STATE and LOCAL GOVERNMENT::
Get Started

While everyone can contribute to saving energy, it is important to have a champion or team who can identify and pursue energy saving opportunities. Create a team with support from senior management to ensure that energy conservation remains a management priority.

1. First, establish your 2007 baseline energy use and cost by collecting twelve months of utility bills.
   1. State Agencies, please use the Excel-based State Agency Energy Baseline Tool. To aid you in developing your baseline, please see the State Agency Energy Baseline Guidance as well as the detailed State Agency Energy Baseline Instructions. Also, for guidance in developing an Agency-level Sustainable Energy Management Plan, please see the State Agency Sustainable Energy Management Plan Outline.
   2. Local Governments can also use the Excel-based Energy Baseline Tool or an online tool such as ENERGYSTAR’s Portfolio Manager to help you understand how much energy you use, spot trends, compare yourself to others and determine progress towards your conservation goals.
2. Once you know your starting point, set a goal. Take the Governor’s Energy Challenge and reduce your energy use 15% by 2020! Publicize your commitment throughout your organization and engage employees to contribute.
3. Identify energy saving options. These low and no cost practices can reduce your energy consumption by 10, 20, even 30%. Estimate potential energy savings and payback to determine the ones that will work for your organization. For help, refer to the images below. Consider incentives that may be available.
4. Implement these changes and monitor your energy performance compared to your baseline.
5. Celebrate the savings your team achieved. Positive feedback is important to sustaining high performance.
6. Once you’ve successfully completed this process, reassess your baseline and establish new goals to achieve additional cost and energy savings.

No and Low Cost Quick Tips

The following quick and easy no-cost or low-cost measures can save you 10% to 20% on your energy bills.

Lighting

• Reduce lighting. Remove lamps where you have more lighting than you really need, but be sure to maintain safe lighting conditions for work areas. Turn lights off when they're not in use.   No Cost
• Install automatic room-lighting controls. Similar to programmable thermostats, these devices help optimize lighting use by automatically turning lights on or off, depending on occupancy or time of day. Sensors and timers work well and are usually installed by a specialist.   Low Cost

Heating and Cooling

• Adjust thermostats. Turn down the building’s heating thermostat and turn up its cooling thermostat, especially when the building is not occupied. No Cost.
• Seal heating and cooling ductwork.Leakage from areas such as joints, elbows, and connections can be substantial - as much as 20% to 30%. This is especially costly if the ducts travel through unheated or uncooled spaces such as attics, basements, or crawlspaces. Use mastic to seal ducts.   Low Cost
• Replace air filters regularly and follow maintenance schedules for furnace and air-conditioning equipment. Replacing a dirty air filter can save money by reducing the amount of electricity needed to run a blower motor (because there is less resistance to airflow with a clean filter).   Low Cost
• Install programmable thermostats. These inexpensive devices, most incorporating modern microprocessor-based electronics, can help optimize your building's heating and cooling needs. And you won't need to remember to change thermostat settings every time you open or close your business.   Low Cost
• Clean heat exchangers and perform routine maintenance on refrigerating equipment. These simple measures will ensure the most efficient operation of heat exchangers needed for cooling or refrigerating equipment.   No Cost
• Seal off unused areas and don’t heat or cool these areas. Storage areas represent a good place to start; turn off heating and cooling to these areas.   No Cost
• Seal exterior cracks and holes, and ensure tight-fitting windows. Seemingly small cracks or holes in the building exterior (like walls, windows, doors, ceiling, and floors) can really add up to substantial heating or cooling losses. Install weather stripping and caulking to stop these air leaks.   Low Cost
• Shade sun-exposed windows and building walls. In most areas of the country, direct sunlight streaming through windows at the wrong time of the year can substantially increase your air-conditioning costs. During the cooling season, use shading methods (like window coverings, awnings, trees, and bushes) wherever possible.   Low Cost
• Repaint building exterior with light colors. When it’s time to repaint the exterior of your building, consider using light colors. More sunlight will be reflected away from the building, thus lowering air-conditioning expenses--perhaps your largest energy expense. This is especially true for your roof.   Low Cost
• Keep exterior doors closed as much as possible. Don’t heat or cool the outdoors.   No Cost
• Block and insulate unneeded windows and other openings. Aside from the important security benefit, covering unneeded windows and doors can greatly reduce energy losses from these openings.   Low Cost

Water

• Reduce the hot water temperature. Reducing the temperature on your water heater thermostat decreases heat loss from your tank. For washing hands, you may be able to turn the temperature to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Dishwashing may require higher temperature settings, e.g. 130 degrees F (54 degrees C).   No Cost
• Install water flow restrictors and aerators in sink faucets. These measures can save you money by reducing water use (including hot water).   Low Cost
• Wrap the hot water tank with jacket insulation. This simple, inexpensive measure will reduce standby heat loss from the tank. Be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater.   Low Cost

Other

• Turn off machines and equipment when not needed. In many businesses, this simple approach can achieve big savings. To make it easy, activate PC Power Management from ENERGYSTAR. Don’t underestimate the energy savings you can get by turning off unused computers, monitors, printers, and copiers.   No Cost
• Buy energy-efficient equipment. When buying or replacing computers, copiers, and other office equipment, compare energy requirements of various models. ENERGYSTAR rated equipment has approval from the U.S. EPA and DOE.   Low Cost
• Buy energy-efficient vehicles. When buying or replacing agency-owned vehicles, compare energy requirements of various models.   No Cost or Low Cost
• Encourage employees to be energy conscious. The importance of getting employee cooperation shouldn't be underestimated; their practices and activities can make or break efforts such as these. Consider offering a small reward or other incentive for the employee who saves the most energy.   No Cost

5 Step Model for Energy Conservation
Create an energy manager or team to carry out this five step process.

Calculate a Simple Payback

Energy-Savings Potential

Do-It-Yourself Lighting Assessment

Computer Equipment Savings Chart

Individuals  ::   Businesses & Organizations  ::   State or Local Government  ::   Contact Us