The Optical Vision Site

Maine’s Efficiency Rebate Program Can Save Businesses Up to 30%

Businesses in Maine can apply for a rebate under Efficiency Maine’s Prescriptive Incentives program for their energy-efficient retrofits, which in some cases have saved businesses up to 30 percent per month in electricity costs, reports Seacoastonline.com.

Case-in-point: Dan Corcoran, owner of Jackson’s True Value Hardware and Marine says more than one half the cost of installing its energy-efficient lighting was paid for by the Maine Public Utilities Commission under its Efficiency Maine program, and electricity costs have been cut by about 30 percent per month.

The program covers lighting, HVAC equipment, motors and motor drives, commercial refrigeration and agricultural equipment. Businesses can apply for up to $300,000 in incentives in a single calendar year. Read more here At Environmental Leader

Green and Save With Lighting Retro-Fits

If you are wondering if retro-fitting your lighting will save you money- see the below example from Environmental Leader

The example of a Pennsylvania pet store saving $200,000 over 25 years after a lighting retrofit is ample evidence that not only major facilities can reap the rewards of lighting retrofits. Braxton’s Pet Works in Wayne, Pa., installed LED lights and expects to save more than $9,000 a year, after state and federal rebates, according to Greenandsave.

The project should cut electricity consumed by lighting at the 70-year-old pet store by 85 percent. LED Saving Solutions is installing the lights.

While costly, LED bulbs long outshine their competition. For instance, GE’s R30 bulb is rated for 20,000 hours, or up to 10 times longer than standard lights. But the bulb costs $60, reports the Forth Worth Star Telegram.

As more businesses adopt LED lighting, the costs will come down significantly, said Chuck Swoboda, Chief Executive Officer of LED lighting firm Cree Inc., Durham, N.C.

Once the initial installment costs come down, with the energy savings factored in, adopting LEDs will be extremely attractive for businesses, Swoboda said, in an article in the Monterey Herald.

Lighting accounts for about 22 percent of electricity used in the United States, according to the Herald.

But the Department of Energy has stated that a conversion to solid-state lighting like LEDs could reduce energy use for lighting 33 percent by 2030, or the same amount of electricity generated by 40 1,000 megawatt plants. Across the board, that would amount to $30 billion in savings.

Green and Save- Water In The Eyecare Office

Photo: www.airdrie.ca

One of the things Americans take for granted that is a luxury in most of the world is clean water and a true luxury is clean water right from the tap. The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water a day and the average American family uses 80-1000 gallons a day per person. In fact water and especially clean water is fast becoming a global crisis. Even in the United States, 21 states including Alaska and Hawaii have drought conditions. Thankfully we in California have had rain this year, but it not enough rain to stop our water rationing.

Despite water rationing in California, the cost of water has gone up 7-20% depending on the water district. Just by the nature of being an medical office, washing hands, contact lens cleaning and flushing toilets eyecare offices use tons of water. Some cities and states are offering REBATES (saving more green) for water saving devices. To find out how you much water you can save- here is a free Water Calculator

There are many things an office can do to save water, some are free and others require a purchase that will save green.

Top 10 Ways To Save Green In an Office

1. Installing aerators on faucets (about $10) can reduce the amount of water coming out while maintaining water pressure. Kitchen Faucet Aerator On/Off / Water Saving Swivel Spray Stream 2.0 gpm
2. Installing an instant hot water heater- I installed a Laing  hot water heater in my house ACT-303-BTW autocirc ($256 on Amazon) It takes 2 seconds for instant hot water. In fact, My brother installed, my mother installed, her plumber installed it, my handyman installed it, his son installed it and my neighbor installed it.  This device is fantastic!
3. When washing hands don’t let the water run as you are soaping up. Turn off the water (savings about 3 gallons)
4. Use Cold Water as much as possible-
5. Old toilets- put in a water displacement device even rocks can help save the gallons of water used being flushed. An don’t throw tissues in the toilet and flush, use the trash. Savings about 2 gallons a flush.
6. Landscaping, plant native plants, mulch and water early evening or morning. Savings 150 Gallons/water
7. Kitchen, don’t wash dishes one at a time, save until the end of the day and wash together. Savings 5-10 gallons of water. If you want that extra cup of coffee, don’t make a full pot, and water plants with leftover coffee instead of putting down the drain.
8. Insulate your water heater- Energy saving and water savings.
9. If you brush your teeth at work- turn off the water when brushing- saving 3 gallons
10. Fix leaks- Saving 20 gallons a day

