Happy February! We hope you are getting your energy efficiency projects up and running and taking advantage of 360 Energy Group's helpful technical assistance. Whether you have a project in mind or need a place to start, we can identify energy saving opportunities, connect you with funding resources, and assist you in implementing your energy saving measures. Want to learn more about all the services we provide? Check out our website.
What to Love About Energy Efficiency
Valentine's Day is right around the corner and we want to recognize our one true love: energy efficiency. While there are so many things to love and appreciate about saving energy, we’ve put together a list of our favorites.
Long-lasting products: Upgrading your light bulbs to LEDs cuts back on the time and money spent on maintenance costs. The average life expectancy of an LED bulb is 50,000 hours. This means that if you keep your lights on for an average of 10 hours each day, your bulbs will last you nearly 14 years! That's 20 times longer than the traditional halogen bulb and 8-10 times longer than a CFL.
Energy Saving Rebates: In order to incentivize building owners and managers to make a commitment to energy efficiency, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help offset the cost of your projects. If you're thinking about upgrading your light bulbs to LEDs, installing programmable thermostats, or retrofitting your HVAC equipment, check with us before you start your work, so we can determine if your project is eligible for an incentive.
A Lower Monthly Energy Bill: One of the biggest motivators for individuals and organizations to get involved in energy efficiency is the promise of a lower monthly energy bill. Your energy efficiency projects have a great influence on your overall peak demand and can lower your annual energy consumption by hundreds or thousands of kilowatt hours. By reducing energy consumption, you'll also have a positive impact on our environment by offsetting carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Motivation to do More: As you work to lower your energy consumption, you'll immediately reap the benefits of improved light quality, temperature controlled rooms, reduced maintenance efforts, and a lower monthly bill. By continually benchmarking your energy data, you will be able to quantify your energy savings and find new projects to further your commitment to energy efficiency.
An Influence on Others: By making your commitment to energy efficiency known to those around you, you'll serve as a positive influence on your children, your co-workers, and your community members. Your work could help influence the individuals and organizations in your community to embark on their own energy efficiency journeys.
Ready to get started? Contact us at 312-265-3971 or info@360eg.com
Technical Tip of the Month
Each month, our Engineering Director Simon Nowak sends out a technical tip to all of our staff here at 360 Energy Group. This month's tip is a good reminder for us all as we strive to keep our equipment running as efficiently as possible.
Did you know that cycling losses can be a big source of equipment inefficiency?
Cycling losses occur when a piece of equipment operates in a steady state for only a brief period of time before turning off. While it is true that turning equipment off is one of the best ways to save energy, cycling equipment on and off in a short time frame often has undesirable consequences. For example, a boiler that short cycles several times in an hour may operate at an efficiency that is 30% less than its steady state efficiency. The best way to avoid cycling losses is to right-size equipment and to ensure that equipment can meet a variety of loads. This can be achieved through proper design and by retro-commissioning your equipment.
Retro-commissioning (RCx) looks for operational improvements to enhance the performance of your building's energy consumption. To receive an RCx study or to learn more about the RCx process, please contact our Senior Program Manager, Ryan Curry at 312-267-2864 or ryan@360eg.com.
Are your Buildings in Accordance with the Illinois Energy Conservation Code?
The Illinois Energy Conservation Code calls for all new commercial and residential buildings as well as all renovations to most existing commercial and residential buildings to follow the guidelines outlined by the Illinois Energy Conservation Code. The code is amended every three years which means the new 2018 Energy Conservation Code will replace the current 2015 standard. The new code is estimated to go into effect in March.
The Capital Development Board along with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Conservation Advisory Council are working to finalize the code and increase our previous regulations. Having a standardized energy code in place helps to reduce our overall energy consumption and lower our impact on the environment by laying out uniform guidelines for builders and code officials. Each rendition of this code aims to reduce annual energy consumption by slowly increasing the baseline over time.
With the adoption of the new code coming next month, we invite you to review the code documents and changes to ensure that your projects remain in compliance. Review the 2018 code amendments and further expand your understanding of code regulations by visiting the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center Website.
360 Energy Group works in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to form the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC). SEDAC offers energy code workshops, webinars, and online training to help you navigate and understand code compliance.
The Social Media Corner
What Does it Mean to be an Energy Champion?
Are you looking to lead the energy efficiency efforts in your home, school, office, or community? Check out our short video to find out how you can become an energy champion. Click Here
Energy Efficiency and Its Impact on Our Environment
Energy efficiency projects not only have a positive impact on your energy bill, but they also help our environment. Read our latest blog post to calculate how much your upgrades are offsetting carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
How Are YOU an Energy Champion?
We want to know what makes you an energy champion! Whether that means changing out your bulbs to LEDs or installing a programmable thermostat, you can make a commitment to energy efficiency. Click Here