How Energy Avoidance Can Help Your Business Reduce Elusive Electrical Energy Costs – Part 1 in a Series

In an editorial in The New York Times, Al Gore has announced an ambitious five-part plan to make the U.S. electricity system 100 percent carbon-free within 10 years. Reducing energy consumption is central to his plan, including reducing nationwide electricity use by retrofitting buildings with more energy-efficient windows, insulation and lighting.
This is a good idea since buildings account for 65 percent of U.S. electricity consumption, according to the EPA.
Nevertheless, energy conservation, or “energy avoidance,” as I like to call it, is an often-overlooked means of rapidly improving a business’s profitability. As EASI Affiliate Pete Bubas says in this video, energy costs are “part of the P&L people don’t necessarily feel they can save money on.” It’s a common misconception, but an oversight that costs businesses billions annually.
Even as the nation’s homeowners and businesses have been transfixed by skyrocketing energy prices, the technology and the means to reduce our country's electrical use by 20 percent or more has existed for years. The company I founded, Energy Automation Systems Inc. (EASI), has been helping organizations around the world achieve these results for decades – in manufacturing plants, hospitals, schools, large commercial buildings and more.
Every business should take the steps Mr. Gore outlines in his plan and install energy efficient windows, insulation and lighting. But there’s more that can be done with technology that exists today. While the government debates alternative energy, businesses can do something about the problem right now. Check out the EASI Method for more details on how it works. Lowering Power Consumption by Reducing Wasted Energy – Part 2 in a series
Investment in alternative energy is a major component of Al Gore’s five-part plan – but it faces a lot of hurdles. So what opportunities are there to save energy in the interim? In an industrial or commercial facility, you don’t have to look far to find ways to reduce energy and save money.

By focusing on the wasted power that is already inherent in motors, lighting systems, electrical distribution systems, and air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, our technology reduces power consumption and increases efficiency. Our custom designs apply these technologies in a way that yields a very quick return for businesses – just two to three years in many cases. With a 20-to-30-year life expectancy, the system pays for itself many times over. Yet, in spite of the ease with which this can be accomplished, energy conservation still needs to be "sold."

People don't always naturally do things that are good for them – so reducing energy consumption has long been a kind of good medicine. Maybe saving energy is a mundane approach and not exotic enough for some folks. Yet, time after time, I've seen companies that were glad they implemented our systems and sorry they waited so long – especially when they realize it is easy and requires absolutely no change in their businesses. Follow this link to learn more about proven cost savings directly from our customers.
 
Providing an Incentive for Businesses to Reduce Energy Costs – Part 3 in a Series
In his five-part energy plan, Al Gore recommends new tax incentives for participating businesses. Ironically, when I began my business in 1978, there were several government incentives to encourage businesses to reduce energy use. One was a 10 percent Investment Tax Credit (ITC), and another was an additional 10 percent Energy Tax Credit, along with the standard depreciation. For some unfathomable reason, both were allowed to expire (the Energy Tax Credit in 1981 and the ITC a little while later).

Since then, a limited number of rebate programs offered by individual utility companies have come and gone. These programs had limitations that kept them from succeeding: They were usually short-lived and targeted at specific devices, such as energy saving ballasts, or energy efficient motors and chillers – certainly nothing that would encourage conservation on a universal scale. I believe that if these tax credits were reenacted and not confined to just a handful of specific products (no doubt inspired by special interests) organizations would gain near overnight relief from the energy worries that plague our economy at a cost much lower than that required to build new generating plants, expand the national grid system and develop alternative fuels.

Think about it. If energy savings systems like ours were installed in every business in America, reducing overall electrical consumption by 20 percent:

• The cost of all goods would go down,
• There would be no need for additional generating capacity,
• We would free up 20 percent of the capacity of our existing electrical grid,
• We would reduce the amount of carbon-based fuels being used to generate electricity,
• Carbon emissions would go down overnight,
• Our dependence on foreign oil would ease and
• We would buy ourselves the time to develop alternative energy sources and make them commercially feasible.

With or without government incentives, energy conservation is, without doubt, our best and most immediate hope in solving our energy problem. In addition, the business benefits would be myriad. The good news is that this can be done with no change in our lifestyle or in business practices. Visit the

for an overview of our energy saving plans.

Energy Automation Systems, Inc. (EASI)




www.energyautomation.com About Joe Merlo
Energy Automation Systems, Inc. (EASI) Hendersonville, Tennessee Joseph ("Joe") Merlo is the founder and CEO of Energy Automation Systems Inc. (EASI). He started his energy conservation company in New York more than 30 years ago after a term of service in the U.S. Air Force and success in several sales and marketing positions. His first product was the predecessor to today's "EasiLiner," which saves energy on AC motors and therefore has broad applications. For more information visit the EASI Web site. View my complete profile