A Sustainable Budget

Municipal governments as well as industries and corporations engage every year in strategic planning and writing budgets. Our recommendation is to make sure energy efficiency is a top priority on your budget for the next year.

Wondering how to impact the bottom line while also engaging your community and stakeholders in making the world a better place? The answer: start including energy efficiency in your budget. The best time to start? Now.

Here’s what you should budget for first: Energy Audits. This assessment on one or all of your buildings looks at the primary energy use systems like heating, air conditioning, lighting and ventilation. Additionally, the assessment explores the operational practices that can be modified at low or no cost to better manage energy consumption, not to mention save you money.

Whether it’s small operational changes or larger capital expenses, a result of the audit is that you know where your best opportunities are now and in coming years. Some utility companies are even offering better than ever incentives. We want to help you take advantage of them. Just wondering, what could you do more of with 10%, or even 20% in your operating budget? Would it be worth the energy assessment if you could gain back costs you had to cut, or green light initiatives you have yet to be able to start? The answer is easy.

Budgeting for an energy assessment now also opens the door for clear and articulate strategic plans for years to come. Energy audits outline your greatest opportunities for future savings as well as the feasibility of your long-term goals.

Start with step one, budget for your initial energy assessment. Then, give us a call and we’ll help you find your opportunities. We’re here to help.

Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/18/21 Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/18/21

Small Changes Mean Big Savings

According to the US EPA, energy efficiency has a positive impact on the environment from lowering green house gas emissions and pollutants to decreasing water usage. But saving energy is also great for decreasing costs associated with operations. There are many steps, big and small, your organization can take to become more energy efficient.

Use less energy. Did you know that your operations may use less energy if you stagger the way you turn on your lights and equipment? When is the last time your calibrated your systems so that the schedule of energy use is aligned to the actual use of the building? If you don’t know where the biggest energy expenditures happen in your facilities, an energy assessment is a simple first step to answer that question.
Invest in smart energy technologies (thermostats, lights, plugs). Utilize auto-adjusting temperature settings to lower the thermostat when there are no people in the building and automate lights when rooms are not occupied.
Explore rebate programs. Utilities often offer incentives or rebate programs related to improved energy efficiency. In some cases, you might even be paying fees that allow those rebates to happen. Make sure you’re getting your use out of these opportunities! The programs reward reductions per kilowatt hour usage.
- PECO Trade Ally
- PJM Interconnection Programming
Consider ways to secure energy prices. Solar power is often a cost-effective decision as it drastically decreases your electric bills, even if your solar system doesn’t produce 100% of your consumed energy. Plus, it can help prevent paying for rising energy costs. Switching to solar is also beneficial to the environment and your local utility companies. Your switch can offer less stress on utilities’ infrastructure and contribute to less carbon emissions produced by the generation of electricity via power plants. (Plus: they usually reward you for it!)
Leverage financing and incentive opportunities. At SSM, we have a team of staff members that are familiar with incentives available on the state and federal level as well as grant and low-interest financing opportunities. We can provide services to you that help you complete the required documentation and coordination to receive these incentives.

Solar Array Funding
Low-Interest Financing
Grant Programs
Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement
Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)

We pride ourselves on supporting investments in all sides of the energy market, including both where energy comes from and how it’s used in the buildings.

Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/14/21 Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/14/21

Winter is Coming

As the weather starts to cool, fall is the right season to start your energy-saving preparations for winter.

As the weather starts to cool, fall is the right season to start your energy-saving preparations for winter.

Switch the direction of your ceiling fan to clockwise to better distribute warm air.
Let the sun shine in. Trim the branches that might be blocking your windows in order to take advantage of the natural warmth the sun provides.
Use insulating shades at night to keep the warmth inside.
Check for drafts around windows and doors. Check weather stripping and replace or caulk inside and out, where necessary. All of these help to keep heat from escaping.
Make the switch to LED bulbs. These bulbs require much less energy- 75% less- to create the same amount of brightness as traditional incandescent bulbs; and they last longer.

Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/5/21 Paul Spiegel, PE, LEED AP 10/5/21

Case Study: County Government Gets a Triple Win with 3 Practical, Actionable Energy Projects

When a County government with more than half a million residents and 49 geographically diverse municipalities received a $3.7-million federal Energy Efficiency + Conservation Block Grant, they turned to multiple contractors for renewable energy installations, transit programs, and other support.

Master Facilities Plan

Provided a master energy plan for 2 of the county’s 3 primary campus operations. The plan included in-depth demonstration projects that focused on HVAC re-tuning, refining of BAS-controlled lighting schedules, justifying central plant HVAC deferred maintenance projects, maximizing fleet management efficiency, reducing laundry facility energy use, and conducting an employee Energy Conservation + Awareness Program. These projects alone will produce energy savings of up to 20% ($480,000), even though the County recently participated in a large scale capital ESCO project, and sets the County on a cost-effective and energy-efficient trajectory for the years ahead.

Energy Efficiency Grant Program

Created, implemented and managed a $700,000 municipal energy efficiency grant program that produced annual energy savings >$150,000 in 33 small municipalities. Nearly two-thirds of the projects were interior/exterior lighting upgrades with average paybacks of 2 years without grant funds. Annual CO2 savings total over 1.5 million pounds. The program illustrated the multiple benefits of energy efficiency projects for municipalities with budgetary constraints. Services included municipal energy consultations, grant program creation/management, contractor support, and federal Davis-Bacon/Buy American enforcement.

Multiple Energy Management Toolbox

Created a practical, actionable Municipal Energy Management Toolbox containing targeted and proven actions that small local municipal governments can take to reduce energy use and create more sustainable communities. The Toolbox contains a menu of 50 building, transportation, infrastructure, water treatment/processing, and renewable energy initiatives tailored to this County, with clear guidance for implementation — including case studies, sample policies, model programs from other local governments across the country, and code reviews/recommendations.

SERVICES PROVIDED:

Master Facilities / Fleet Energy Plan
M + V / Energy Tracking
HVAC / BAS Re-tuning
Municipal Energy Efficiency Grant Program Creation/ Management
Municipal Energy Management Toolbox

RESULTS:

This client was provided with a strong foundation of energy efficiency and conservation — a critical, cost-effective, and often overlooked aspect of any smart energy vision.