Office Energy Challenge Update: 8% Reduction in 2012

by Megan Maiolo-Heath, Marketing & Communications Manager

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In 2012, the staff here at Trees, Water & People made strides to reduce our energy consumption at our Fort Collins, Colorado office. We set a goal to reduce our energy use by 10% between December 2011 and November 2012. This involved some behavior change as well as creating awareness around how we use energy in the office. We had a real-time energy monitor installed at the office so we knew exactly how much energy was being consumed at all times. In addition, we got rid of some wasteful appliances, put signs up around the office to remind everyone to turn printers/copiers off, and every staff member installed a power strip at their work station.

All of these actions paid off: we reduced our energy use by 8% in a 12 month period, almost hitting our reduction goal. Another way to look at this reduction in energy use: we prevented the burning of approximately 1,064 pounds of coal (In Fort Collins, the rule of thumb is that it takes 1 pound of coal to generate 1 kWh of electricity).

According to Rick England, our energy consultant/guru and owner of Best Energy Monitor, “This is quite impressive given that there were 1.7 times more cooling degree days than there were in 2011.” In fact, average annual temperatures for the continental U.S. were hotter in 2012 than in any year in U.S. recorded history (NOAA, 2013) and Fort Collins felt the brunt of this heat, with record highs and devastating forest fires during the summer of 2012.

In 2013, we are going to continue this energy challenge and keep working towards our 10% reduction goal. You can learn more about the Office Energy Challenge at our website.  Stay tuned to see how we do this year!

If you are interested in a real-time energy monitor for your home or office please call Rick England at (970) 672-6903 or email rick@bestenergymonitor.com.

Guest Blog: Save the world by saving energy in your home

by Jaclyn Nicholson, eLocal.com

Energy efficiency should always be a top priority in your home. In the U.S. we tend to overuse and over produce, creating a massive amount of carbon dioxide. The United States is the second largest producer of CO2, just behind China. Although these numbers are astronomical, we can contribute to the solution daily by being more energy efficient in our homes. From upgrading appliances to solar roof panels, there are endless ways to conserve. For more simple methods, it is encouraged to change your light bulbs from incandescent to CFL. If every home in the nation followed this suggestion, we would have enough energy to light three million homes for a year! Check out the infographic below to learn more.

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Source: eLocal.com

Office Energy Challenge Update: Record Highs in July

This July was the hottest month in U.S. history. The record breaking heat was obvious in our energy use here at the TWP office. With the A/C on most days, we survived the outrageous temperatures here in For Collins, but it also meant that we were not able to meet our monthly goal of 10% energy reduction. However, as the temperatures here slowly begin to drop, and we move towards Fall weather, we hope to use far less energy in the coming months.

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Note: The blue line indicates our 10% energy reduction goal, based off of 2010 and 2011’s averages (which are indicated in red).

Learn more about the Office Energy Challenge here.

Thank you to Rick England, owner of Best Energy Monitor, who donates his time to help us reduce our energy use.