Energy Conservation and Efficiency

The greenest source of energy is the energy you don’t consume.

With all the talk about renewable energy it’s easy to forget that the easiest way to green your business is to invest in energy-efficiency measures.  There are many options to save energy and green operations: from energy efficient ENERGY STAR equipment and appliances, HVAC system controls, or occupancy sensors that turn off lights when they’re not needed,

The energy experts working with the BEST Business Center are eager to help your business identify energy saving projects.  We offer free on-site evaluations, technical assistance for your projects, and guidance on cash incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon and tax credits through the Oregon Department of Energy.  Contact us for more information and to receive a free business evaluation.

The following resources also provide important information on this topic:

• Energy Star Power Management

  ENERGY STAR Power Management features — standard in Windows and Macintosh operating systems — place monitors and computers (CPU, hard drive, etc.) into a low-power “sleep mode” after a period of inactivity. Simply touching the mouse or keyboard “wakes” the computer and monitor in seconds. Activating sleep features saves energy, money, and helps protect the environment.
  

  www.energystar.gov/powermanagement

• Energy Star Products

  ENERGY STAR products use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. ENERGY STAR products must meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the US Environmental Protection Agency or the US Department of Energy. Since they use less energy, these products save you money on your electricity bill and help protect the environment by causing fewer harmful emissions from power plants. And you get the features and quality you expect.
  

  www.energystar.gov/products

• Energy Star: Small Business Program

  Whether you own your building or are a tenant, you typically need lighting, heating, air conditioning, power for office equipment, and other services to stay in business. With free, unbiased information and technical support from ENERGY STAR, you can more easily improve your company’s financial performance by reducing energy waste and energy costs, while protecting the earth’s environment.

  www.energystar.gov/smallbiz

• Energy Trust of Oregon: Lodging Program

  Hold the line against rising energy costs by making your property more energy efficient. Cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon help you offset the cost of upgrades that save energy, reduce operating costs and increase guest comfort. You’ll also help cool global warming and contribute to a more sustainable future.
  

  www.energytrust.org/lodging

• Energy Trust of Oregon: Restaurant and Foodservice Program

  In the restaurant business, rising energy costs can eat into thin profit margins. That’s why it makes sense to invest in energy efficient equipment. Energy Trust of Oregon makes the choice easy with cash incentives to help you purchase high efficiency foodservice equipment that saves energy and reduces operating costs, and helps you process orders faster with more consistency and less waste. You’ll also help protect the environment and cool global warming.
  

  www.energytrust.org/buildingefficiency/restaurants.html

Renewable Energy

Once energy needs have been reduced as much as possible, it’s time to consider using renewable energy to meet remaining energy demands. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, do not emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. 

Purchasing renewable energy demonstrates to customers that you’ve committed to go green, and offers a powerful marketing opportunity. Renewable energy providers can provide marketing tools such as window displays or Web site banners to help showcase green energy credentials.

Contact us for more information.

• Pacific Power: Blue Sky Program

  For as little as $1.95 extra per month, your business can participate in the Blue Sky renewable energy program, and help bring new renewable energy facilities to rural areas of the West.
  

  www.pacificpower.net/bluesky

• PGE: Renewable Power Options

  PGE offers two renewable energy options that are as reliable as your current service. Green Source^SM is based on matching 100 percent of your actual energy use with renewable power; with Clean Wind^SM you purchase small units of renewable energy for a set fee.
  www.greenpoweroregon.com

  www.portlandgeneral.com/renewables

• Solar Now!

  The Office of Sustainable Development’s Solar Program helps Portland businesses prepare to successfully undertake the installation of a solar energy system. We answer all solar-related questions, connect businesses to sources of financial and technical assistance, assist with navigating the City’s permitting process, and provide whatever additional information is necessary to help businesses choose solar energy.
  

  www.portlandonline.com/osd/solar

Carbon offsetting

Carbon offsets are created by projects that reduce, avoid, or sequester (pull from the atmosphere) greenhouse gases.  They are used to counteract or “offset” the effects of greenhouse gas emissions that cannot be avoided; by funding projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere a business can mitigate the impact of its own emissions.

It’s best to consider offsets only after reducing energy use as much as possible and purchasing renewable power. Offsets can be purchased to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from things you cannot avoid, such as airplane and vehicle travel and natural gas and oil heating.

The following resources also provide important information on this topic:

• Bonneville Environmental Foundation

  The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a Portland-based non-profit organization, sells carbon offsets as renewable energy certificates, known as “Green Tags.” Tags replace traditional polluting sources of electricity with clean, secure, and sustainable renewable sources of energy that come from solar and wind power across North America.
  

  www.greentagsusa.org

• Climate Trust

  The Climate Trust is a Portland-based non-profit organization that sells greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets.  These offsets come from projects that reduce GHG emissions in many sectors (green buildings, industrial efficiency, forest sequestration, transportation, as well as renewable energy).
  

  www.climatetrust.org

• Green-e Climate

  Green-e is the nation’s leading independent consumer protection program for the sale of greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market.  Green-e Climate Certified GHG emission reduction products must contain only real, measured, permanent, verified, and beyond business-as-usual GHG emission reductions. Consumers purchasing Green-e Climate Certified offsets will have clear information about the projects their GHG reductions are sourced from, and are guaranteed that no one else can claim their offset.  Use their directory to find offsets, or Renewable Energy Credits, that are green-e certified.
  

  www.green-e.org/climate

• NW Natural: Smart Energy

  For as little as $10 per month businesses can voluntarily offset the CO2 emissions associated with their natural gas use. NW Natural, in partnership with The Climate Trust, will invest these Smart Energy dollars in biogas projects on regional diary farms to keep methane – a potent greenhouse gas – out of the atmosphere.

  www.nwnatural.com/services/smartenergy/smartenergy_landing.asp

• Oregon Environmental Council: Carbon Neutral resource guide

  The Oregon Environmental Council is pleased to announce the launch of “On the Way to Carbon Neutral,” an online resource that outlines steps businesses can take to develop and implement a plan to reduce their carbon footprint and resources available to them in Oregon. Learn how to make your operations more energy efficient and climate friendly.
  

  www.oeconline.org/carbon-neutral

Production Efficiency

Streamlining your production practices can help you save energy, materials and resources, time and money.  The following resources also provide important information on this topic.

• Department of Energy: Save Energy Now Program

  DOE’s Save Energy Now initiative helps American businesses, factories, and manufacturing facilities save energy and improve productivity.  The program’s free assessments focus on energy-intensive systems such as process heating, steam, compressed air, fans, and pumps. Fine-tuning these systems can lead to significant long-term savings, and even bigger savings are possible if the approach is spread throughout your company’s plants.

  www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/

• Energy Trust of Oregon: Production Efficiency Program

  Reducing energy costs is a wise business choice. But where do businesses find the capital, staff and time to identify and implement energy efficient projects? The Energy Trust can help. The Energy Trust offers energy efficiency services for industrial processes of all kinds — including manufacturing, agricultural and water/wastewater treatment.  Skilled, industry-specific specialists will help determine the most profitable upgrades, assist with financial incentive and tax credit applications, and oversee project installations.

  www.energytrust.org/productionefficiency

• Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership

  OMEP’s Lean Enterprise program helps Oregon manufacturers reduce costs, increase sales, and create jobs by becoming more competitive and productive in the global marketplace.  Their primary focus is training and implementation of lean practices that help businesses eliminate waste and non-value added activity.

  www.omep.org