Plug Smart Energy Star Challenge

• Enter to win the new iPad 3 for your district by emailing your contact information to EnergySavings@plugsmart.com and one of our Energy Management Specialist will contact you.
• This Energy Star Program is an important first step to understand and lower your school district’s energy bills.
• Energy bills are on the rise! It is important to understand this program and how it can help your underperforming buildings get on the right track.
• Learn how your district can embrace House Bill 264 to implement energy efficiency projects and pay for them directly from the savings.

Kevin Fisher

Energy Engineer

Air compressors can be one of the leading (if not the largest) energy users in industrial manufacturing plants. There are several opportunities coming from optimizing air compressors and changing their use within a plant, which can result in substantial energy savings. Without a good understanding on how your air compressors operate, you may be letting your utility bill run out of control. Plug Smart can help by logging your compressor’s real time energy use in order to accurately calculate your energy consumption. With this data Plug Smart can help inform you on how much your air compressor is contributing to your utility bill.

Understanding how much your air compressor is currently costing you is only half the battle. There are many potential Energy Conservation Measures (ECM’s) to reduce your air compressor’s energy consumption. Some examples of the ECM’s that Plug Smart can implement to reduce your bill include the following; improving air compressor controls, reducing pressure losses through compressed air distribution lines and point of use nozzles, optimizing the staging of multiple air compressors in order to reduce energy while increasing the quality of compressed air, and utilizing air compressor waste heat for space heating. Because air compressors contain large motors and tend to operate for most of the year, these ECM’s can lead to very substantial energy savings.

Plug Smart can help you turn your inefficient air compressors into an energy efficient machine. Contact Plug Smart today and don’t let your air compressor blow your utility bill through the roof!

Lucas Dixon

Project Manager

It’s a relationship that you can’t avoid and a monthly bill that you dread. Utility bills are difficult to control, at times can be really hard to understand, and most importantly it’s for something that you have already used.  If this sounds familiar then this is the situation that we find many of our clients in and when looking a facility’s energy use, an in-depth utility bill analysis is the first place we always start.

To a trained professional an in-depth review of historical utility bills can reveal a substantial amount of information about a facility and the way it is operated. It is even possible spot billing errors or incorrect rate codes, which is a very quick way to reduce utility bills!

At Plug Smart, the first thing we do when looking at a new facility is to get access to the last 3 years of natural gas, electric, and water bills. We then plot this usage against heating degree days, cooling degree days, and production (for manufacturing sites).  This allows us to determine how much of the building’s energy usage is related to heating and cooling. We then analyze demand usage patterns to determine if a better schedule could be implemented. Finally, we calculate an energy usage per square foot of facility and compare it to a database of similar facilities. By combining all three data sets we can confidently determine if a facility could perform more efficiently.

In summary, your utility bill is full of useful information, but it needs to be viewed as a source of solutions and not a monthly pain point. By working with a set of trained eyes, Plug Smart helps all of our clients understand their usage, which allows them to make better decisions now to save for the future.

Ian McAuliffe

Energy Engineer

Opportunities for Occupancy Sensors

Occupancy sensors automatically turn off lighting in unoccupied spaces such as classrooms, conference rooms, public spaces, dormitories, and large offices. The typical office spends 29% of its electrical energy costs for lighting. Occupancy sensors can reduce this spend by 50% or more, at an energy savings of 5¢ – 20¢ per square foot. These sensors, which are usually infrared and/or ultrasonic, are most effective in those areas which are often unoccupied, such as corridors and conference rooms.

Technologies: Infrared and Ultrasonic

Two technologies dominate the occupancy sensor market: infrared and ultrasonic. Passive infrared sensors detect temperature changes in a room, and work well where the entire room is within the sensor’s field of view. Ultrasonic sensors use high frequency sound, much like bats do, to detect motion (even around corners). Dual-technology sensors use both methods, increasing accuracy and flexibility, but at a higher price.

Choosing the Best Applications

Facility staff can determine the best areas to install occupancy sensors by using lighting loggers or conducting surveys about room/area occupancy. Lighting loggers can count lighting hours and can correlate lighting duration with detected occupancy. Recording ammeters document lighting energy use. See chart for potential energy savings for various types of building spaces:

Installation & Cost Information

Proper placement and orientation of occupancy sensors is essential. Placement of controls should take into account furniture placement as much as possible. Occupancy sensors must be able to sense all occupants to avoid turning off lights while the space is occupied. At the same time, the sensitivity of the sensors must be set to avoid “false-on” incidents triggered by passersby in adjoining hallways. Occupancy sensors with their sensitivity set too high can fail to save energy, and occupancy sensors with too low a sensitivity or too short a delay time can be annoying to occupants. Commissioning and calibration of lighting controls are essential if energy savings are to be achieved and maintained. Occupancy sensor costs range from approximately $30 to $130, depending on the type. Payback period of occupancy sensors retrofits range from 0.5 to 5 years, depending upon the level of occupancy and energy savings potential of the area controlled.

