ESCANABA - Small businesses in Delta County are encouraged to become more energy efficient by participating in a free energy audit of their facilities. The offer was presented during a seminar on energy conservation at city hall Wednesday.
A total of 30 small business energy audits are being funded through a grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC), announced Kevin Cook, consultant for Michigan GREEN (Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation).
More than two dozen business people and other interested persons attended the meeting sponsored by the Delta County Joint Governmental Committee. Many signed up for the Delta Green Energy Audit program.
"I believe your best investment and easiest way to improve your bottom line is through energy efficiency," Cook told those in attendance.
Installing energy-efficient lighting is one of the first steps towards this goal, he added. An example was a restaurant which replaced 60-watt incandescent bulbs with 15-watt compact florescent lamps, investing $500 and earning $2,000 in savings during a two-year period.
The free energy audits which local business owners signed up for at Wednesday's meeting, will consist of an evaluation of a business' current energy use over the past 12 months, Cook said.
Recommendations will be given to the business owner on making their facility more energy-efficient. Energy guides and reports will also be made available. Business owners will be provided assistance in finding local suppliers of energy-saving products, he added.
"The whole emphasis is to make it happen, to get it done," Cook said.
Doug Russell, executive director of Michigan GREEN, agreed. He said the energy audits will help make savings happen for businesses as the program identifies the best energy-efficient measures and how to make them happen.
A past energy program funded by the PSC was the more than 12,000 energy kits distributed to homeowners throughout the state in the past couple years, Russell said.
Each kit - including energy-efficient light bulbs, a night light, flashlight and shower head - saved each homeowner an average $100 a year in the first year, Russell said. The kits are expected to last nine years, he added.
According to Robert Fegan, an energy consultant with DTE Energy/MichCon, energy audits offered to businesses and industries, can range from being free to costing up to $10,000 depending on the project.
A typical energy audit would start with a business owner meeting with an energy consultant to determine the scope of work to be done. Data is gathered on the facility's past energy usage as well as its lighting, heating, cooling and other energy-related systems.
The information is then analyzed. The business owner is provided with a report on energy-efficient recommendations and how to put them in place, Fegan said.
During the data gathering stage, several factors are looked at including making sure one's electric bill is correct, determining if equipment is working properly, verifying sufficient insulation, and light bulb efficiency, Fegan said. Installation of energy-saving products can also be recommended
Brett Niemi, representing Wisconsin Public Power, Inc. (WPPI), said the utility will work with businesses on energy management to help keep costs down. WPPI conducts construction plan reviews and onsite evaluations as well as offers green project incentives and energy-efficient appliance rebates.
During a question and answer segment of the meeting, Cook said Wednesday's seminar focused on energy efficiency, adding that renewable energy is also part of the work of Michigan Green.
Michigan Green invited a dealer from Southwest Windpower, which makes wind power appliances, to display its windmill products in front of city hall during Wednesday's meeting. Southwest dealer Garth Ward said the technology is here for homeowners to own do-it-your-self kits for wind power appliances.
By Jenny Lancour
POSTED: August 7, 2008
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