Business Utility Savings

Nearly all businesses utilize lighting, heating, air conditioning, office equipment and water. There are many simple actions you can take today to reduce utility costs related to these needs.

• Turn off lights (and other equipment) when not in use. High utility costs often include paying for energy that is completely wasted. Post a sign, assign a person to observe, and ask all employees to turn off monitors, CPUs, printers, etc. when they won't be in use for more than 30 minutes (Sleep mode and screen savers don't compare to the energy saved when the item is entirely off).
• Use sunlight if possible as a means to reduce the number of lights in use.
• Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
• Clean refrigerator coils twice a year.
• Set water temperature only as hot as needed (110-120 degrees) to prevent scalds and save energy (check local codes for specific temperatures related to your functions).

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers more tips and an energy calculator on their website at http://www.sba.gov/content/tips-energy-efficiency

See the ComEd and Nicor Gas pages for local information and energy saving opportunities.