While there are numerous benefits energy audits, energy audits allow your company to:
- Identify your greatest opportunities for savings
- Gain a consciousness of the impact of energy usage on profitability
- Develop a baseline to identify the impact of changes in operations on energy consumption
- Develop an energy conservation and usage reduction strategy as part of your Sustainable Development Plan
For more information on energy audits,
click here to read an article written by one of the triple bottom line experts at August Mack Environmental.
With the rising cost of energy and concerns about the effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the climate, energy audits are becoming an increasingly important tool for sustainability-minded businesses. Energy audits can range from a simple facility walk through and review of electricity bills to a comprehensive review of energy consumption by individual pieces of equipment, processes and load variations by day and by season. The nature and complexity of the energy audit will also differ for an office building versus an industrial facility. For energy audits of all complexities, the goal is to identify how energy is used and the most effective way to reduce consumption in order to increase the sustainability of the business, both environmentally and economically.
To learn more about energy audits, click here to read an article written by one of the triple bottom line experts at August Mack Environmental.
As discussed in an earlier post, eCAP® has a five-step process that one of our environmental compliance specialists utilize to implement eCAP® at any facility. The second step in this process is compliance review and planning.
During the environmental, health and safety compliance review and planning process, the eCAP® account team will meet with your management team to review your current compliance status and make plans for the year ahead. We evaluate a wide range of variables, including potential new regulations, the possibility of facility process changes, increased production, capital improvements, reduced waste generation, increased energy efficiency and improved raw materials usage. Additionally, we develop customized audit protocols for routine inspections.
To learn more on how eCAP can help your facility maintain EPA environmental compliance and reduce the cost of environmental compliance programs, click here to read an article written by one of August Mack's technical experts.
One of the leading purchasers of renewable energy credits in U.S. is scaling back the practice. Instead of purchasing renewable energy PepsiCo has decided instead to invest the money into on-site renewable energy projects.
Technology has changed, incentives are developing and it is making more sense for companies to invest in on-site renewable energy projects. Companies are taking advantage of solar and wind to capture the once "unused" energy source. They are investing in windmills or installing solar panels on their roofs to offset their energy usage. These efforts are viewed as sustainability solutions and not just "buying" sustainability.
Begin with an energy audit, determine how much energy you need then begin to look for on-site solutions to off-set the need. Reduce the amount of energy needed or begin to invest in renewable on-site solutions. Review all the incentives available and make on-site renewable energy part of your sustainable business strategy.
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
Recognizing the ever-increasing importance of sustainability and "green" initiatives in business today, August Mack is leading the way in developing and implementing successful sustainability programs for a number of clients in various industries. Additionally, we have taken a look at our own business model and implemented a sustainability plan aimed at further reducing our own impact on the world. As a testament to our sustainability efforts, we have successfully reduced our carbon footprint every year for the last five years as well as received the first Gold LEED Certification for Commercial Interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in Indianapolis.
Utilizing more than 20 years of environmental, health and safety (EH&S) consulting experience coupled with our innovative approach to projects, we have developed an unique four-step process aimed at integrating sustainability in an organization, including our own. The first step in our approach, the Sustainability Baseline Assessment, is a one-time assessment that is necessary to quantify key sustainability parameters which will help establish areas where sustainability efforts should be focused in the future as well as determine the metrics to evaluate future performance. After the completion of a Sustainability Baseline Assessment, we recommend the development of a Sustainability Plan that explicitly presents the company’s commitment to sustainable development and outlines the various efforts the company will make in the coming year to integrate sustainability into their process. The plan should be written to reflect the company’s vision and values, and incorporate all of the efforts being implemented to ultimately achieve sustainability. The third step of this process is the actual Implementation and Tracking of the Sustainability Plan. The fourth step is a Sustainability Annual Report that can be used as part of the company’s stakeholder communication and illustrates the company’s past, present and future efforts in regards to sustainability.
Our Sustainability services include:
- Sustainability Baseline Assessment
- Sustainability Reports
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
- Energy Audits
- Waste Mapping
- Logistics Analysis
- Green Building Assessments
- Facility Air Balances
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Surveys
August Mack specializes in environmental, health and safety compliance; environmental due diligence; environmental site remediation; and sustainable business strategies to the industrial, legal, financial, health care and government sectors throughout North America. August Mack has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information on August Mack's environmental, health and safety services, visit www.augustmack.com or call 800.579.0770.
