Energy, Water Conservation Challenge BusinessesAug 22 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - John Lovett Times Record, Fort Smith, Ark.Water and energy conservation are two of the biggest challenges for businesses in a modern world of shrinking resources, tighter government regulations, and a steady increase in global population. In a presentation Wednesday to the River City Safety and Environmental Council, energy efficiency expert Scotty McKnight offered a simple, non-political solution to some of these problems: "Just don't be wasteful." "Earth's resources are limited, and the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place. It's not just about economics, but having to care and feed ourselves and move forward," McKnight told the room of 15. Recently retired from the Arkansas Manufacturing Extension Network, a division of the University of Arkansas, McKnight has helped many of the state's industries cut down on waste. At one business, for example, she was able to cut the number of trash Dumpsters used each week from five to one. The business was throwing away plastics, cardboard and wooden pallets, which could all be recycled. "You should go Dumpster diving sometime and see what people throw out," McKnight said. The attendees gave examples of drastic cuts in energy costs with redesigned lighting or updated water heaters. One of the business representatives also had to deal directly with European standards, because the parent company is in France. An easy efficiency fix for industrial businesses could be to find what McKnight calls "snakes," or air leaks in hoses. Each leak can cost a business up to $1,500 a year, she said. McKnight gave an example of Arctic Cat Inc. in Minnesota saving more than $21,000 a year when it used a "sonic detector" to find and fix more than 400 air leaks. Water-based solvents were also encouraged where possible. McKnight said a business in Rogers cut its wastewater bill in half by going to a water-based solvent instead of one that was 100 percent acetone by using a distillation and recycling system. Arkansas is more fortunate when it comes to water supply than some neighboring states like Kansas and Texas, but it doesn't mean that water shouldn't be conserved, she said. Light bulbs that use less electricity, motion sensors that cut off lights when no one is around, and timers that just cut the lights off if not being used were mentioned as some of the simplest ways to cut energy bills at businesses and homes. A discussion on air conditioning brought Dan Bandimere of Energy Efficient Solutions to point out that humidity causes air units to run harder, because the units are essentially taking the humidity out of the air. So, would a dehumidifier save on energy bills? "Yes," Bandimere said. "You could bump your thermostat up a couple degrees if you had the humidity lower. The optimum humidity level is between 30 and 60 percent. Each degree you raise or lower the temperature on your thermostat is $10 on your electricity bill." http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29710398 |