Labs and Lab Equipment

Having an in-house lab can be a dollar saver to an eyecare office. But, the amount of water used is a lot! Briot’s Alta Pro Edger , all in one Surfacer and edger reduces water consumptions up to 30% of the average use of water in lens processing. For the record, Briot also recycles all scrap metal. Fast Grind International all in one surfacer /edger water can be reclaimed and reused and the blocking pads can be used up to 400x before replacement). Santinelli’s Edgers Lfu 220 tank and pump hybrid systems can reduce water consumption as well.  Vision Systems- has a selection of pre-owned equipment from the above .

Resources

• US Drought Monitor
• Be Waterwise
• WaterSense by the EPA- offers helpful hints, product listing and a water use calculator

Green and Save-10 Tips For Reducing Eyecare Energy Use

Go Green and Save Green by Nancy Sleeth

One of the top ways the eyecare professional can Save Green is by saving energy. Improving energy efficiency can save about $4,000 a year in a 10,000 square foot office or by 10-40% per year.

The first step in saving energy is conducting an energy audit.  Many energy audits are free from utility companies or you can conduct a free online energy audit to find out where you can save money such as  Saving Green’s  Free Energy Efficiency Checkup . At that time depending on the size of your office you can decide to have a visual walk through, prioritizing recommendations for maximum savings and efficiency. That will cost, but can be repaid back by the energy savings.

Commercial buildings use 18% of the energy in the country. 25% of that is for lighting alone. In fact looking at energy guzzlers, not only include lighting, but hot water heaters, vending machines, cell phone chargers, coffee makers, cable boxes, copy machines, fax machines any and everything that plugs into a wall or has an on off switch.

Top 11 Green and Save Energy Tips

1. Put your computers on sleep mode and best if turned off at nite or if not in use for an hour. 10 Employees can save $500 a year in energy costs. Note to Staff: Screen Savers do not save energy.
2. Unplug all devices if not in use or rarely used devices. Unplugging devices when not in use can save 1-2% of energy costs. (Chargers, coffee makers, fax machines, microwaves)
3. Turn off all office equipment at nite, copiers, printers, fax machines. Office equipment accounts for 16% of energy waste.
4. Heating and Cooling-Put in an Energy Star Thermostat or even leave the Thermostat off and open windows and doors. You can save about 10% on yoru electricity bill just by adjusting the thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees.
5. Turn off lights- use natural lighting as much as possible- if not available consider putting in motion detector lights in each room. Savings up to $10.00 a day.
6. Use CFL or LED lighting- savings can be up to 75% of total energy costs.
7. Office Equipment- Purchase Energy Star rated equipment. Energy Star certified computers and other devices are more  energy efficient that regular computers. Laptops are more energy efficient that desktops.
8. Refrigerators- Single biggest energy consuming kitchen appliance. Opening and closing the close cost between $30-$50 in energy bills. Keep full, stuff with paper or tubs of water. A full Fridge is more energy efficient than an empty one.
9. Use Power Strips a
10. Turn down the water heater. Turning down the water heater to 12o degree F can save up to $11/ month
11. Appoint an Energy Staff member- who is charge of checking plugs, electrical usage and help get the team office into the ‘Green and Save’ Mode.