New sporting venues are generally being built to some level "greenness". For example some of the nine host cities for South Africa's first World Cup have built new stadiums that feature natural ventilation, rain water capture and energy efficiency, however they are struggling to find ways to offset the amount of carbon emissions that will be generated by the actual tournament.
There are many steps to hosting a sporting event and even more hurdles to jump if you are attempting to run a "carbon neutral" event. Many event organizers are waiting too long to establish a "green" plan. If an event is using an existing venue, contracting an energy audit or developing an environmental compliance plan are the first steps. Making sustainability a part of the event from the beginning will help the venue not only put on a great event but a great "green" event.
Sustainable business strategies need to be formulated with all the stakeholders input. By putting off the inclusion of sustainable solutions diminishes their importance to the event. If you want a green event be a green event from the beginning, not just an after thought.
In Detroit, we are used to cars working on their efficiency - now Ford is working on its facilities. One of Ford Motor Company's latest energy efficiency projects is the retrofit of its lighting systems at its Detroit campus facilities. They will retrofit or replace more than 50,000 light fixtures and add a lighting control system for maximum efficiency. Ford will be using the energy savings to pay for the upgrade over five years.
Many companies are conducting energy audits as a way to reduce cost. Companies also are using the energy savings from the upgrades to pay for the upgrades. With the amount energy savings, generally discovered during the energy audit, companies are able to use some or all of the savings to off set the costs.
Using this philosophy not only improves the bottom line...it also improves the company's triple bottom line.
After all the energy audits and establishing sustainable business strategies don't forget to include your Web site. Corporate sustainability managers are looking to use the company Web site to communicate and engage with key stakeholders. As part of this process eight key attributes have emerged for effective stakeholder reporting and engagement via the website.
- Access
- Navigation
- Clarity and relevance of graphics
- Timeliness
- Completeness
- Performance statistics
- Engagement
- Assurance
Many Web sites succeed in presenting basic information about sustainability efforts, offering improved visibility and access to data traditionally contained in a stand-alone annual sustainability report. But, most companies are not yet using the web to its full potential - as a channel for bidirectional communication and delivery of information in a more complete and timely fashion. A company networked in this way can provide up-to-the minute sustainability information to support relationships with customers, suppliers, investors, watchdogs and other external parties.
Remember, before you can communicate all the wonderful things your company is doing - you first have to do wonderful things. Then, make it easy and accessible for all the stakeholders.
Whenever you want to improve in a specific area or program, just the process of increasing awareness with the stakeholders will yield improvements. If you want to improve your Environmental Compliance Programs, letting the personnel who have the greatest impact know about all the issues will help facilitate improvement. Tracking results and communicating this information will also help your mission.
If you want to minimize energy usage, post information that describes how the personnel in your facility can help. This can be broadcasted via e-mail, newsletters, bulletin board postings, etc. Start with small easy steps and let them know the impact of their changes. Let's say you have 100 employees who each leave an unneeded 60-watt light bulb turned on when they are not in the office. If they begin to turn off that those lights, that approximately saves $2,000-$3,000 of wasted energy each year. Not a significant saving but it is a start. If you want to think much bigger, consider an Energy Audit.
Both of the above areas will help your Triple Bottom Line!
At the 2010 National Automobile Dealer Association Convention, Ford announced a voluntary sustainability initiative for their Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers. Ford is appealing to them to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency at their facilities. Ford plans to test for best practices at three dealerships in diverse climates, as part of what they are calling the "Go Green" dealer sustainable initiative.
Dealers will use energy audits and sustainable business practices to drive down energy and operating costs. Dealers joining the "Go Green" Dealership Sustainability Program will receive a comprehensive energy assessment from sustainability personnel at Ford, who will help tailor a program to meet the needs of the dealer.
Ford will also review State and Federal tax credits and any other incentives for their Dealerships. This type of triple bottom line attention can only draw more positive attention to Ford.
Do you want to follow this blog? See instructions below:
Click on the 
icon in order to receive August Mack Environmental blog updates through the RSS Feed!
By receiving RSS updates, you can learn about:
- Environmental Compliance Auditing
- EPA Environmental Compliance
- Phase One Site Assessments
- Sustainable Business Strategies
- Energy Audits
- How to improve your Triple Bottom Line
If you are looking to follow my blog on Health Care, then click on the
on this page.
Keep up-to-date on Sustainability Solutions!
