So look… Even the most strident “drill-baby-drill” advocates would agree that despite what energy source we use, making the most of that energy source is a good thing. The government is full of energy savings tips. And many major oil companies are getting in on the act. But what about every-day small- to mid-sized businesses that make up a huge percentage of our work facilities? Why don’t we see these kinds of places investing more heavily in energy-saving ideas?
Well – EWI is! We recently started a project aimed at significantly cleaning up our energy act, reducing our carbon footprint, and doing so in a fiscally prudent manner! There are two key thrusts behind our efforts: A significant upgrade to our HVAC system, and implementation of LED lighting in much of our facility.
The HVAC upgrade, to be lead bySauer Inc, will use the simple concept of monitoring CO2 levels in the building to determine when fresh air is needed. This will dramatically increase efficiency by reducing the cold air that needs heated (in winter) and warm air that needs cooled (summer) throughout the building with no impact to the inhabitants of the building! The LED portion of the project will use Smashray Ltd’s new LED lighting in several office common spaces and the parking lot. The beauty of these upgrades, in addition to the fact that it’s the right thing to do for the earth, is that the payback period is on the order of months rather than years!
Note that all of this work is in addition to a number of other recent steps EWI has taken to improve our efficiency as part of the AEP Gridsmart Program. Some of those activities included upgrading highbay lights (decreased electricity consumption by one-half), replacement of our shop air compressor (with a variable compressor – going from a 50 Hp to the equivelant of a 10 Hp motor), and replacing all emergency exit light bulbs with LED illumination.
I guess this is an example where by doing a little homework, being a green company can save your company more green (wow – excuse the horrible pun).