Top 10 Low/No-Cost Tips to Start Cutting Your Energy Bills Today

If your stores are like most, energy will typically account for five to ten percent of your total operating expenses.  You can control your energy use, just as with any expense.  Savings of up to 20 percent are possible with the right plan and equipment.  And you won't be affecting the comfort or convenience of your customers or employees.

A store's energy supplier is often a good place to start for more information.  If you're responsible for stores throughout a region or the country, EEI's National Accounts network of electric company energy experts can help simplify this task for you-and at no charge.

Here are the quickest and easiest ways to start lowering a store's energy bills.  Following this advice will cost little or nothing, but the returns could surprise you.

1. Raise thermostat settings a few degrees during summer months, and lower them during winter. 
2. Minimize daylighting on hot afternoons.
3. Turn off any unused cooking or food equipment.
4. Turn off any unneeded lights in offices and public areas.
5. When replacing bulbs, use lower wattage or compact fluorescent bulbs that are more efficient. 
6. Dust and clean bulbs and lamp shades regularly.
7. Have your heating, air conditioning, cooking, icemakers, and refrigeration equipment periodically serviced and adjusted as needed.
8. Check automatic controls for proper working condition and settings.
9. Lower water temperature settings; for hand washing, 105 degrees F is the recommended setting.
10. Control outdoor lighting, use only lighting necessary to do the job.

Want more help?  If you decide to seek a qualified professional to assist you in making energy-saving improvements, your electric utility company is likely to be your best starting point.

The local energy supplier can often be a great source for energy-saving information and assistance.  They will likely have historical data about a business's energy use.  And, they may be able to help with answers about any efficient appliance incentive programs, discount energy rates, or any other energy-related question.  Call your supplier, or visit their Web site for more details. 

If you control stores throughout a region or the country, contacting every electric utility company that serves your company can be a daunting logistical challenge.  Edison Electric Institute's National Accounts Network can help.  EEI, the national association of electric power companies, created the Network to focus exclusively on the needs of businesses with multiple sites or outlets.  Based in EEI's Washington, DC, offices, the National Accounts Network will help to arrange contact between your company's stores and the local electric utilities.  The store will then deal with one contact per electric utility.

• National Energy Customer Assistance Network (NECAN) Directory
  Check out this convenient guide to power companies serving each state and their National Accounts representative.