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Energy efficient lighting not only contributes to a better environment but also saves huge energy costs. By retrofitting lights you can upgrade your existing lighting system to more energy efficient one. LED retrofit is about replacing certain parts of the lighting system with others that make more sense, with respect to saving energy.

Energy savings may not be apparent immediately, but are realized only over a period of time. The savings that occur over the life time of the energy efficient device is sufficient to pay for the cost of the equipment and generate further returns.

LED retrofit technology is becoming more and more popular as a relatively straightforward and simple solution for energy savings. Commercial facilities and cities use a lot of power and the modern lifestyle also does not make it easy to reduce energy consumption. But just by adopting the LED retrofit lighting system in your office or home, you can contribute a great deal to making the planet just a little bit greener as well as reduce your energy consumption cost.

The ordinary lighting fixtures that are installed in homes and offices consume a lot of energy. Homeowners can make a wise investment towards lighting retrofit and save energy costs by more than 40%. It is estimated that if all the buildings in the US were to be upgraded to the LED retrofit lighting system, the demand for electricity can be reduced by over 30% and energy savings of above $250 billion can be made.

If you conduct an energy audit, you will understand how much energy is being wasted in your home or office, and how much savings can be made by switching to a more energy efficient technology. Retrofitting ensures guaranteed cost savings as well as positive cash flow.

An LED retrofit lighting system is expected to have a payback period of 3 years and a return of slightly above 30% can be expected. This is considering the cost of retrofit equipment, installation and maintenance.

The US Department of Energy conducted a study which found that 50% energy savings can be made in a cost-effective way by retrofitting walkway lighting. This can be achieved while still easily meeting the minimum recommended illumination levels for walkways.

LED fixtures cost more to purchase than the traditional light sources. There are many factors that contribute to the effective and economic performance of LEDs, so a range of payback scenarios exist. But a lower wattage luminaire significantly reduces the payback period. Keeping an eye on the desired level of illumination and selecting the least wattage that will help you achieve that is the best way to reduce the payback period.

LED retrofits are now available for display lighting, underwater lighting, cove lighting, residential and office space lighting, architectural details and other lighting applications. The technology is also dramatically improving at a rapid pace. Along with improvement in the chip performance and reduction in price, the payback periods of LED retrofits will continue to come down.

Homeowners need to be armed with accurate information in order to make the best choices about the many available options. That’s especially true as energy costs continue to climb. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program estimates that the savings from replacing single-pane with Energy Star-qualified windows ranges from $125 to $340 a year for a typical home.

Since this is the time of year when many homeowners embark on remodeling projects, here are five basic tips for selecting the most energy efficient windows and doors for your home.

* Use Low-E glass. Select windows with Low-E glass, which controls the amount of heat transferred through the window and prevents heat loss in the winter. Jeld-Wen, a window and door manufacturer, now offers Low-E glass as a standard for its wood and clad wood windows and as an upgrade option for its vinyl windows.

* Update technology. Replace older single-pane windows with dual-pane units, which insulate the home from both cold and hot weather. Using both Low-E glass and insulating glass units will reduce home energy costs.

* Consider how they’re made. Choose doors with energy-efficient cores, sills and frames that provide a barrier to energy exchange. Dual-pane, Low-E glass helps ensure that they will be weathertight and energy efficient. For example, studies show that over time, steel doors made with polystyrene maintain energy ratings better than doors made with polyurethane.

* Understand the standards. Efficiency ratings are based on U-factor, which is the amount of heat flow through a product. The lower the U-factor, the more efficient the product. Efficiency also is measured by Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC), which indicates the ability to block heat generated by sunlight. The lower the SHGC, the better. Finally, experts evaluate Visible Light Transmission, which is the percentage of sunlight that is able to penetrate a window or door. Higher percentages mean more light will enter through the glass.

* Focus on efficiency, not bells and whistles. Manufacturers achieve efficiency in different ways. No matter what technology is employed, one of the easiest ways to identify the most energy-efficient products is to simply look for the Energy Star label.

Here are a few ways to save energy in your home:

* Windows and doors: Today’s architecture takes advantage of increased window space and elaborate entry systems. This style enhancement certainly adds to the appeal of a home, but it increases the importance of having energy-efficient windows and doors.