I went to The  Fill out our Free Energy Efficiency Checkup just to check out what my savings could be. It is a very quick survey (about 10 minutes for home and office). In all fairness, I did an energy survey back in 2007 and brought my electric bill down from $50 a month to an average of $15.00 per month. ($9 was my lowest and $28 was my highest) They do work and after taking this test I could do more.

Here are my results:

• Windows/ Insulation- I could save 49.4-59.9 % if I insulated and fixed my windows.
• Gas and Electricity Usage- I have never turned on the heat, I don’t use the dryer (line dry everything) but my water heater is not insulated. But my potential savings are 59.4- 73.4% if I had an energy star washing machine, and insulated my water heater.
• Water Bill- I live in a condo and don’t get a water bill, but I have reduced putting in an instant hot water heater, 3 minute showers and saving shower water for plants and I have all native and drought resistant plants. (We are on water rationing in California.)

It take a few minutes to take the test and could be worth green!

To purchase the book Go Green Save Green visit Amazon here: Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God’s Green Earth

Green And Save on Printing

• 5% of the worldwide wood harvest ends up as paper
• The United States threw out 20% of all the paper made in the world
• One fifth of all the tropical rainforests in the world disappeared between 1960 and 1990
• Europe and America have less than one-half of their original forest cover
• Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, New York is the highest mountain on the east coast, south of Maine
• It takes about 31 million BTU’s to make a ton of paper enough energy to power a U.S. home for 2 months
• According to IdealBite if 10,000 printed most documents in Draft Mode, we’ll use 20,000 fewer ink cartridges per year.
• In a PC World test, a typical inkjet printed 12 ppm (pages per minute) in regular mode but cranked out 36 ppm in Draft.

The Green Factor

• Less waste. Each year, the world’s discarded cartridges, stacked end-to-end, could circle the planet three times.
• Save Money Printing double-sided, you’ll buy half as much paper,
• Print in Draft Mode- 100 pages in Draft Mode instead of regular mode, you’ll could save as much as $2 on ink.

What To Do

• Set your printer (or print software) to Draft and Double-sided. (see how to print double sided)
• Print only the pages you need- use preview and shrink to fit
• Refill your own printer cartridges

• InkSaver - software that lets you control the amount of ink your printer uses, helping you save up to 75% of your ink. Windows-only ($35).
• GreenPrint – software that weeds out pages you don’t want to print. For Mac or Windows (free for Windows, $29 for Mac). Saving up to $100 per year
• Ecofont - a free typeface for Mac or PC that’s designed to use as little ink as possible but is still totally readable.

Eco-nomeyez-Saving Energy

Source: Office Equipment Energy Saving Calculator, LBL

The good news about ‘going green’ in your eyecare office (whether or not you believe in global warming) is you can save money!  Who doesn’t want to save money! The best thing of course that you can do is turn off lights and any other electrical devices and buy EnergyStar Office Equipment.

If you are concerned about saving money (energy) consider using a device called P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor ($35) which monitors the amount of energy you are using which in turn helps you identify ways of saving energy and thus money.

Green and Save-Water Savings and Rationing

We start water rationing here in San Diego July 1, 2009. As you can see by the above drought monitor, San Diego is not the only city/county that has a water problem. As much as we hate to water ration, the benefit to you, the optical professional, you can save money as well as the environment at the same time. Where to start? Cool California has a step by step program in which a business can instigate a water saving program.

