Sustainable Ewing Green Team

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)

The kitchen is the heart of the home and can be the heart of your energy savings. Lighting accounts for 5% of a home’s electricity usage, refrigeration 3%, cooking 1% and dishwashers 1%.

No-cost EE tips

1. Adjust the refrigerator thermostat to the right temperature – do not over cool/freeze.
2. Use lids on pots and pans to boil or cook faster.
3. Do not open the oven door unnecessarily.
4. Use the microwave instead of the oven or stove whenever possible
5. Keep the refrigerator coils clean.
6. Use your dishwasher with a full load and not overloaded.

Low-cost EE tips

1. Replace your old refrigerator. A 10 year old refrigerator could be costing you $110 per year to run. When shopping for a new refrigerator, be sure to buy one rated by Energy Star, which could use less energy than a 60-watt light bulb

See https://www.energystar.gov/products/most_efficient for a listing of the most efficient models.

• And, be sure to apply for your rebate from NJ Clean Energy Program. https://njcleanenergy.com/flip-your-fridge
• Replace incandescent and CFL lightbulbs with the same level of lighting LEDs. LEDs use less energy and last a whole lot longer.  For example, replacing a 60 watt incandescent bulb with a 12 watt LED (which gives the same light level) will save you $5.50 a year and will last 25,000 hours compared to 1,000 for the incandescent bulb.   https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/how-energy-efficient-light