On average, a household spends nearly 50 percent of its annual energy costs in heating and cooling. You can reduce this expense by up to 15 percent by using energy-efficient windows and doors, which help decrease the transfer of heat. Start by looking for products that have the Energy Star label. This label identifies products that meet the strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

* Construction materials: Wood or vinyl (for windows) and steel (for doors) offer high energy efficiency. For windows, dual-pane insulating glass units and low-emissivity glass also increase the products’ energy efficiency. For steel doors, look for a polystyrene core, which helps the door retain its energy-saving properties longer than steel doors with a polyurethane core.

Rest assured, however, that you will not have to forgo style and beauty when seeking energy efficiency. Many manufacturers, such as Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors, offer a variety of Energy Star-qualified products that are attractive, durable and provide superior performance. In fact, upgrading windows and doors is a great way to build energy savings into your current home.

* Insulating your home: In addition to diminishing heat transfer through windows and doors, you can ensure even temperatures in the home by selecting proper insulation. Well-insulated homes can save up to 30 percent on heating and cooling costs. Pay attention to the R-values used to rate the energy efficiency of insulation – a higher R-value indicates a better ability to resist heat flow, meaning that it is more energy efficient.

* Heating and cooling engines: Installing oversized heating or cooling equipment is a common practice to provide customers with immediate results. However, oversized equipment is not necessary if your home is designed to conserve energy; it will only add to the growth of your energy bill.

Visit a local home improvement center to learn more about heating and cooling options.

If you live in an older home, especially if it was built during a rapid growth period to support industries long gone, it’s very likely that you live in a wooden box that allows much of your heated or cooled air to escape with ease. It’s likely that this old and ancient form of home construction is responsible for your energy costs being three to five times greater than that of a similarly sized new home.

Why is this? Why is your home missing many of the basic things that are standard on new homes? There are a few possibilities…

- since coal and wood heat were so cheap at the time of construction, thoughts of sealing the home may have been viewed as an unnecessary expense.

- the home was deliberately built to allow air to enter the home since the use of multiple coal or wood burning stoves required large amounts of fresh air.

- the home was built as quickly and as cheaply as possible to entice families to locate there in an effort to increase the available work force.

The two major issues with older home construction is excessive ‘air infiltration’ and inadequate ‘insulation’.

AIR INFILTRATION

Air infiltration is the process by which air enters through cracks and crevices in the siding, through roof overhangs, and around door and window frames. Infiltration, or ‘drafts’ is the direct result of ‘loose construction’ due to the lack of seals around the edges of doors, windows, siding and roofing.

If it were possible to find and measure the length of the crack around every window, door and unnecessary opening, your total crack length could easily surpass 300 linear feet (16 linear feet per window, 20 linear feet per door and 100 linear feet to cover all remaining cracks and openings). If the average crack width is just one-eighth of an inch in size (I’m being conservative) and the length of crack is 300 linear feet (3600 inches), the actual hole size, were it to exist in just one place, would be 450 square inches or a hole that is 21.2 inches wide by 21.2 inches wide. In essence, you have a 2 ft. x 2 ft. window wide open all year long, regardless of how hot or cold the outside temperature is.

Your goal is to find a way to shut that virtual window. Short of totally renovating the home, you’ll never eliminate every draft, but you can make a noticable dent if you do what is necessary to reduce the amount of air infiltration to one third or less of its current level.

INADEQUATE INSULATION

Insulation is gauged by an ‘R-Value’ which is simply a measure of ‘R’esistance to hot or cold. The higher the r-value, the harder it is for heated or cooled air to pass through.

The outside walls on newer homes are often insulated to a r-value of 19 or more. Their attic spaces can easily be insulated to a r-value of 30 or more. In comparison, most older homes have inadequate insulation values that struggle to reach an r-value of 2 to 3 if you give credit to the layers of wood and siding, but this is almost negligible.

Even the tiniest bit of insulating can make a big difference. When performing heating load calculations, a wall with no insulation gets a heating loss multiplier of 19, compared to having a multiplier of only 6 if a 3 1/2 layer of R-11 insulation were added. That first level of protection decreases the loss of heat through the wall by 3 times! Even more phenomenal, an attic ceiling with no insulation gets a heating loss multiplier of 42. This too can be reduced to a multiplier of only 6 by adding that first layer of R-11 insulation, decreasing the heat loss by 7 times!

More insulation means even more savings. To further cut your heating loss in half, increase your insulation value from 3 1/2 inch (R-11) to 6 inch (R-19) where space permits. Your goal is to increase your homes resistance to outside temperatures by twice its current value or more.

