Jackson EMC can help your business be more energy-efficient

Jackson EMC can show you ways to reduce your energy consumption and, in turn, your electric bill. Jackson EMC offers free energy audits to businesses, as well as other services to help you reduce your energy costs. Contact your C&I representative for more information.

Here are some energy-saving tips:

• Adjust thermostats. Turn down the building's heating thermostat setpoint and turn up its cooling setpoint, especially when the building is not occupied.
• Reduce the hot water temperature. Reducing your water heater thermostat temperature can decrease heat loss from your tank. Try turning the temperature to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Dishwashing may require higher temperature settings such as 130 degrees F (54 degrees C).
• Install water flow restrictors and aerators in sink faucets. Reducing your water usage can save you money.
• Reduce lighting. Maintain safe lighting conditions for work areas, and whenever possible, remove lamps where you have more lighting than you need.
• Replace air filters regularly and follow maintenance schedules for furnace and air-conditioning equipment. Replacing a dirty air filter reduces the amount of electricity needed to run a blower motor because there is less resistance to airflow with a clean filter.
• Install automatic room-lighting controls. These devices automatically turn lights on or off, depending on occupancy or time of day. You can also install sensors and timers as well.
• Use energy efficient fluorescent lamps, which save about 35% of the wattage used by standard fluorescents and last just as long.

• Use compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent light bulbs where lights are on the majority of the time.

• Use reflectors to increase the effectiveness of a fluorescent lighting fixture by about 10%. Reflectors combined with energy-efficient fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts can reduce lighting energy costs by as much as 70%.

• Install programmable thermostats. No need to remember to change thermostat settings every time you open or close your business doors. These devices give you the ability to control your building's heating and cooling needs, even when you're away.
• Clean heat exchangers and perform routine maintenance on refrigerating equipment. Be sure your heat exchangers are energy efficient and in top operating condition.
• Turn off machines and equipment when not in use. Don't overlook the energy savings you can get by turning off unused computers, monitors, printers and copiers. Most computers include power management programs that can be set to automatically reduce power consumption when the computer is idle.
• Buy energy-efficient equipment. When it's time to buy or replace equipment, compare energy requirements of various models. Consider Energy Star® models that power down after a user-specified period of inactivity.
• Keep exterior doors closed as much as possible. Don't heat or cool the outdoors. Schedule shipments and deliveries to early morning in the summer and late afternoon in the winter to avoid losing conditioned air in the hottest or coldest time of the day.
• Encourage employees to be energy conscious. Employee efforts can make or break your no to low cost energy savings practices. Consider offering a small reward or incentive for employees who take an active role to save energy.

For books on energy conservation, efficiency and analysis, go to the Association of Energy Engineers Web site at www.aeecenter.org.