References & Resources:
1. Lighting Control Types, Federal Energy Management Program -
http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/light_controls.html#occupancy
2. Novitas, Inc. - http://www.novitas.com/
3. Energy Advisor: Lighting: Occupancy Sensors, Florida Power and Light, 2003 -
http://www.fpl.com/customer/efficiency/index.shtml?icid=SCHMDF

Occupancy Sensor Vendors include: Watt Stopper, Sensor Switch, Novitas and Leviton.

Jarret Kelley

Energy Engineer

As record high temperatures are being recorded across the state of Ohio, many can expect to see higher electric bills for the month of March due to higher than normal cooling loads. Chillers are the most energy-consuming component when it comes to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, due to the sensible and latent heat that they are tasked with removing. As the season for cooling your facility comes into full swing, it is important to make sure that your equipment is set up to run as efficiently as possible.

Cooling systems for large commercial buildings, educational facilities and manufacturers often times consist of chillers, chilled water pumps, cooling water pumps, and cooling towers. While the chillers are the most energy-demanding of these devices, it is important to make sure the entire system set up to work as efficiently as possible. Plug Smart uses the latest technology (programmable data loggers, temperature and humidity sensors, and other digital instrumentation) to help you analyze your cooling system’s performance and make recommendations based on the data gathered.

Making sure that your equipment is performing as intended is just one piece of the puzzle, properly controlling the equipment can be just as important as the equipment itself. A Porsche may be a nicer car than a Pinto, but if the Porsche has engine trouble because it is not properly tuned, then you are simply driving an over-priced Pinto. Ensuring that your system is properly controlled and not wasting energy, requires properly measuring the system variables and programming the right sequences. At Plug Smart, we can verify that you are getting the most out of your cooling system by ensuring that the latest and greatest control strategies are in place.

Don’t let the warm weather and high electric bills leave you questioning your cooling system. Whether you are using ground water for geothermal process cooling or a heat pump to cool an office, the engineers at Plug Smart can show you how much of your energy is being used for cooling and make sure you are getting the most out of your equipment.  Plug Smart will ensure that you are able to spend less time worrying about your cooling equipment and high energy bills, and spend more time enjoying this warm weather!

American Electric Power has successfully lobbied to increase the fee they charge to alternative electric providers in the AEP service area.  This fee has more than doubled from what it was previously, increasing from $110 to $255 per megawatt-day.   This charge will be in place for several months, at least until the PUCO is able to approve a new rate plan for AEP.  The PUCO was strong-armed to render this decision quickly by AEP, which threatened to cut jobs and even move their headquarters out of Columbus.

What this decision means to you:

• The supplier being charged this fee by AEP may pass along the increase to you, which would result in an increase of approximately 5 percent in your monthly electric bill.
• Customers will only have access to the lower charge if they have already switched to an alternative provider or if they are a customer in a community that has approved a group-buying electricity plan.
• This is a temporary fix until AEP releases their new rate plan (expected to take effect June 1, 2012).
• Customers that saw a severe hike in their January and February bills will still not receive any refunds for the previous rate increase.

Below is one of the several Columbus Dispatch articles from reporter Dan Gearino regarding the tug-of-war between PUCO and AEP:

PUCO allows AEP to charge competitors higher fee

Certain customers could see bills rise 5 percent if new supplier passes along the charge

Ohio’s utility regulators today approved American Electric Power’s request to increase a fee it charges its competitors.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said AEP can charge $255 per megawatt-day to the electricity suppliers that are serving most customers who have newly switched from AEP.

To do otherwise “could risk an unjust and unreasonable result,” the panel said in its 4-1 decision.

The charge, which is more than double the $110 that would otherwise apply, will make it more expensive for competitors to operate in AEP territory and could slow the migration of customers away from AEP.

For residential customers who switch, the higher charge will mean an increase of roughly 5 percent in the overall electricity bill, if the supplier chooses to pass the cost on to the customer. But there are also several ways that residential customers can continue to get the cheaper option.

The charge will be in place until the PUCO approves a new rate plan for AEP, which will likely take months. Two weeks ago, the panel voted to revoke the rates that had been in effect since January, an unusual move that followed receipt of more than a thousand complaints about high bills for residents and small businesses.

AEP had asked it be granted the higher capacity charge immediately, before any new rate plan is developed, saying it could face financial disaster, because competitors would be able to offer lower prices, eroding AEP’s customer base and income. The company said without the increase, it might have to cut jobs, investment and charitable giving.

A wide array of groups had urged the PUCO to reject the $255 charge, contending that it was a potentially illegal damper on competition.

Though the PUCO revoked the January rates, customers are still getting bills under those rates. AEP submitted a plan to return to its December 2011 rates, and the PUCO has now approved that plan. This action, which will reduce rates for most customers, will take effect in the next few days.