- WINDOWS

When looking at older windows, you have the following options:

1. If the window has a single pane and its storm window is missing or damaged, don’t waste your time and material on repairs since it would be more cost effective and quicker to install a modern replacement window that will seal better and be easier to use and clean.

2. If the window is single pane and has adequate storm windows, replace any missing or loose caulking around the outside edges of the window pane(s) and re-caulk around both the inside and outside of the storm window, leaving the bottom weep holes uncaulked.

3. If the window uses weights to open and close, a large area exists next to each window to hide the weights. Remove the moldings that cover the weights and seal each inside corner edge of the cavern with non-expanding foam spray. Once dry, pad the back area with R-11 to R-13 insulation. Be sure to leave adequate space for the weights to move.

- If the ropes to your weights are broken, replace the lines with new. Clothesline rope generally works fine.

4. During colder winter months where the window would not normally be opened, you could also encase the inside of the window by installing a heat shrinkable plastic kit.

5. If the solid wood frame window does not close enough to allow for the locking mechanism to engage, the window will not be able to be closed tightly. It may be necessary to remove the bottom window and plane its bottom edge to provide additional space for the window to close properly.

6. If the window closes well, but it’s obvious that the window is not sealed tight against the window base, foam based weather stripping could be installed on the base of the window to help create a better seal.

- Many older wooden windows have uneven gaps at the base, making the use of weather stripping difficult. To resolve this, open the window and place a large bead of caulking on the window sill along the entire width of the center of where the window would close. Cover the caulking lightly with plastic wrap, overlapping the caulking by several inches both towards you and away from you. Close the window gently and tightly and let sit for at least 24 hours. Once the caulking has cured, open the window and remove the plastic wrap, and behold, you now have a weather seal that fits your window base perfectly.

- DOORS

When looking at older doors, you have the following options:

1. If the door is a solid core wooden door with a large section of single pane glass, cut a piece of Plexiglas one half inch larger than the total width and height of the glass. Using clear silicon caulking, apply a thin bead along the perimeter of the Plexiglas and set in place on the wooden door, over the glass area, leaving a void between the existing glass and Plexiglas. Add a border molding as desired.

2. If a storm door does not exist or if the existing storm door is in poor shape, install a new storm door.

3. For any type of door, add additional weather seals along the top and sides if air passes through when closed. Likewise, install new weather stripping to the base if air passes through when closed.

4. If an exterior door has an ancient skeleton key system, air will blow right through its keyhole. Replace this form of lock with new and you will eliminate this needless draft.

- WALLS

For a home that is not insulated or sealed, the volume of air moving within the walls and ceilings can be staggering. To resolve these issues, sort of performing an entire renovation where all walls and ceiling spaces are insulated, you have the following options:

1. All unfinished walls and ceilings in the attic should be insulated if possible. It may be necessary to cut through finished walls to get to some areas if access doors are not provided to get into any crawl spaces.

2. If funding permits, have insulation blown into all exterior walls.

3. In the basement where the top of the basement wall ends and the first floor wall begins, insulate and seal these spaces.

4. If you have a closed-in front or back porch, consider making this a true thermal barrier by insulating its walls and ceiling.

The bottom line is that there are inexpensive methods and ideas to reduce your heating and cooling costs, even if you have an older home. Start by doing just one room at a time and work your way down from the attic. Whether you have the finances to do this in a week, a month or a year, make it a point to do it and you will save countless dollars beyond what you spend, plus you will have helped make our planet a little bit greener.

Introduction: Energy Savings Tracking Methods
After installing energy conservation measures (ECMs), Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) often determine the energy savings resulting from the project and present the savings results to their customers.  A common way to calculate energy savings is to measure the flows of energy associated with the ECM, and then to apply spreadsheet calculations to determine savings.  For example, a chiller retrofit would might require measurements of chilled water supply and return temperatures and kW.  The benefit of this approach is that the ECM is isolated, and that only energy flows associated with the ECM itself are considered.  

This method is described as Option A or Option B in the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).  Table 1 presents the different options.  Option A requires some measurement and allows for estimations of some parameters.  Option B requires measurement of all parameters.  In both options, calculations are done (typically in spreadsheets) to determine what energy savings.  Option C uses utility bills to determine energy savings.  

