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Energy Efficiency

Energy Use in Typical Office Buildings From the US Department of Energy. For more information, click here.

What is Energy Efficiency and why is it important?

• Sizable savings on the bills we pay for gasoline/diesel, electricity, natural gas and heating oil
• High-performance equipment
• Maintenance savings
• Healthier buildings and workplaces, including reduction in toxic substances
• Less air pollution and cleaner water for our communities, state and the Pacific NW region

The era of low cost energy is behind us and the consequence is that our budgets will continue to be strained by sharp increases in gas/diesel, electricity and natural gas. The positive side of high prices is that the value of energy savings is much higher and your decision to make energy efficiency a high priority becomes much easier to justify and implement.

Points to consider when implementing an Energy Efficiency plan

Here are five simple steps to consider when launching an energy efficiency initiative:

1. Start by developing a policy that says "from now on, our standard procedure is to buy only high efficiency products, equipment and choose high efficiency design for buildings and facilities when they are maintained, renovated or newly constructed". An easy way to communicate this practice is to use the federal EPA's Energy Star® designation for office equipment, lighting fixtures/lamps; heating and cooling equipment; building controls; pumps motors and vehicles.

Elected officials should consider adopting a policy that clearly places energy efficiency as a high priority. Set an achievable goal – that will be measured in dollar savings and percentage of overall energy use.

2. Assess current energy use and associated costs. Include transportation fuels, electricity, natural gas and heating oil. If the bill paying process isn't set up to easily assemble the information, then go to the vendor/utility and ask for a billing history for every account. This creates a basis for measuring progress toward goals.

3. Assign responsibility for achieving energy savings goals to an employee/employees and give them authority to get the job done. The skills required of this staff might include a general (but not necessarily technical) understanding of how energy equipment functions and the opportunities to choose high efficiency products; good communicator; facilitator and champion.

Staff will need to understand how decisions are made within your organization and be able to work cooperatively with facilities maintenance and project management staff to get energy projects implemented. The "Energy Manager" could be an existing employee or newly created position. Either way, it is critical that the responsibility for achieving energy bill reductions be a significant part of their job description.

4. Stretch public budgets by leveraging the resources of outside contributors. The State of Oregon has two exceptional resources to utilize: a low-interest rate loan for public agencies (called SELP) and a state income tax credit (BETC) that public agencies can apply for and sell. Most communities have utilities that offer energy efficiency program services and incentives.

For customers of Pacific Power, Portland General, Northwest Natural, Cascade Natural and Avista, contact the Energy Trust of Oregon for free energy audits and cash incentives. By packaging loans, tax credits and rebates, your organization may not need additional funding from your existing budgets. You can do this with zero impact on your budgets!

5. Communicate to fellow employees that energy savings is the new business-as-usual procedure. Positive communication builds awareness of energy savings and helps build a sense of ownership throughout the organization. Consider choosing an "easy win" as the first energy project, and then widely promote the success, giving credit to the department that "owns" it and the elected officials that oversee the department.

6. Track achievements (in units of energy, first year savings, lifetime savings and environmental benefits (perhaps CO2 reduced), then communicate your achievements and the savings to senior management, the elected officials and the public at regular intervals.

Energy Efficiency Policies

Examples:

Portland and Multnomah County's Local Action Plan for Global Warming – Energy Efficiency and Transportation sections: http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=112115

The State of Oregon's SEED program: http://oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/SEED/SEEDhome.shtml

What are other communities doing in Oregon and beyond?

Clackamas and Gresham Schools have good energy efficiency programs. Clackamas County has experience in energy performance contracting in newly constructed buildings.

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