If you have problems, call Brooke Lock at 317-916-3113.
In a recent report developed by the International Facilities Management Association and Aramark, it states water efficiency, green building materials and efficient HVAC systems play a role in the sustainability in the food service supply chain. Local purchasing and and sustainable food purchasing was also mentioned.
Food preparation is the leading source of energy consumption in the Industry at 35 percent. That is followed by HVAC at 28 percent, sanitation at 18 percent, lighting at 13 percent and refrigeration at six percent. It has been estimated that up to 80 percent of the $10 billion spent in energy at U.S. restaurants is wasted.
Having an energy audit performed as part of the sustainable business strategies for a company in food service is an excellent step to saving money as well as saving the planet.
Do you have an overall environmental compliance plan? This should include components of becoming sustainable. Some things you do to "go green" cost you more money. Buying a more environmentally-friendly product sometimes may be more costly than sticking with the less environmentally-friendly product. Given the tough economic times, this can become a hard decision to make. Since organizations need to be good stewards of their money as well as the environment, the cost of "going green" sometimes can be too expensive. But, not in all instances! One area where it can be a "win-win" situation is often related to energy savings projects. For organizations looking to "go green" in these tough economic times, look at energy-related projects and you may end up helping the environment and your bottom line. The first step in this process is to perform an Energy Audit. This helps your triple bottom line!
Some insurance companies are offering discounts for energy efficient and sustainable buildings. Structures that conform to green building standards tend to have a lower energy load from energy efficient lighting, which reduces the risk of fire. More durable, energy efficient windows also stand up better during storms. Insurance companies are taking these factors into account not only for residential buildings but also office complexes, factories and other commercial buildings.
Liberty Mutual Property offers a "GreenSelect" policy, which protects the typically more expensive energy efficient upgrades in the case of a loss. GreenSelect also pays the charges associated with re-certifying buildings to new, higher standards of LEED or Green Globes Certification Program.
Another emerging type of policy protects a company's board of directors from claims that the company has caused environmental damage.
As we see there are many ways for companies to go green; energy audits, developing a guide to environmental compliance or recycling, but all sustainable business strategies need to incorporate insurance as well ......... after all sustainability means to keep going and insurance policies can help companies do just that.
August Mack's southeastern Pennsylvania office quite often performs work in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and many other states. If you are looking for assistance with any of the following, call me at 317.916.3105 and ask about our Pennsylvania office:
- Environmental Compliance Requirements
- Phase One Environmental Site Assessments
- Energy Audits
- Environmental Compliance Auditing
Speaking of environmental compliance audits, we just completed work at a facility in northern Virginia.
The popular burrito chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill, is planning on installing solar panels on 75 restaurants during the next year. In total, the panels should produce about 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, which Chipotle says will make it the largest direct producer of solar in the restaurant industry.
Chipotle estimates the solar panels will help eliminate more than 41 million pounds of of CO2 emissions.
Chipotle Restaurants in Denver, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin are listed for locations to have the solar panels installed. The restaurant is prioritizing installation of solar panels based on the store's electricity consumption, local utility solar rebates and access to direct sunlight - in short where it makes the most sense.
Talk about kicking up a company's sustainable business strategies. When was the last time your company conducted an energy audit?
The weekend is almost here so get out and enjoy the fall weather! When you get back in the office next week, give me a call at 317.916.3105 so I can let you know some of the services August Mack can help with for environmental, health & safety compliance issues. A few of the services we offer include:
- Environmental Compliance Auditing
- Phase One Environmental Site Assessment
- Environmental, Health and Safety Audits
- Environmental Remediation Consulting
- Energy Audits
- Sustainable Business Development Strategies
And, the list goes on......Give me a call at 317.916.3105!
The words “energy” and “economy” seem to have been used with terms like crisis, shortage or problem all to often over the past several months. Given the state of the economy, the green movement and unpredictable energy costs, many companies in the manufacturing sector have been emphasizing the importance of saving not only money, but the environment. Larger corporations have begun “green-collar” worker training to conduct internal energy audits in order to identify cost saving opportunities.
There are several techniques to increase energy efficiency that may vary in complexity and detail based on your budget. These techniques range from changing the light bulbs used at your facility to conducting an energy audit or implementing a Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma program.
To learn more about how to increase energy efficiency and impact your triple bottom line, click here to read an article by one of August Mack's technical experts.
That's an RSS feed. Just click on it to receive content updates.
Powered by Compendium