Some ESCOs Have Limited Options
There are many situations where Option A or Option B (Metering and Calculating) is the best approach to measuring energy savings, however, some ESCOs insist upon only using Option A or Option B, when clearly Option C would be most appropriate.  If the ESCO was a lighting contractor, then Option A should work in all cases.  Spot measurements of fixtures before and after, agreed upon hours of operation, and simple calculations can be inserted into a spreadsheet that can calculate savings.  The same spreadsheet can be used over and over.  However, for ESCOs that offer a variety of different retrofits, it is necessary to be able to employ all options so that the best option can be selected for each individual job.  Controls Retrofits, or retrofits to HVAC systems are typically excellent candidates for Option C.

However there are drawbacks with metering and calculating savings and these can include:  
-    Greater expense
-    Difficulties convincing the customer of the appropriateness and veracity of the method and savings numbers
-    Inability to handle interactive or many difficult ECMs.

ESCOs that do not have the capacity to employ all options are at a disadvantage over those ESCOs that can employ them all.  Specifically, we want to address those ESCOs that only employ Option A and Option B.  These ESCOs may encounter the following problems due to their limited offerings:
-    Measurement and Verification costs can be greater, which lead to higher project costs, which can limit the energy projects that the ESCO can sell.  The lack of Measurement and Verification options overall can make the ESCO less competitive, and hurt the financial performance of the ESCO.
-    Using Options A or B sometimes require the customer to understand and approve of complex energy calculations.  These options are often difficult to explain to customers who insist upon seeing savings in their utility bills.  Customer satisfaction can suffer if Option C is not made available to customers who want to see savings on their bills.
-    Options A and B cannot handle difficult ECMs.  The methods used to determine savings are inaccurate, and make large assumptions that cannot be borne out if a third party consultant is hired to oversee the savings determination process.

These issues are discussed in more detail below.

Cost of Utility Bill Analysis vs. Metering and Calculating
Measurement and Verification should cost between 1% and 15% of the project cost.  Metering and calculating savings often has costs associated with labor and equipment.  As many project configurations are different, projects typically require unique configurations of sensors, placements of sensors and savings calculations.  On more complicated ECMs, only highly skilled energy professionals can determine which measurement devices should be applied, and to what components.  Manipulating data, and finally creating spreadsheets with engineering calculations also requires skilled personnel who command high wages.  Metering equipment also has a cost, and for many projects, metering equipment, or control points, have to be purchased, and remain on the job for years.  

Of course, there are cases where metering and calculating is the least expensive and the most desirable method.  If an ESCO only provides a lighting retrofit, then measuring a selection of lighting fixtures before and after the retrofit, and producing a spreadsheet that determines savings is the best option.  

On the other hand, utility bill analysis is inexpensive.  With specialized utility bill analysis software, clerical workers can create the Measurement and Verification analysis.  Bills are entered, weather imported, a linear regression performed, and reports made.  Capital need not be sunk into metering equipment or control points or into long hours of analysis and data manipulation.  Typically for utility bill analysis, measurement and verification costs are a fraction of what costs for retrofit isolation savings are – ranging between 1 and 5% of project costs.

Explaining Savings Numbers to Customers
Customers understand utility bills.  The reason they entered into an energy savings contract is often triggered by the desire to lower their energy bills.  Retrofit Isolation methods do not address the customer’s utility bill.  A project may be saving energy, but the utility bill may actually be increasing.  Retrofit Isolation does not address this at all.  ESCOs need to be responsive to customer’s needs, and this is done through communicating in a manner that the customer’s understand.  They want to see the savings on their utility bills – this is a method they would trust.  

In addition, customers are sometimes mistrustful of energy service companies that provide savings numbers that the customer cannot understand.  Although the calculations in the spreadsheet may appear perfectly reasonable to the energy analyst, to a customer who is not well-versed in math, the calculations may remain incomprehensible, and the customer is thereby required to trust the energy service company, sometimes leading to mistrust.  Energy savings calculations should remain as simple as possible and explained in a manner that the customer can understand.  This makes the customer’s job easier, and reassures the customer that the energy service company is acting in a truthful manner.

For these reason, more and more customers ask for Measurement and Verification using utility bills.  

Difficult and Interactive Energy Conservation Measures
For many energy conservation measures, Retrofit Isolation is the best option.  This would include lighting savings, savings from energy efficient motors, and from other non-weather dependent energy users.  

