5 Tips to Reduce Big Building Energy Use
It takes a surprising amount of energy to keep large buildings operating. Large commercial and residential buildings can consume a huge amount of energy. According to the EPA, US buildings consume about 36% of all energy used and account for 65% of electricity consumption. This translates into a 30% contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of waste generated, and 30% use of raw materials.
The good news is that there is a lot of opportunity for reduction in energy demand for all types of large buildings with high energy bills. High energy consuming equipment in most commercial buildings include lighting, office equipment, HVAC, along with any other electronic devices that vary by building activity.
Monitor Energy Use
Building management systems (BMS) provide facility managers with a centralized control system that can monitor and adjust energy use within the building. Implementing building automation and control in buildings can drastically reduce energy costs by making it simple to cut use where it is not needed. Monitoring energy use also makes it simple to tailor your operations to correspond with times of lower demand on the electric grid. BMS can make efficiency measures like participating in demand response programs easy. Companies like Energy Curtailment Specialists (ECS) will pay significant money for energy reduction during times of stress on the power grid. This revenue adds extra value to your building’s energy efficiency measures. Read more about DR programs here.



After a long winter, summer is finally here! While most of us are excited to enjoy the warm weather and outdoors, it’s the season of high energy use. As temperatures rise, air conditioners and cooling systems are used more frequently, putting a major demand on utility grids. This can lead to blackouts, brownouts and grid surges.
The summer is now in full swing! If you live up near our headquarters in Buffalo, NY, it means we finally get to change our snow tires and joyfully send the snow scraper back to the trunk where it belongs. For everybody else, kicking back and enjoying the sunshine is pretty rewarding, too.
Energy efficiency reminders seem to be ubiquitous. For just a little hike in price, we can buy energy efficient light bulbs, appliances, cars, and even homes. The constant message of energy efficient living is that we are being kind to the environment and helping to stop global warming. But what’s in it for us?

