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February 21, 2006 How to Beat the Winter Blues High energy bills are an inescapable cost and for many distribution centers in northern areas, winter can lead to shockingly high heating costs. With energy prices rising, energy conservation is a must for distribution centers. Those high bills, for heating oil and natural gas, are causing distributors to start making big efforts to keep costs down. However, a few warehouse modifications can mean big savings. By taking several simple steps businesses can identify commonly overlooked areas for energy savings, save on energy bills this winter, and help establish an energy management strategy that saves money year after year. The EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) recommends the following five steps to help your distribution center save energy this winter and achieve a cost savings of 10% or more. 1. Establish the energy use of your building(s) and set a savings goal. It is hard to manage what you do not measure. Establishing the current energy use of your building is a must in order to determine a realistic savings goal. 2. Inspect heating and cooling equipment now and perform monthly maintenance. For commercial buildings nationwide almost 35% of energy is used for space heating. In the food distributor/processing space more than 60% is used for cooling and freezing. As the winter season continues, it is important to verify that all heating and cooling equipment is functioning properly. Simply ensuring that equipment is functioning properly can itself be expected to reduce heating costs 5% and much more if major problems are caught early. Major items to check would be: a. Inspect ducts and seal any leaks. b. Check air filters throughout the building. Dirty or clogged air filters decrease air flow thereby increasing the energy use required for heating and cooling. c. Ensure that hot water or steam valves are in their proper positions to allow full flow with minimal pressure drop within the piping system. d. Keep in mind that if the operation of your heating system is regulated by a thermostat you could be missing out on easy savings. Typical thermostat settings range from 68F to 74F. During the winter, the EPA recommends setting your controls towards the lower end of this range. 3. Turn back or turn off heating and cooling equipment when not needed. Many businesses operate heating and cooling systems 24 hours a day. While this is necessary in some cases, is it really necessary in yours? If you can cut back just one hour of operation out of every 12, the energy bill savings will be around roughly 8%. Wall mounted thermostats usually have a nighttime setback feature which you should fully take advantage of if possible. 4. Get the occupants involved. Employee behavior can have substantial impacts on energy use as they influence the power required for lighting, computer operation, heating, and other energy uses. Employee awareness will help you to cope with expensive winters. Encourage employees to power down electronics when not in use. This includes unplugging power strips at the end of the day, as they consume energy even when equipment is shut off. Remind them about the importance of conserving heat, which they will understand, because when they go home they have their own heating bills to pay. 5. Improve lighting systems. Lighting uses roughly 13% of the energy in commercial buildings, the second largest use after heating and cooling equipment. Looking carefully at your lighting systems, considering upgrading equipment, performing regular maintenance, and making sure lights are turned off when not in sue can offer significant savings. It has proven to be more cost effective with today’s technology to replace older lighting systems and save 30% or more on lighting expenses, which can total about 5% or more on overall energy expenses. Finally another technology to consider is air rotation technology, which will help minimize your heating costs and prevent heat loss. Because warm air rises, much of a building’s heat is lost through the roof. An air rotation system draws in cool air at floor level and releases it higher up in the DC to mix with the hot air. This creates an airflow pattern that forces warm air back to the floor level and distributes heat more evenly throughout the facility. Plus air rotation systems are the LEAST EXPENSIVE way to heat a DC. They are best for facilities with a ceiling that is more than 25 feet off the ground. Furthermore, consider supplementing an air rotation system with destratification fans- large fans that help push the warm air down toward the floor. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is to place one destratification fan for every four light fixtures. Energy Bill Savings Will Chase Away Your Winter Blues! To Unsubscribe
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