However it is very difficult or impossible to measure savings for some energy conservation measures.  Still, some ESCOs insist on using Retrofit Isolation for these difficult measures.  For example, engineering calculations can be made estimating the savings to be had by shutting down air handlers at night.  But, assuming that the air handlers receive chilled water from a chilled water loop shared with other air handlers, how is one to measure energy savings?  Fan savings are easy (assuming the unit is constant volume), but in order to calculate savings, several estimations need to be made, which result in an estimate of energy savings, just as accurate before the retrofit took place as after it took place.  Suppose the unit is a VAV system, at what percentage would the fan have been running?  Suppose the cooling coil and/or heating coil modulated to meet a changing supply air set point – how are the fan CFM, cooling and heating loads to be calculated if the unit is not running and measurements can not be made?

Controls retrofits are difficult to measure and quantify directly.  Usually, however, when a controls or commissioning measure is enacted, more than one item is adjusted, which further complicates an already difficult task.  Suppose a partially working economizer was fixed, in addition to putting the fan on a variable speed drive, in addition to shutting off the air handler during unoccupied hours, and finally upgrading the chiller plant.  Each of these measures would interfere with the savings calculations of the other.  How can one calculate chiller savings, when the loads have changed so dramatically via the economizer, reduced hours and reduced air flow?  This is a very difficult task, that most likely cannot be done with an acceptable degree of certainty.  

Complicated cases like this require utility bill analysis to measure and quantify savings.  The procedure is very simple, inexpensive, and easy to explain relative to many Retrofit Isolation methods.

Benefits of Utility Bill Analysis
The benefits of utility bill analysis to calculate energy project savings are as follows:

-    Utility Bill Analysis, by its nature, is relatively simple, and does not require complicated engineering analysis.  
-    Utility Bill Analysis is relatively inexpensive, as it requires less skilled workers, less time and no dedicated equipment.
-    Utility Bill Analysis provides savings numbers in a format and method that makes sense to the customer.  
-    Utility Bill Analysis is the best method to handle complicated energy conservation projects, or projects which interact with each other, making assessment of individual measures impossible.
-    ESCOs can use the fact that energy savings is determined using the customers’ utility bills as a selling point.

Utility Bill Analysis and Changes in Weather
Unfortunately, a simple comparison of pre-retrofit and post-retrofit utility bills is usually not an effective method to determine energy savings from ECMs.  Weather varies from year to year, and affects the amount of heating or cooling energy usage, which can interfere with actual utility savings numbers.  For a fair analysis, utility bills should be “corrected” for weather data, which results in a reasonable savings determination.  Linear regression is applied to utility usage versus degree days to determine pre-retrofit utility usage patterns, which are then compared to post-retrofit utility usage to determine savings.  Unfortunately, the scope of this paper is limited, and cannot present the method in detail.  Weather-correcting for weather is easy, however, as specialized software, used by ESCOs around the world, simplifies the weather correction process and presents savings reports.

Drawbacks of Utility Bill Analysis
Facilities may change their energy usage patterns, by installing more equipment, building additions, occupancy changes, etc.  This upsets the existing utility bill comparison of pre-retrofit to post-retrofit usage.  These changes need to be monitored and accounted for with Baseline Modifications.  

There is a certain amount of randomness in utility bill comparison.  So many factors influence the amount of energy usage in any given month, and they cannot all be accounted for.  As a result, if you are trying to show savings that is less than 10% of the total electricity load, then the randomness in the bills may seriously interfere with the accuracy of your savings calculations.

If you track savings by comparing utility bills, you will only be able to track total savings for a given meter, but you will not be able to separate out the savings for different Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs).  For example, if you installed a lighting retrofit, an energy efficient chiller and a control system in a hospital, you will not be able to tell how much energy is being saved by the control system.  Energy analysts try to do break out the savings for each ECM occasionally, but they are only making educated guesses.  

Conclusion
When an ESCO approaches a performance contract, there are several measurement and verification options available.  Those ESCOs that only have at their disposal a limited set of options are often spending too much money on measurement and verification, and therefore are held back from selling larger projects, and limit their own success.

Customer satisfaction may suffer when ESCOs only offer Retrofit Isolation approaches to Measurement and Verification, as customers may want to see savings in their utility bills.  ESCOs who refuse to speak in the same language or terms as the customer may suffer decreased customer satisfaction.

Rising production costs and fierce competition is resulting in manufacturing companies looking at all aspects of savings, especially energy savings.

Spray nozzles of the right specification can lead to significant savings in both energy and raw materials.

One of the overlooked areas is the use of the correct spray nozzle. Whilst frequently ignored in the manufacturing process, it is often this item of equipment that is the most important. Header tanks, pumps sophisticated controls, pipe work are all immaterial if the spray nozzle “at the sharp end” is not delivering the right amount of fluid (flow rate) at the correct spray angle and with the right spray pattern. This can lead to excessive wear on the pumps and ancillary equipment resulting in higher energy consumption and related costs.

