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Small Business Energy Efficiency

Approximately 14% of CORE Electric Cooperative’s membership consists of commercial accounts. If you operate a business, restaurant, or office, enhancing energy efficiency is a great way to lower expenses and reduce your environmental impact. From fine-tuning HVAC systems to upgrading lighting, equipment, and water fixtures, even small improvements can deliver significant savings. This guide provides clear, actionable strategies to help you boost your building’s energy performance.

Heating and cooling

  • Check your HVAC manual for easy maintenance you can perform yourself. Make sure to change filters regularly.
  • Start running fans to keep air flowing so your HVAC unit can run more efficiently.
  • Verify that the timed settings on your heating and air conditioning system match when your building is in use.
  • Close curtains, shades and blinds at night, on weekends, and all times when the building is unoccupied.
  • Add weather stripping, caulking or insulation around windows and doors to help reduce drafts.
  • Caulk ducts, plumbing openings, recessed lighting fixtures and other spaces that leak air into walls, floors and ceilings.
  • Hire a contractor or energy efficiency specialist to help improve your systems’ efficiency.
  • Have your heating and cooling system professionally serviced yearly. Tune-ups can help you save on operating costs and extend the life of your system.
  • Replace windows with high-efficiency windows. Replacing windows can help reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 15%.
  • Landscape strategically to keep heating and cooling bills down.

Lighting efficiency

  • Switch your light bulbs to energy-efficient LED bulbs. LED lighting uses up to 90% less energy than traditional lighting and can last up to 15 times longer.
  • Remove unneeded standing or desk lamps.

Equipment and Technology

  • Prevent “phantom energy.” Phantom energy is the energy being used by equipment that remains plugged in but not in use. A great tip is to have your computer and electronics connected to a power strip so that the flip of a single switch can shut down several devices.
  • Stagger power consumption throughout the day – not just the 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. – window to reduce peak demand.
  • Use the MyUsage feature on SmartHub to compare months and find trends that you can easily identify.
  • Use laptops rather than desktop computers – laptops use 90% less energy than desktop models.
  • Install a programmable thermostat. Program your thermostat to heat or cool a building only during working hours.
  • Use ink-jet printers instead of laser printers.
  • Upgrade to products with the Energy Star label.

Restaurant efficiency

  • Conduct cooler and freezer maintenance annually. Repair cooler and freezer door seals, sweeps and hanging curtains to maintain a tight seal.
  • Clean refrigerator condensers, coolers, freezers and ice machines about four times per year.
  • Adjust or repair oven doors to maintain a tight seal so hot air does not escape.
  • Turn off food warming lamps in periods of low use.
  • Run hoods only when needed.
  • Use high efficiency fan motors for walk-in coolers.