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Energy audit has business owners seeing ‘green’

Silver Spring group shows how conservation measures can save money

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005

Before Chris Patterson received the results of an energy audit conducted on Austin Grill, the COO and president of the Silver Spring restaurant didn’t realize how much money was being wasted in his restaurant due to energy inefficiencies. Nor did he realize to what extent a reduction in this wasted energy would positively impact the environment.

‘‘I didn’t know what to expect,” Patterson said.

But according to a report composed by EMO Energy Solutions that was presented at a Thursday morning energy symposium, the Gaithersburg-based restaurant could save about $7,535 annually by implementing energy conservation measures at an initial cost of $26,054.

Annually, the measures would reduce electric consumption by approximately 48,000 kilowatts an hour and reduce gas consumption by approximately 2,100 therms, a measure used by utility companies to determine how much natural gas is used.

On top of these savings, the energy consumption measures would substantially benefit the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 99,500 pounds, or 50 tons, of carbon dioxide per year.

The reduction of gases is the equivalent to planting 13.5 acres of trees or removing 10 cars from the road every year, according to the report.

Patterson said he was pretty excited when he saw the report.

‘‘The upfront costs weren’t that great and the returns were pretty strong,” Patterson said.

Gary Skulnik, founder, executive director and president of the Clean Energy Partnership, said Patterson’s is a fairly typical reaction.

‘‘Most restaurants don’t realize how much energy they’re wasting,” said Skulnik, whose group hosted Thursday’s symposium.

A Silver Spring nonprofit group that organizes businesses around environmental initiatives, CEP used the Austin Grill audit to show Patterson and other business leaders the many ways that businesses can reduce energy consumption, lower overhead expenses and limit business’ negative impact on the environment.

The energy symposium comes at a time when businesses have taken on more responsibility for their actions, and are increasingly concerned about the impact of their business on the environment, said Skulnik. Businesses are no longer obsessed with making profits on the short term, but rather think in terms of the long range, taking into account the business’s environmental impact and the concerns of customers, he said.

Many of the energy conservation measures listed in the report were simple and inexpensive to implement. These measures included programming thermostat controls to adjust temperature settings when the restaurant is unoccupied and installing super-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs in place of incandescent light bulbs.

Other costlier measures that were recommended by the report included replacing multiple air handlers with a single unit and upgrading to more efficient water heaters.

The audit provided 16 additional energy saving strategies. Among these measures included adjusting the gas flame, running only full dishwasher loads and maintaining proper temperature levels for water heaters.

In addition to the more obvious gains from implementing these measures, ‘‘green” business boosts the morale of the environmentally conscious sector of the workforce, improves the company image and creates customer loyalty, Skulnik said.

While the simple payback of the costs incurred to implement these measures is three and a half years, the savings will continue for the life span of the improvements, he added.

Patterson and other business leaders in attendance were thrilled to learn about the report’s findings.

‘‘We are really excited about getting some concrete advice on how we can reduce our energy use and we plan on implementing as many of the recommendations as we can,” Patterson said.

While many businesses may balk at the prospect of implementing some of the costly changes, Skulnik said that you have to look at the numbers.

‘‘You should be looking at how long it takes to recoup your money,” not the initial cost you bear, he said.

These energy savings, said Skulnik, are particularly relevant in today’s world, considering soaring energy prices and the problem of global warming.

But CEP, described by Skulnik as a hybrid between a business group and an environmental group, extends a multitude of other benefits, beyond energy audits, to area businesses.

With a CEP membership Austin Grill, for instance, has enjoyed the benefits of networking and sharing ideas with other companies. CEP has also done a good job of marketing his business, including sending people to his restaurant, he said.

According to Mark Smallwood, the environmental coordinator for the Alexandria, Va.,-based grocery store chain MOM (which stands for My Organic Market), CEP is like a green chamber of commerce. All of the members share a common goal for a better environment. Austin Grill and MOM, for instance, have purchased wind-generated power to reduce emissions from nonrenewable energy sources.

And the business members, ranging from restaurants to lawyers to grocery stores, are very diverse. This way you can tap into the resources of like-minded partners in almost any field of business, Smallwood said.

‘‘For companies that are environmentally friendly and supportive, this is their home,” Skulnik said.