The phrase it sprays, is often used, but how effectively is often not considered.

In addition to these more obvious savings there are a many “hidden” savings to be made.

Expensive down time and failed equipment could be contributed to poor nozzle performance.

Production lines designed to operate continuously are expensive items if shut down owing to badly performing spray nozzles and this failure could affect the total production plant with the resulting unsuccessful distribution to customers, which in turn may affect their production.

All this from the wrong or poor performing spray nozzle!!

The correct spray configuration is essential to maximise the spraying operation and continuous spray nozzle development will lead to greater beneficial savings.

In addition, the wrong or worn out spray nozzle will eventually lead to poor finished products and possible rejection of expensive products. This could result in extra production to make good these shortfalls, with the resulting increase in energy costs. All this will reduce profit margins.

Initial investment will be required to introduce the correct nozzle, but payback can probably be counted in months and in some case weeks.

As an ongoing maintenance program, substantial savings will be made by regular inspection and maintenance of the spray operation and possible replacement when nozzles become worn, through blockages, corrosion, wear and accidental damage

Regular maintenance of the spray nozzles must be undertaken to ensure the nozzles have optimum spray performance.

All nozzle configurations should be analysed on a regular basis to ensure that the spray pattern, flow and operating pressure cannot be improved upon, possibly with new nozzle technology, or the fact that the application process has not changed. The latter being the case then a new specification should be sought.

As well as energy savings, raw material savings must also be taken into consideration and it is feasible to experience water reduction of up to 40% in certain industries and spray nozzle applications.

Also to be taken into consideration must be the application where the spray fluid is not water, but more expensive chemicals or fluids. With correct nozzle design even greater savings may be achieved.

Energy savings can be made in pump operation and it some case it is possible to reduce the number of pressure pumps, thereby saving considerable operating costs and associated maintenance cost.

To summarise, energy savings, raw material savings and a reduction in the wear and tear of other equipment can all be experienced if the correct spray nozzle is specified.

The specification must include nozzle material, spray angle, spray pattern, flow and pressure. With all these set correctly a regular maintenance programme should be undertaken. With the correct specification and maintenance schedule then energy and raw material savings can be expected.

Government statistics report that conserving energy costs in the home can save a household several hundred, even several thousand, dollars per year on their utility bills. Replacing your older appliances and elements of your home’s structure, such as older windows and doors, with more energy-efficient alternatives, such as products that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines, is an important step to maximizing the amount of money you can save.

ENERGY STAR is a government program that identifies products – including appliances, home electronics, and home improvement products – that meet energy efficiency guidelines that exceed the minimum federal standards, as determined by the U.S. Department of Energy. You can identify a product that meets the organization’s guidelines by looking for the signature blue ENERGY STAR logo.

The ENERGY STAR program began as a voluntary labeling tool to “identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” It started with the labeling of computers and monitors and more than a decade later, has expanded to identify all types of products used in homes and offices that conserve energy. The result: Consumers and businesses have saved billions of dollars since the program began – $12 billion in 2005 alone.

Energy-efficient appliances – such as refrigerators and freezers, clothing washers, dishwashers, dehumidifiers and window air conditioning units – can cut consumer utility bills in half when compared with standard models. And home improvement products with an ENERGY STAR rating – such as vinyl replacement windows, doors, skylights and siding – help to better maintain your home’s temperature control, cutting heating and cooling costs anywhere from $20 to $400 per year.

If you’ve been searching for a product in any one of the more than 40 categories rated by ENERGY STAR, you may have come across the organization’s blue logo. That seal of approval indicates that the item can perform as well as, or better than, comparable products, but save you more money than if you purchased a less energy-efficient option.

A refrigerator meeting ENERGY STAR’s energy conservation guidelines today: Uses 40% less energy than models sold in 2001, saves its owner 15% in energy costs when compared with other models (freezers save 10%) and compact models, with volumes less than 7.75 square feet, save 20%. A washing machine that meets ENERGY STAR guidelines: Saves its owner up to $110 per year, requires 50% less energy than standard washing machines, uses up to 50% less water and has more efficient spinning cycles to reduce drying time.

