Oct 20 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Robin Roger The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

 

A Holiday Inn in Sarasota can serve as an inspiration to businesses everywhere trying to cut costs. It recently reduced its energy bill by $3,000 a year by adding a reflective roof.

Despite the high fuel costs, there are ways for companies to reduce energy consumption and save money.

"We're all being pressured by rising fuel costs and we all feel it in our businesses and our homes through increased energy bills," said John Haney, director of brand management for FPL. "By understanding how your business uses energy, you can reduce consumption and lower your overall energy costs."

Crude oil prices have risen 500 percent since 1999, Haney said. Natural gas prices have jumped over 700 percent. Fuel prices made up 40 percent of customers' bills just a few years ago, he said, but now the portion has risen to 52 percent.

Since customers cannot control fuel costs, Haney and Tracie Bagans, corporate manager for small and medium business customers for FPL, suggested businesses control their energy usage through a number of strategies.

To see if their usage pattern is normal for their business type, owners can check the business profiles on FPL's Web site. FPL has profiles for the grocery stores, restaurants, hotels and motels, hospitals, office buildings, retail stores and schools.

Through its free business energy evaluation, FPL will provide a full review of a facility's energy usage.

"This is the first step you should take when your bill is higher than anticipated," Bagans said. "You'll receive specific recommendations on how to reduce energy costs."

FPL can recommend changes to elements such as the heating system, ventilation and air conditioning and insulation.

"The good news is instituting the changes you need shouldn't be expensive," she said. "The costs themselves may be covered by reducing the energy bill."

The Holiday Inn at Lakewood Ranch serves as another example that it can be done. The hotel, which received a green lodging certificate, was constructed with energy conservation in mind, said general manager Steve Dadson.

"Energy costs are No. 2 only to payroll," Dadson said. "It's something as a manager you definitely have to be watching. And if you can help the environment while helping your owners, it's a win-win situation."

The entire building was built of aerated concrete, which insulates the building and keeps the cool air in and the hot air out.

The hotel is almost entirely lit with fluorescent lighting, and motion detectors in the doorways turn the lights off after a period of time.

When doing laundry, the hotel uses certain cleaning products that do not require very high temperatures or a large amount of water.

The hotel also employs a voluntary linen service. Guests can reuse their towels if they choose, and the beds will not get made unless a guest places the appropriate card on the bed. When guests check out, housekeeping change all the linens.

Dadson estimated that the optional linen change has cut the hotel's laundry loads in half.

"It's incredible," he said. "Most guests are commercial, corporate guests who are also into conservation. They're not into having their sheets changed every night."

Despite the lower usage levels, Dadson said he has not seen a steep reduction in the hotel's electric bills just yet.

"We're not saving much money, but we are saving energy," he said. "You have to compare kilowatts, not dollars."

Restaurants

The owners of Penne Trattoria on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard estimate they spent 10 percent of their budget on their energy bills. They try to conserve energy when the restaurant is closed.

"For us, it's a matter of making sure when we're not here our AC is turned down," said owner Chris Sims. "That's the bulk of our energy conservation."

The restaurant is closed three days a week, which also helps conserve energy.

The restaurant, which opened three months ago, has only operated during the summer, so the owners expect costs to go down in cooler months.

FPL recommends inspecting refrigerator and freezer doors, because these can leak cool air. The company also suggests that restaurants buy high-efficiency cooking equipment, and use smart vent hoods, used for heat ventilation.

Grocery stores

Publix has seen a significant reduction in energy usage since it launched the Green Routine program in 2002. The company reduced energy usage by 5 percent and saved enough electricity to supply 10,400 homes, according to a press release from that year.

"A lot of it makes sense," said Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten. "It's all things that you would do at your own home."

Publix encouraged employees to turn the lights off when they leave a room and even put stickers on all the light switch covers.

Every 1,000 kilowatt-hours owners save by turning things off can equal $100 off each utility bill.

The company also placed stickers on all the cooler doors to remind people to keep them closed. If grocery stores can optimize their refrigeration systems, they can reduce energy by as much as 24 percent, according to FPL.

"We have 125,000 associates," Patten said. "Getting our associates involved and making them aware has been really successful for us."

Publix uses energy efficient lighting and Energy Star rated equipment, Patten said.

In addition to using efficient lighting in the store, FPL recommends using a smart lighting design in parking lots, with lower-wattage bulbs. These can actually increase the safety of a parking lot, because they allow drivers' eyes to adjust more easily.

Retail stores

"Our electric bill has gone up quite a bit," said Donna Brundage, owner of Wish on Main on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. "It's a substantial expense each month."

Brundage sells greeting cards, gifts and accessories. She has to keep the AC running all the time, she says, and she leaves some lights on at night, at the request of the landlord.

Retail stores need proper lighting so customers can see the merchandise. Owners commonly use Quartz halogen lamps because they are bright and focused, but they are also inefficient. Switching to compact fluorescent lights, track or spot lights can save energy.

In the short term, FPL recommends shutting off electronic displays during hours when the store is closed.

Robin Roger, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 708-7914, or at rroger@HeraldToday.com [mailto:rroger@HeraldToday.com].

--Grocery stores -- $3.95

--Hotels and motels -- $1.07

--Office buildings -- $1.34

--Restaurants -- $2.90

--Retail -- $1.21

Source: FPL

Some tips

Ways to save electricity:

--Turn off lights, computers and industrial equipment when it is not in use.

--Do not turn on equipment all at once. Stagger it to avoid a spike in energy demand.

--Replace old lighting with more efficient light bulbs and fixtures. Lighting can account for 28 percent of energy consumption.

--Set the thermostat at 75 degrees.

--Get a thermostat with a sensor, so it can turn itself down when no one is around.

--Institute routine maintenance checks of AC and equipment.

--Consider reflective roof coating.

--Decrease the amount of ventilation supplied by the AC system.

--Buy high-efficiency equipment.