Auditing
energy use to find ways to save money and resources
By Matt Lail
The rising price of gasoline and the unyielding drought appear to hog all of the energy-related headlines, and the bulk of energy conservation-related discussions seem to focus on renewable energy and water-saving techniques.
But those are just part of the puzzle.
It may not seem like a big deal, but actions as simple as turning off your computer or your office lights when you leave work at the end of the day can go a long way in conserving energy in the municipal workplace. In fact, for every 1,000 kWh that you save by turning things off, you save $50 on your utility bill annually. A single computer monitor draws about 100 watt-hours per day; if left on overnight and on weekends, it could add $15 or more to the annual energy bill.
Some local governments across North Carolina have undergone energy audits in recent years in an attempt to pinpoint the ways that energy can be saved on a normal, day-to-day basis.
“Energy audits are a great way of identifying potential initiatives and often lead to some positive change,” said Jeff Hughes of the Environmental Finance Center at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Government .
The findings of these audits are generally not earth shattering. But then again, the behavioral changes brought about from the energy audits aren't either, meaning employees can do little things to help save energy.
Cramerton,
Marshville and Mooresville were selected to undergo energy audits by Advance
Energy, in concert with Duke Energy, according to Marshville Town Administrator
Carl Webber . 
Marshville, for instance, has submitted its electric utility account numbers to Duke, which is compiling two years of account history to establish a “baseline,” according to Webber.
The town of Black Mountain has taken part in a few audits over the past two or three years (through an outside consultant) that have encompassed all of the town's facilities in one shape or another.
“We get a couple of things out of them,” said Bo Ferguson , then Black Mountain 's assistant town manager.
The first is what Ferguson calls “low-hanging fruit.”
“These are the things that you may never take the time to pay attention to, but when someone points them out, they're easy to do. For us the energy envelopes [roofs, windows, etc.] of our buildings were highlighted.”
An example of this is the need for programmable thermostats that allow for lower-energy settings during off-peak hours.
“In almost any organization, you've got employees fighting over the thermostat,” said Ferguson . “We're no different.”
The town's public works facility was also a place where a behavioral change was instituted. Ferguson said that the lights were on in the bays all day long, even when employees were in the field. Lights are turned off now when not in use.
“We're saving money there,” said Ferguson . “We have signs that say ‘turn off the lights when you leave.' Nothing earth shattering.”
The second thing that Black Mountain has found from the audits is capital needs.
“It helped to set up some priorities in our CIP process that we can look at moving forward,” said Ferguson .
For instance, where possible, less-efficient lighting has been replaced by more the energy-efficient kinds.
“It is somewhat expensive to replace but has really high payoff, and you get the payback pretty soon,” Ferguson said.
Energy audits of Onslow County buildings recommended changes to equipment and fixtures “with a guaranteed energy savings to pay off the cost of the changes over a specific period of time,” according to Frank Clifton Jr ., Onslow County 's county manager.
Just how much Black Mountain is saving remains to be seen, which is not uncommon for local governments.
“The concern for energy audits is to review cost assumptions very carefully,” said Hughes. “Savings can be much lower or higher than predicted if the assumptions used to calculate savings are inaccurate. Some companies will use boiler plate energy models that may not completely take into consideration local conditions.
“Many energy audits focus exclusively on direct financial impacts of energy efficiency measures” or how much money will be shaved off the unit's budget. “Financial savings alone often is not enough to sell/justify some important initiatives. Some local governments have gone on record that they are committed to addressing climate change, and may want to think about energy savings a bit more broadly. The financial cost of energy does not cover the full community/social cost of energy production.
“In economic terms, there are externalities – everything from the global effects of sea level rise to health costs of increased kids with respiratory illnesses to economic development costs of restrictions put on communities that are not in attainment with EPA air quality standards. There are other methods of evaluating the benefits of energy efficiency measures that local governments might want to consider along with financial analysis. These include estimating reduction in carbon from initiatives and developing a triple bottom line approach – an alternative to the tradition single financial bottom line approach. Organizations and companies that adopt a triple bottom line approach try to include environmental and social cost impacts into their analyses.”
Ferguson stated that the power bills have historically not broken down usage by facilities in Black Mountain ; that will change.
“It's easier to address with your employees now,” he said. “It helps that there's a real focus nationally. People are paying attention to energy issues.”
And the town is reaching out to the community as well to encourage energy conservation. At a recent board meeting, 100 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) were given out to citizens. More were also given to town employees to encourage their conservation habits at home.
“We know where we're at now, but it's certainly something we'll come back to because technology certainly changes,” said Ferguson about energy audits. “Something may become cost-effective as prices come down. CFLs cost half of what they did two or three years ago, and I think we'll see that in a lot of other energy-efficient technology.”
This article originally appeared in the January 2008 issue of Southern City.
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More energy Savings in the News
- Slow but steady gains in Raleigh's 'green' goals, Raleigh News & Observer, January 22, 2008
- Basnight has bright idea, Raleigh News & Observer, January 7, 2008
- For fuel, N.C. looks homeward, Charlotte Observer, December 27, 2007
- Chapel Hill greens its fleets, Town of Chapel Hill, October 25, 2007
- Cities save some 'green' while being green, Southern City, December 2007
-Don't flush those toilets, council woman says, Raleigh News & Observer, December 17, 2007
-Port City adds hybrids, Wilmington Star-News, November 28, 2007
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