Energy-efficient appliances provide an obvious cost savings for a household’s energy expenses. And other products that meet ENERGY STAR standards, such as vinyl replacement windows, doors, skylights and siding, make a significant contribution to keeping those costs down as well. Replacing your existing windows and siding with newer, better designed vinyl replacement windows and insulated siding can quadruple the insulation value of your home and save an average of 30% on your utility bills.

In addition to saving money, vinyl replacement windows with this rating create a more comfortable living environment by eliminating drafts, blocking heat, Offering protection from sun damage and reducing interior condensation on windows. In the winter, energy-efficient vinyl replacement windows keep the interior glass warmer for better temperature control. And the warmer the window, the less interior condensation that, over time, can damage your window sill and paint job, and encourage mold growth.

In the summer, these windows also block 45 to 70% of the sun’s heat and provide “sunscreen” to your home by blocking ultraviolet light that can reduce fading up to 75% without compromising visible light.

Whether you are looking to add to the beauty of your home and lower your energy bills by installing vinyl replacement windows, or you want to make a smart decision when choosing your next dishwasher or window air conditioning unit, products that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines offer an economical alternative that leaves more money in your pocket.

Energy plays a very important role in industry , Industries could be classified into heavy energy consumer , medium energy consumer and low energy consumer . Organization have started doing energy audits in their plants , offices etc .Such studies has highlighted waste of energy and requirement of energy efficient technology.

Some areas for energy cost reductions.

OFFICE:

Large Corporations or factories have bigger administration offices like accounts , sales , purchase,human resources ,production planning ,canteens ,rest rooms ,common rooms etc .Each dept or sections has certain utilities like air conditioners , photocopiers ,fans ,air washers ,lights etc .Cost reduction in energy bill can be achieved through proper monitoring optimization of equipments

LIGHTING

HEATING

COOLINGFANS

PLANTS

Any manufacturing unit would consume ;energy for its production purpose. With monitoring and proper utilization of equipments We can have substantial cost reduction in energy cost .Energy could be in various form thermal or electrical. Few Ideas

PRIME MOVERS ( MOTORS ) :

Replace higher rating motors by lower hp motors

Use variable frequency drive where ever possible

AIR CONDITIONING :

Set temperature to comfort levels .

Insulation to be placed on all cooling surfaces

COOLING TOWERS:

Install Plastic blades instead of metal casting blades for fan motor

BOILERSFURNACES /OVENS

Use Heat exchanger to recover heat

FUEL ALTERNATE :

Use Gas as fuel instead of high speed diesel or low diesel oil

ENERGY ELECTRICAL :

Use capacitor bank to improve power factor of electrical distribution

For more details visit http://www.shumaonline.com

Residential Energy Savings and Performance Contracting: The Big Business Advantage.

A collaborative effort may be just what we need to boost excitement into the minds of homeowners. Large companies use something called “Performance Contracts” to acquire financing for Energy Conservation Projects. A Performance Contract is usually provided by an ESCO, to a large business entity. Applying Performance Contracts the same way an (ESCO) Energy Service Company does to big-business, could be a worthy option. Performance Contracts are offered to municipalities, school districts, stadiums and other corporate entities; but not to private residential homeowners. Unfortunately, millions of energy savings dollars could have already realized, if Performance Contracting was extended outside Corporate America. Is this just another case of “The Big Business Advantage?”

To understand if there is an advantage, you need to know a little about what Performance Contracting (PC) is. Performance Contracts essentially guarantees “a minimum amount of energy savings” from the installation of energy efficient equipment and energy conservation strategies. Energy savings are derived from a detailed Energy Audit, which reveals where energy savings should be applied. The audit also reveals energy savings strategies along with a given “Pay Back time, for each strategy. The “Pay-back” demonstrates length of time it takes, to get a return on their investment. A simplified example of a Pay-back is; lighting retrofits will cost $6,000 and will save $2,000 annually. Therefore; the payback will be 3 Years ($6000/$2000) = 3, meaning, it will take 3 years to pay down the cost, the (4th year + )is “pure savings”.

There are many other advantages, such as energy monitoring. It is to the ESCO’s advantage to monitor the saving because they have “guaranteed” the savings. The ESCO also assumes responsibility with a “Promise” or “Guarantee”. The promise goes something like this; if Company X does not see X amount of savings during a given amount of time, we will pay you the difference! Furthermore, the cost/debt of the Energy Retrofit will be covered by future energy savings. To give you an example; company X is a Convention Center with badly needed equipment upgrades. Company X is also spending 20-30% more energy than necessary and for a Convention Center that could equate to millions of dollars of additional cost. However, Company X can’t afford the project from its current operating budget. See any similarities to homeowners? Fortunately, in enters the ESCO that can not only help secure financing, but, PM the installation, repair, service and track energy savings for the project. The icing on the cake for the Company X is the” Performance Guarantee”!