Improve Water Conservation Awareness

• Make Sure You Can Answer the Following:
  • How much water is your business using now and for what purpose?
  • How much does your business pay for water?
  • Do you know how to read your water meter?
  • Are all employees aware of the goal to conserve water?
  • Is there a contact person for water use questions?
  • How will employees know when they have been successful in conserving water?
• Initiate an Employee Water Conservation Program
  Provide water efficiency information to employees so they can incorporate water efficient retrofits and landscaping into business practices and homes and schools. For a sample program, see this checklist by the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.
• Promote Employee Participation
  • Provide background information about the water conservation policy and its implications for business and person operations.
  • Initiate your awareness program with a letter directed to each employee from the head of your business. The letter should describe the established conservation policies, identify the water efficiency coordinator, express full support for your business’s conservation plan, and invite feedback.
  • Continually emphasize the need for individual responsibility as part of a team effort to reduce water consumption.
  • Establish a ‘water-saving idea’ box or listserv and encourage all employees to submit ideas. Respond to each suggestion offered.
• Spread the Word about Water Conservation Awareness
  • Incorporate water conservation policy and procedures into training programs.
  • Use office communications (staff meetings, e-mail, newsletters, paycheck stuffers) to transmit ideas, policies, progress reports and achievement announcements.
  • Include financial savings resulting from water conservation programs in progress and achievement announcements.
  • Post water conservation stickers, signs and posters in bathrooms, kitchens, cafeterias, conference rooms and other places where employees congregate.
• Establish Employee Incentives
  • Recognize and reward those employees who submit water-saving ideas.
  • Include water consumption measures in employee’s job performance reviews.
  • Consider motivating employees by rewarding them with a percentage of the first year’s direct savings.
  • Allocate water and sewer costs to each individual department to create responsibility for water efficiency.
  • Organize and promote water conservation competition between divisions or teams.

Challenge Employees to Use 20 Gallons Less Water per Day

• The 20-Gallon Challenge is a regional campaign in California to increase voluntary water conservation by 20 gallons per person each day. Click here for water reduction tips for residents; click here for water reduction tips for businesses.

Eliminate Unnecessary Water Use Inside

Is water being used in places where it is not really needed? What tasks could be easily accomplished with less water?

• Designate a water efficiency coordinator
• Educate employees on water conservation measures like turning off water while washing hands and dishes.
• Post signs to encourage water conservation in restrooms or work areas where water is used.
• Seek employee suggestions of water conservation ideas.

Simple, Low-Cost Investments to Save Water

Detect and Repair Leaks

One way to detect leaks is to shut down all water-using facilities for some time period and read the water meter before and after. Did the reading change at all? Are there dripping faucets, toilet tanks that don’t seal, or leaking hoses? Toilet tanks can be checked with a few drops of food coloring. After 15 minutes without flushing, does any color show up in the bowl? Given that a leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, repair running or leaking toilets as soon as possible.

Install Water Efficient Devices

Install the following devices at your business where appropriate – faucet aerators, low flow showerheads, on-off valves on showerheads or hoses, toilet tank displacement devices, low-flow or vacuum flush toilets, and/or water-efficient chillers. As appliances wear out, replace them with water-saving models.

Eliminate Unnecessary Water Use Outside

Does water from sprinkler systems reach the plants that need it or does much of it evaporate in the air or run off? Evaporation is especially high for sprinklers that make small droplets, spray them high into the air, and operate during the hottest part of the day. Are some plants getting more water than they need? Could drought-resistant landscaping provide an equally attractive look?

• Avoid runoff. Set sprinklers to cover only lawn or garden, not sidewalks, driveways, or gutters.
• Mulch around plants and trees to retain moisture and prevent weeds.
• Minimize lawns. Lawns use more water than any other landscape plants.
• Plant native plants adapted to local climate and rainfall.
• Use drip and other low-flow irrigation devices.
• Employ electronic controllers with precise individual timing, multiple irrigation zones, multiple cycles, and attach smart landscaping irrigation equipment such as rain shut-off devices, moisture sensors, and weather based irrigation controllers.
• Use Xeriscape landscaping. Xeriscape landscaping combines planning and design, soil analysis, selection of suitable plants, practical turf areas, efficient irrigation, use of mulches, and appropriate maintenance in landscaping. Contact your local nursery to obtain more information about xeriscape (“zeer-i-skape”) landscaping.

Longer Term Investments to Save Water

Reuse Water

Water reuse and recycling require following local regulations and are most relevant to businesses using large amounts of water for irrigation or to industries that generate large quantities of wastewater. More intensive reuse systems involve collection of graywater. Graywater recycling includes capturing wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, washing machines, and laundry tubs; it does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers. Consider determining alternative management options for blackwater (sewage) that allow the water to eventually be reclaimed.

