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Keeping summer electricity bills under control: top tips from America's leading Energy Asset ManagerConsumerPowerline Shares Their Bill-Cutting Strategies That Help Macy's, Starwood Hotels, CB Richard Ellis and More To Save on Energy Costs
NEW YORK-June 21, 2006-Just because the mercury's rising this summer, doesn't mean that home energy bills have to, according to ConsumerPowerline (www.consumerpowerline.com), the nation's leading strategic energy asset management firm.
"Although strategies that we employ for our clients, including Macy's, Starwood Hotels and CB Richard Ellis to save and make money on their commercial property energy bills are quite different from those that we'd recommend to consumers, the fundamental principles are similar and can be used with some great money- and tax-saving results," said Mike Gordon, founder and president of ConsumerPowerline. "Some changes are immediate, and others are more long-term, but all of them are easier and cheaper than most people realize."
ConsumerPowerline has helped many of America's largest energy consumers to both reduce their peak energy use and generate significant revenue streams from selling their reduced peak consumption back into the energy markets -- as if they were each mini-power plants. Similar approaches can help the average consumer household to spend less than the average of $1,500 yearly on energy bills. By following some simple steps, consumers can cut 12 to 15 percent ($180 to $225), off their annual energy bills and these numbers can be significantly more depending on the city and state.
Quick fixes for this summer's energy bills:
• Air condition only highly used areas (up to 10 percent cost cut).
Home heating and cooling are any household’s biggest energy expense, making up 45 percent of annual energy bills, on average. This summer, instead of using central air to cool every nook and cranny of our home, focus air conditioning to a few rooms, or a zone within your home.
By closing vents or shutting off zones where air conditioning isn't necessary (think about extra bedrooms, bathrooms, an unused basement or attic, etc.), energy use will be lowered and cool air will be focused to high-traffic areas. Cutting air conditioning in just one-fourth of the rooms in your home could lower overall energy bills by more than 10percent in summer months.
• Change the light bulbs (two percent cost cut).
While incandescent light bulbs are cheaper than other light bulbs at the store, they actually cost up to 33 percent more on your electricity bill than do fluorescent bulbs. In fact, general fluorescent light bulbs also last 10-20 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Likely the easiest energy-cutting step, lighting changes could save more than 5 percent on overall energy bills.
• Optimize air conditioning with a dehumidifier (five percent cost cut).
Dehumidifiers make air conditioners more efficient and improve the way a room feels in general. Comfortable temperatures don't always require an increase in air conditioning, so much as a reduction in humidity. The less humid a home is, the less air conditioning is needed to stay comfortable. While dehumidifiers require a small upfront investment, the savings in xx percent of an overall summer energy bill is worth it for the long run.
Changes to save money for years to come:
• Improve building efficiency with insulation and window upgrades.
Making sure that cool air stays in and hot air stays out (and, in the winter vice versa) is a crucial step for not only summer energy bill reduction, but for year round money savings. Combining the savings from energy bills with tax credits from both your state regulations and the Federal 2005 Energy Policy Act will help these improvements to pay for themselves.
• Purchase Energy StarTM appliances (15 percent cost cut).
A home's appliances-water heaters, refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers, ovens, TVs and more-constitute about 46 percent of the average home's energy bill. Using Environmental Protection Agency-certified Energy Star appliances typically cuts energy costs related to those appliances by about one-third. If an entire home was retrofitted with Energy Star appliances, overall energy costs could be cut by as much as 15 percent.
The future of energy cost-cutting and moneymaking:
• Use an instant hot water heater.
Heating water only when a faucet is turned on can be particularly cost-effective for smaller households and can save homeowners money through energy efficiency tax credits.
• Install solar panels.
This strategy isn't as expensive as most think. The initial purchase of solar panels typically totals around $15,000, a small price to pay compared to the amount of return. This is particularly true when a homeowner considers the value that an installed solar unit will add to his/her investment. Increased values are fed not only by reduced energy bills these installs will yield; they are also fed by buyers concerns over what will happen with energy prices in the future. Also, in many markets, homeowners using solar power can actually sell excess power back to utility companies and get paid for it. In coming years, as state and federal governments push for an increase renewable energy, the amount of money to be made off of solar power will continue to increase.
Although ConsumerPowerline works with large residential, commercial and industrial companies to save and generate millions of dollars in new revenues, the company believes that every consumer deserves the same advantages and opportunities to lower their electricity bills.
About ConsumerPowerline
ConsumerPowerline (CPLN) (www.consumerpowerline.com) provides strategic energy asset management (SEAM) to its customers under an aligned incentive model while seeking to transfer power and financial returns to the end user. ConsumerPowerline's products and services help its customers pay the least for energy, get the most for energy they buy, and earn the most for what they can reduce. The firm is unique in how it approaches the market - using deregulated market opportunities to first create new revenue for customers. This new income, and the accompanying new information, facilitates customers achieving a lot more a lot sooner. Among the firms comprehensive strategic services are energy curtailment services, engineering, strategic commodity purchase and industrial procurement. These services include advisory plans for companies on how to manage their energy use in times of 'grid crisis,' and to sell the results of this managed use (reduced consumption at emergency moments) back to the local and regional energy markets.
The firm's clients include: CB Richard Ellis, Morgan Stanley, Macy's, Starwood Hotels, Hines Property Management, Forest City Ratner Corporation, Co-op City, Macklowe Properties, RFR Realty, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Newmark Properties, Douglas Elliman Property Management, Cooper Square Realty, Wentworth Management, and dozens of other substantial end-users of energy.