So, why is it good for Residential Markets?

o Financial cost is the main reason that most energy strategies are not done in the residential market.

o The effects of Global Warming from Green House Gases are largely dependent on how much pollutants humans make and how much energy we use. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, resulting from petroleum and natural gas, represent 82 percent of total U.S. human-made greenhouse gas emissions. When we reduce energy and pollutants, demand and supply is also reduced.

o A National Research Council study dated May 2001 stated, “Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and sub-surface ocean temperatures to rise.

o According to (EIA) Energy Information Administration, statistics show that Residential Carbon Emissions for 2005, was 5,956,978,731. If we treat residential market like the business market we have a chance of saving a minimum of 15% Carbon Dioxide Emissions from our homes, only. The Presidents Global Climate Change Policy projects an 11% reduction in Carbon Dioxide, which is inclusive of all industries.

o Reducing our dependence on foreign oil. According to the (NRDC) Natural Resources Defense Council, we spend more than $200,000 dollars/ per minute — $13 million per hour — on foreign oil. This is $13 million dollars with Zero payback.

o An investment in consumer Performance Contract financing would result in a payback of 20-30% in energy cost. Those savings could go back into our pockets and trickle down to our economy.

o Finally, efforts have already been made towards Performance Contracts and the Residential market. The Department of Energy and HUD have put together a collaborative effort to make public housing more energy efficient. The collaborative effort, referred to as “Energy Performance Contracting for Public and Indian Housing” is a recipe book detailing the benefits and procedures of Performance Contracting. The Guide Book was originally printed in 1990, nearly 18 years ago.

Audits are usually done by C.E.M.s. Certified Energy Managers.

Home remodeling plans should start with a consideration for saving energy costs.  The climate of the United Kingdom and many other places in the Northern Hemisphere is very difficult in the winter months – affording many energy savings opportunities for those with home remodeling plans. It is truly remarkable to see just how much the cost of fuel and electricity goes up in the winter months in some areas of the world.

For the purpose of this article, we will consider home remodeling opportunities in the United Kingdom.  There is a ton of information available through the UK government – they even offer grants to help homeowners with their central heating, loft insulation or wall insulation projects (see the Government Grants UK website for more information). Owners of buildings and tenants in buildings will find that they can receive a 40% to 70% government subsidy for some insulation projects, to ensure that such measures are incorporated into their building or home remodeling plans.

On the Government’s Energy Saving Trust website they offer a search tool to help homeowners find grants being promoted in their residential area.  By searching, one will see a list of vendors, discounts and subsidies that can avail themselves of and incorporate into their home remodeling plans.

Often, people do not realize just how much money something like proper wall insulation can save them. If they knew, they would get busy with their home remodeling plans right away!  Research shows that 35% of the heat in a home escapes through walls and 25% through the roof.

Early home remodeling plans often included boiler replacements as newer ones were produced staking great energy saving claims, but in reality they are not as effective as insulation!  Their newer controls on the newer models certainly help a bit, but usually only about 17%.

There are several tips we could mention here for helping to also control gas and electricity costs, but for some situations, the results of such information can be misleading.  Obviously, poorly insulated home located in very severe climates will show more drastic savings opportunities that better insulated homes in less severe climates.  The common factor here is insulation.  Additionally, the energy savings available will also depend on the size of the house and just how much savings is desired.  Grants and discounts for loft and wall insulation typically start at around £ 199.

As long as one is making any home remodeling plans, they should be sure to also replace light bulbs with energy saving ones.   The average cost of an energy saver light bulb is £ 2 but such a bulb can save £ 45 before needing to be replaced!  This is because these special bulbs use 80% less energy, giving them a longer lifespan than traditional bulbs.

When making home remodeling plans, it is also helpful to shop around for the best pricing with local utility providers.  Some offer lower rates if bound by a term contract whereas others may provide discounted rates if allowed to bill via automated credit or debit card crediting. Of course, regardless of the program chosen, we should all remember to turn lights and power consuming appliances off when not in use.  Even left in “stand-by” mode, items can continue to waste energy.  By being just a little more thoughtful, we can all save a great deal of money with these simple home remodeling plans that would otherwise be wasted on excess energy each year.