(Washington, D.C.-Nov. 14, 2005) With American businesses expected to
experience higher than ever energy prices this winter, EPA has issued
advice businesses can take to save 10 percent or more on their energy
bills. The advice shares lessons learned by EPA's Energy Star partners
who saved money and subsequently adopted longer-term energy management
strategies that produced even greater savings. If every business in the
United States saved 10 percent on its energy bills, Americans would save
about $10 billion annually.

"By taking a few common-sense steps to heed President Bush's call to
conserve this winter, American businesses can help our environment, save
billions, and protect our nation's energy supply," said Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson. "An impressive return for a little bit of effort."

EPA encourages organizations to look at five commonly overlooked areas
to save energy this winter:

1. Measure the energy use of your building and set a savings goal.
It is hard to manage what you don't measure. With EPA's energy use
tracking tools, you can establish the current energy use of your
building(s) and set a reasonable energy savings goal.
· Assess the current energy use of your building(s) using EPA's
national energy performance rating system -- a free online tool that
provides buildings with a score on a simple 1-to-100 scale with 1 being
the least efficient and 100 being the most. For details, visit:
http://www.energystar.gov/benchmark
· Set appropriate goals for your business. EPA encourages a 10
percent savings goal to start and recommends that you participate in the
national Energy Star Building Challenge. For details, visit:
http://www.energystar.gov/challenge

2. Inspect heating equipment now and perform monthly maintenance.
For commercial buildings nationwide, almost 35 percent of energy is used
for space heating. As the winter season approaches, it is important to
verify that your building's heating equipment is functioning properly.
You can lower your heating costs by at least five percent; savings will
be much greater if major problems are found.
· Tune up all heating equipment and inspect all ducts, filters and
dampers.
· Calibrate all thermostats and controls used by the heating
equipment.
· Create a monthly maintenance plan to check equipment operation
throughout the year.

3. Turn back or turn off heating and cooling equipment when not needed..
Many businesses operate heating and cooling systems 24 hours a day.
While this is necessary in some cases, understanding the reasons and
re-evaluating the rationale can make it possible to operate such
equipment less often. If you can cut back just one hour of operation
out of every 12, the energy savings will be roughly eight percent.
· Evaluate the heating system schedule and determine if this
capacity is necessary to meet the business requirements.
· Take advantage of nighttime setback features on thermostats and
install Energy Star-qualified thermostats to save even more energy.

4. Get the occupants involved.
Employee and tenant behavior can have substantial impacts on a
building's energy use as they influence the power required for lighting,
computer operation, and heating. Promoting energy awareness among staff
can quickly provide positive returns for a small upfront cost.
· Conduct staff meetings to review the basics of energy efficiency.
· Educate employees not to use personal electric space-heaters and
provide them with an alternative to address employee comfort and work
environment complaints. Often, discomfort is an indication of broader
heating or cooling system failure. Addressing these larger problems is
more efficient than having individual space heaters.
· Encourage building occupants and employees to purchase Energy
Star-qualified products. For more information, visit:
http://www.energystar.gov/products

5. Improve lighting systems.
Lighting uses roughly 13 percent of the energy in commercial buildings,
the second largest use after heating and cooling equipment. Evaluate
your lighting systems, consider upgrading equipment, perform regular
maintenance, and make sure lights are turned off when not in use.
Replacing older lighting systems can save you 30 percent or more on
lighting expenses and up to a total of five percent or more of your
overall energy expenses.
· Make sure that lighting systems provide the right level of
intensity for building functions. There may be exterior lights on
during daylight hours or high lighting intensity at night for security
reasons. Review when and why lights are currently used to see if there
are opportunities to turn them off.
· Motivate employees and tenants to turn off lights at the end of
the day by showing the value of saving energy and how those savings can
be reinvested in your organization.

For a complete list of steps for this winter, success stories and more
information on how to improve your building's energy efficiency, visit:
http://www.energystar.gov/bizheating

About Energy Star
Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and
individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
For more information about Energy Star, visit: http://www.energystar.gov

Contact: John Millett, 202-564-4355 / millett.john@epa.gov

Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)