Summer is here. Only time will tell if this is going to be a scorcher of a summer, bringing a heat wave similar to the one we experienced in 2011, or if we’ll finally get an overdue mild summer. Either way, there is a way you can do your part, as a business owner, to help keep commercial electricity rates low—conserve power.
Conserving power works as a one-two punch that can help curb your business electricity costs. When your organization makes an effort to lower its consumption, particularly during the peak hours of 3 pm to 7 pm, you benefit in two ways: one, the less power you use, the less power you’ll be charged for. And, two, the less power we all use collectively, the less likely we are to push the state’s demand beyond our capacity to produce.
In the last several weeks, this blog has focused a fair amount of attention on the issue of commercial electricity demand. While the experts at ERCOT (the Electric Reliability Council of Texas) have indicated that we should be fine through the summer of 2012, there is growing concern that state-wide demand could exceed our capacity for production as soon as 2013. If that happens, we could all be impacted by rolling blackouts and higher prices. However, if Texans make a concerted effort to lower consumption, especially during those peak afternoon hours, we lower our chances of running out of power.
Admittedly, there is a limited amount you can do to lower your commercial electricity usage. You have a business to run, and electricity isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. But there are some simple, small things you can do that help to lower your usage:
- Turn off lights when not in use. If a part of your office space, like a conference room, isn’t in constant use, make sure the lights are off when it’s empty.
- Turn off computer monitors when not in use. Computer monitors use a surprising amount of power, even if the computer itself is sleeping. Turning off monitors at night or when employees are in meetings can help to lower your consumption.
- Turn up the thermostat a degree or two. This one is, admittedly, a tall order. It’s hot outside and our air conditioning is not something we’re willing to part with. That said, one-two degrees isn’t a huge jump and may not even be all that noticeable, but the savings potential, especially if you’re cooling a larger office or warehouse space, is considerable.
Beyond those simple, easy tips, there are more dramatic steps an organization can take to curb business electricity costs, such as “weatherizing” your building by updating windows, weather stripping and even insulation to minimize the impact of outside temperatures.
At Live Energy, our goal is to help you find creative and effective ways to manage your business electricity account while also saving you money. We focus our considerable resources directly toward helping you in any way we can—from simple, small suggestions like the ones above, to complex analysis and consultation during the contracting process. We’d like for you to think of us as your energy experts, and we’re here to help.
To find out more about how the team at Live Energy can help you lower your business electricity costs, please contact us today at (817) 810-7770.
