small businesses that
are essential to our local
communities. As costs for pretty much
everything continue to rise, small
business owners are feeling strained.
Luckily, there are steps Virginia's and
Maryland's small business owners can
take to conserve energy - and save
money.
Many small businesses are in
commercial buildings smaller than
50,000 square feet. These buildings
use 44% of the energy consumed by
commercial buildings in the United
States. According to the EPA's ENERGY
STAR program, small businesses in
the U.S. collectively spend a staggering
$60 billion on annual energy costs.
Additionally, a survey conducted by
the National Federation of Independent
Business found that energy costs are a
top-three expense for more than a third
of the nation's small businesses.
Small businesses can reduce their
energy costs by taking advantage of
competitive rates, making upgrades to
increase efficiency, and making simple
changes to how they do business. This
can have a direct effect on a business's
bottom line and make it more
competitive in the current market.
18 ● Cooperative Living ●
May 2023
Here are a few areas small business
owners can focus on saving energy and
money:
LIGHTING
Many small businesses, like offices
and retail stores, depend greatly on
lighting, which can be a major expense.
There are two ways to increase the
efficiency of your business's lighting
system: install energy-efficient
equipment (bulbs and/or fixtures)
and change how you use lighting.
New LED bulbs use less energy and
last much longer. LEDs come in a variety
of options and prices, making them great
replacements for older, inefficient bulbs.
Encourage employees to turn off
lights when they're not being used.
You can also install light switches with
sensors, so lights automatically turn
off when no one is in the room.
EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES
Turning off office equipment and
appliances can help save energy and
money. Computer monitors can add
up to $30 to an office's energy bill if left
on during evenings and weekends.
Restaurants typically use up to 10
times more energy per square foot than
other commercial buildings. To save
the heating and cooling system can help
small business owners save on energy bills.
The system should be inspected annually,
and filters should be replaced regularly.
If the system needs replacing, consider
alternative options like a heat pump
with a seasonal energy-efficiency ratio
(SEER) of 13 or higher. Your local electric
co-op can offer advice on efficient heating
and cooling equipment.
TRANSPORTATION
Many businesses can recognize fuel
savings and lower the total cost of fleet
ownership and transportation networks
by switching to electric vehicles.
EVs can have lower maintenance
costs because they are often more reliable
than internal combustion engine (ICE)
vehicles. This is because EVs have fewer
mechanical parts that can break, and they
often provide better data to allow for
more proactive maintenance. Depending
on your business's transportation needs,
EVs may be able to provide better energy
savings for the long-term.
In conclusion, small businesses can
take simple steps to better control how
much energy they use and how they
use it. Not sure where to start? Ask your
electric co-op if they offer energy audits,
which can identify areas to save the
most energy. 
Jennah Denney writes on consumer and
cooperative affairs for the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association.
co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2023

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