How to improve your business with energy efficiency

According to ENERGY STAR®, the amount of energy the average commercial building wastes per year is 30 percent. Your business is more than likely wasting energy, so you are paying for energy that you aren’t using. And that’s not good business.   

Xcel Energy can help you close the gap.

Through Xcel Energy’s energy efficiency programs, our customers company-wide have helped save enough energy to avoid the need for about 17 medium-size power plants since the early 1990s.

We can help you find ways to save energy and money in your business, and lessen your carbon footprint. Now that’s good business!

Make use of FREE resources
If you’re wondering where to start saving energy to reduce waste and increase productivity, Xcel Energy offers free resources through our energy efficiency specialists. They can help you find energy efficiency opportunities by:

• Recommending rebate programs to offset up-front costs
• Referring you to financial resources to help pay for energy efficiency projects
• Assigning field representatives for on-site assessments
• Finding you additional resources as needed

Call an energy efficiency specialist at 1-855-839-8862 or email [email protected].

Low and no-cost ways to saveThere are many low cost ways to save—such as turning down your HVAC equipment, closing blinds, turning off lights, cleaning filters and shutting down computers—which employees are typically willing to do.

Conduct regular maintenance like weatherizing and equipment tune-ups, and add occupancy sensors to yield significant cost and energy savings. Find more ways to save at www.xcelenergy.com/business.

Ways to improve whole building and equipment performance 

Assessments — Audits or studies are a good way to examine all of the major factors affecting your building’s energy consumption and energy losses. They can provide you with an understanding of how your facility or systems use energy and identify rebate opportunities. Programs range from free online energy assessments to on-site energy audits and in-depth, segment specific engineering studies. In most cases, Xcel Energy covers up to 75 percent of cost of the study. Preapproval is required.

Start with lighting:  Lighting upgrades offer the easiest, fastest payback in savings for your operations. By replacing standard fluorescent tube lights to LEDs for offices, exteriors and even exit signs can reduce energy by nearly 75 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy—not to mention improving light quality and reducing heat gain.

Free Lighting Assessment:  

Xcel Energy small business customers can receive a free, in-depth, no-obligation lighting assessment conducted at their facility to identify cost-saving opportunities and determine what type of lighting upgrade works best for their needs.

 To qualify, you must:

•  Be a small or mid-sized business electric customer of Xcel Energy in Colorado
•  Have a peak demand of 400 kW or less

Make equipment efficient:  Efficiency equipment upgrades and maintenance are financial investments just like other business uses of capital. Upgrading equipment decreases breakdowns and downtime, which increases productivity.  When you invest in your heating, cooling, lighting, food service and manufacturing equipment, higher efficiency will save you money long after the initial project cost is paid off.

Rebates and financing can help offset upfront costs

Prescriptive rebate programs offer a set rebate amount and are based on defined equipment and efficiency qualifications as listed on each program(s) application. Preapproval is not required.

Custom rebate programs are available for energy-saving equipment purchases that aren’t covered under our Prescriptive programs listed.  Preapproval is required.

Rebates for lighting improvements — from interior, exterior and parking garage spaces, there are many types of lighting upgrades that can generate significant savings. Upgrading to energy-efficient lighting can also lead to reduced maintenance costs, improved safety of outdoor areas, and better working environments for employees.

Rebates for heating and cooling — when your cooling and heating systems are outdated, they can waste significant amounts of energy and money. Upgrading and maintaining your existing equipment is equally as important to keeping your systems running efficiently and minimizing downtime.

Rebates for your industry — if you have a project in mind based on your unique needs that may not fit in to our regular prescriptive rebate programs, Xcel Energy offers a custom program. Contact our energy efficiency specialists and they can help customize a rebate opportunity tailored to your equipment and operations. Preapproval is required.

Financing options for energy efficiency projects tailored to your business  

Energy-efficient improvements can provide a great return on investment for businesses. We offer valuable rebates for qualifying improvements, and we can connect you to financial companies that can help you fund energy-efficiency upgrades.

These lending partners have agreed to provide qualifying business customers with easy access to the funds they need to improve energy performance. All loans are made directly from the third-party lender.

Qualifying participants benefit from:

•  The opportunity to participate in multiple energy efficiency rebate programs.
•  A simple and streamlined loan application process.
•  Quick loan review and approval.
•  The ability to work with any eligible Xcel Energy trade partner.

Every operation has its unique energy challenges and opportunities. And Xcel Energy offers a variety of rebate, audits and studies and custom options to help you manage and optimize your energy use.

 Here are a few examples of how other organizations are making their facilities more energy efficient.

Dekiou Gallery case study – Free lighting assessment and LED upgrades

Grocery Store Warehouse – Customer Program;

St. John’s Cathedral – heating efficiency:

Get Started today! Call an energy efficiency specialist at 1-855-839-8862 or email [email protected].

(This sponsored content was provided by Xcel Energy.)