• Reuse wastewater or reclaimed water for other industrial uses, landscape irrigation, agricultural irrigation, aesthetic uses such as fountains, and fire protection, and other non potable uses.
• Recycle water for the same application for which it was originally used.
• Collect rainwater or irrigation runoff for reuse, called water harvesting.
• Use the same water to perform several cooling procedures.

Plan to Save Water

Conduct a Water Audit

A complete understanding of your business’s water use is needed to identify potential water efficiency opportunities. A water audit is the process that identifies the quantities, characteristics, and uses of all water on the site. Call your local water utility to determine whether or not they provide water audit services. For information about conducting a water audit, see:

• National Resources Defense Council describes the water audit process and provides a link to free water audit software.
• Water Center.Org provides an overview of the water audit process.
• Department of Water Resources provides information about Water Use Efficiency for Commercial Topics and Water Efficiency Guide for Business Managers and Facility Engineers.
• East Bay Municipal Utility District offers a wide range of services and information. for commercial businesses.
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• Santa Clara Valley Water District offers a free indoor water use survey program for commercial, industrial and institutional customers
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission offers a free water wise business evaluation.
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services published a fact sheet about Performing a Business or Industry Water Use and Conservation Audit.

Other Resources

• Saving Water Week- Turn Off The Tap
• Saving Water- Fixing Leaks
• Saving Water- H20 Calculator
• 50 Ways to Save Water
• Saving Water- Rebates
• Green and Save Water Rebates

Green and Save-Updated Paper Calculator

Updated Paper Calculator Helps Businesses Better Understand – and Minimize – their Environmental Footprints

New Data Ensures Greater Accuracy of Impacts throughout Paper Lifecycle

(Washington, DC – May 14, 2009)  Today’s re-launch of the Paper Calculator includes the most up-to-date scientific information about the environmental impacts of paper production and disposal.  Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced a comprehensive update to the underlying data of this interactive tool that remains popular with thousands of companies across the country.

The Paper Calculator, available at PaperCalculator.org, helps businesses and individuals quantify the benefits of better paper choices by showing the full lifecycle impacts of different papers.  The latest version of the Paper Calculator features a number of improvements to enhance its accuracy and fully reflect the lifecycle of paper products.  These updates include the impacts of fillers and coatings, methane release from decomposing paper in landfills, electricity cogeneration and national recycling rates.

“Time and again, businesses have praised the Paper Calculator for helping them quantify the environmental benefits of smart paper choices,” said Gwen Ruta, vice president of corporate partnerships at EDF.   “By regularly updating the underlying data of this tool, thousands of users can be assured that they are making the best purchasing decisions for the environment – and their businesses.”

Since its debut in 2005, the Paper Calculator has proven to be a robust tool for a wide range of users, from corporate purchasers to NGOs to paper suppliers and merchants, with nearly 27,000 uses in the past year.  By showing the environmental impacts of different papers across their full lifecycle, the Paper Calculator is the most comprehensive tool available to help companies quantify the many benefits of better paper choices.

For more on how paper selection impacts businesses and the environment, as well as valuable content, practical yet impactful tools and a dynamic online community to help you improve both your company and the planet, visit the EDF Innovation Exchange.

Rachel Beckhardt, Paper Calculator Project Manager at EDF, and Greg Schivley, Environmental Engineer with Eastern Research Group, will be hosting a webinar at 11:00 am (EDT) with an inside look at what changes have been to the Paper Calculator and to answer questions.   

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Contact:
Julie Stofer, jstofer@edf.org, 202-572-3369
 
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Environmental Defense Fund has a 20 year track record of success in partnering with business. To maintain its independence and credibility, EDF accepts no money from corporate partners; generous individuals and foundations fund its work. For more information, visit www.edf.org.