The decision on the capacity charge says the following customers can still get the lower, $110, charge:

* Customers who have already switched to an alternative provider.

* Customers in communities whose voters approved a group-buying electricity plan that has not yet been implemented.

* In addition, there are a limited availability of the lower charge for residential customers who don’t fall into either of the prior two categories. Right now, about 10 percent of AEP’s residential customers have switched providers, and the lower-cost capacity will be available until this number hits 21 percent.

Businesses will not have access to the lower charge unless they fall into one of the first two categories. This will likely discourage switching by the customers that have been the most eager to use an alternative supplier.

As of March 1, 28 percent of AEP’s Ohio customer base had switched to an alternative, a percentage based on energy usage, not on the actual number of clients, the company said. Most of the shift has been by businesses, with 44 percent of commercial customers and 31 percent of industrial customers having switched, compared to the 10 percent of residents.

The rules for the capacity charge will be in effect until the end of May. AEP has said it hopes the PUCO will approve a new rate plan that can take effect June 1, and the commission seems to be indicating that it will try to finish its work by then.

Ian Mcauliffe
Energy Engineer

The U.S. Department of Energy’s fluorescent lighting mandate is official. As of July 2010, magnetic ballasts most commonly used for the operation of T12 lamps were no longer produced. Now in July 2012, the phase out of lamp production will also commence.

Did you know?

Approximately 30 percent of all fluorescent lamps sold in the U.S. are still using T12 technology. As a result of the T12 phase out, 70 percent of all T12 fluorescent lamps sold in the U.S. will be phased out in July 2012.

Are you a T12 Consumer?

If you have one of the following lamp types below, there will be some major changes coming your way. If you don’t know what kind of lamps you are currently using, please don’t hesitate to call Plug Smart at (800) 518-5576 and we will be glad to assist you.

• T12 4-ft. & 2-ft U-lamps with medium bi-pin bases
- Majority of F40 and F34T12 lamps and all FB40 and FB34T12 U-lamps
- 4-ft. requires 3560 lumens @ 40W and 3030 lumens @ 34W to pass @ 89 LPW
- 2-ft. U-lamps require 3360 lumens @ 40W and 2856 @ 34W to pass @ 84 LPW
• T12 8-ft. Slimline with single pin bases
- All 75W F96T12 lamps
- All 60W F96T12/ES except for the 800 Series
• T12 8-ft. 800mA HO with RDC bases
- All 110W F96T12 HO lamps
- All 95W F96T12/ES/HO lamps

What should I be prepared for?

• Manufacturers will be phasing out their production of T12 lamps and ballasts
• Progressively less availability of T12 lamps and ballasts
• Increased cost of T12 lamps and ballasts due to demand vs. limited supply
• To keep up with federal regulations of energy efficiency, manufacturers’ technology and production will be focused on T8 and T5 systems
• Limited-time opportunity (2010) to access enhanced Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund incentives for T12 upgrades

What support can I get for upgrading to an energy-efficient lighting system?

Plug Smart captured over $3,000,000 in rebates for its customers in 2011. This includes being AEP’s largest procurer in Ohio with over $1,200,000 in total rebates found for it’s customers. A commonly asked question about these programs is “Why are they giving away money?” AEP is not actually giving away money, but giving back money to the customers who have been paying into these programs whether they know it or not. The rebates are similar to federal tax rebates; we all enjoy receiving our Tax rebate checks because it’s a refund of our money. The Energy Rebate Programs hosted by your utility providers are of the same principal, to refund money to encourage energy efficiency projects. Plug Smart will be with you every step of the way, from financing and implementing projects, to capturing the most rebate money for you.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why are T12 fluorescent systems being phased out?
Answer: T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts are considered outdated compared to the far more energy efficient T8 and T5 fluorescent technologies now available. The Department of Energy’s objective is to remove less efficient T12 fluorescent systems from the market, and thus increase lighting energy efficiency for organizations.

2. What type of energy savings can I expect for upgrading?
Answer: Managers of facilities can select from several upgrade scenarios which could result in energy savings as high as 45 percent, with attractive 1-3 year simple paybacks to the building owner.

3. Why are Rebate Incentives only offered for a limited time on T12 upgrades?
Answer: Once the DOE mandate becomes effective, it will become common practice to remove less efficient T12 systems; therefore, retrofitting T12 systems will be the customer’s only option for maintaining their old, inefficient lighting system. Rebate incentive programs will likely not support commercial and industrial T12 system retrofits in the future.

4. Should I gradually change out my T12 magnetic ballast system or should I change it all at once?
Answer: In order to take advantage of the rebate incentives, a project upgrade to the lighting system as a whole is best, not as individual fixture upgrades. This is biased on a few factors; you will get better pricing on the quantity of fixtures and project installation and you actualize more savings when projects are complete all at once.