Category: energy efficiency

The New Jersey Commercial and industrial sectors account for 60% of the electricity and 47% of the natural gas usage and their related greenhouse gas emissions.   Small businesses account for over 90% of the businesses in New Jersey. Small businesses can save significantly on the energy use and cost through the NJBPU Clean Energy Direct Install program.  The program can pay up to 80% of the EE upgrade.   See: https://njcleanenergy.com/commercial-industrial/programs/direct-install

Then check out this video to learn how Surface Technology in Ewing has benefitted from Direct Install

There must be thousands of small businesses in New Jersey that are simply office operations.  They are also eligible for the Direct Install program. (Learn about Direct Install at: https://njcleanenergy.com/commercial-industrial/programs/direct-install)  This works best if the business owns their building, but even renters can benefit. If you pay your own utility bill, you will want to talk to your landlord about this program.  Listen to how Gary Keel of Money Management Associates in Ewing took advantage of Direct Install.

There are a lot of opportunities for saving money and energy in small business operations.  If you are the owner of a small business or have a favorite small business that you would like to see thrive, this week is for you.

The average commercial enterprise has annual energy usage that amounts to: 74,424 kWh of electricity, costing $9,250 and emitting 39,370 pounds of CO2…. 7,031 therms of natural gas, costing $6,174 and emitting 79,818 pounds of CO2.

The NJ Board of Public Utilities has a Direct Install program that makes it really easy to install energy efficient lighting, upgrade heating and cooling systems, and improve other systems such as refrigeration.

Over the next few days, we will share videos that tell the story of 6 Mercer County Institutions that have used the Direct Install program and couldn’t be happier.

• Bottle King (East Windsor)
• Homefront (Lawrence)
• Hopewell Presbyterian Church (Hopewell)
• Money Management Associates (Ewing)
• Princeton Orthopedic Associates (Princeton)
• Surface Technology, Inc. (Ewing)

You will find an overview of the program here:

If your home is served by a traditional water heating tank, you’re pouring energy into heating water 24 hours a day, whether you need hot water or not. What a waste!  If it’s almost time for you to replace your current hot water heater (before it does something dramatic like spring a leak), consider switching to a tankless hot water system.

Tankless water heaters wait until you turn on the tap to begin heater hot water, and it may take up to 15 seconds before you reach the temperature you desire, but is that really much longer than your current system?

You can save 27 to 50% of your water heating costs by switching to a tankless heater.

Interested?  Check out this great guide from This Old House.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/plumbing/21019184/read-this-before-you-buy-a-tankless-water-heater

According to the USDOE, heating accounts for almost 50% of the average NJ home’s energy use.  Over 80% of home heating in NJ is with natural gas, 12% electric and the rest oil or propane.

No-cost EE tips

1. Move obstacles away from vents and registers. Keep them clean.
2. Run your ceiling fan counter-clockwise to move the heat down from the ceiling to the floor.
3. Open the drapes during the day to let the sun heat in and close them at night to reduce the chill.
4. Lower your thermostat to 68^o F while awake and lower when asleep or away.  You save between 1% to 3% for every 1 degree lower you set your thermostat.  This can save you up to 10% on your heating bill or about $80 per year.

Low-cost EE tips

1. Perform routine annual maintenance on your heating system in the fall before winter use.
2. Change the filter on your heating system and humidifier, either when dirty or every 3 months.
3. Buy and use a programable thermostat
4. Seal up any drafts.  This could save you up to 20% on your heating bill or about $160 per year.
5. Add insulation.
6. Replace an older inefficient heating system with a new efficient system. (Tune in tomorrow for more tips on heating systems)