Area organizations keep energy costs down

Southwest Missouri State University has been using an energy savings plan since the spring of 1996. The university has made numerous improvements, including the use of more energy-efficient light bulbs and variable speed motors, as well as a computerized system that allows the school to decrease the amount of energy used to heat or cool buildings during unoccupied periods. The plan has allowed the school, according to its Web site, to save more than $7 million since the plan’s implementation.

City Utilities has offered energy savings programs since the energy crisis of the early 1970s. Commercial customers have access to free on-site energy audits and commercial lighting audits to help commercial customers cut back on energy usage.

Cara Shaefer, CU director of energy management, said that it’s difficult to determine how many commercial customers take advantage of the free audits, but it’s not as many as it could be.

“When you look at businesses, they need a quick payback on investments that they make, and with our commercial customers, they usually have a two- or three-year payback period on any of their improvements,” she said. “That’s kind of hindered them from implementing some of the recommendations that we have.”

Numbers are even lower on the residential side of the business, where Shaefer said the portion of customers who take advantage of offered energy audits – which cost the customer about $100 – is less than 1 percent. Shaefer pointed to the relatively low cost of energy as a reason for the low number of audits.

For more information:

www.smsu.edu/energymgt

www.cityutil.com

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