Energy Efficiency Resolutions for 2021 | Teems Electric

The turn of a calendar page naturally makes people think about new beginnings and new directions for their lives. If charting a new course for 2021 for you means thinking about ways you can be more energy-efficient, we have some great tips that can help you along the way.

Whether your goal is about reducing utility bills or lessening your impact on the earth, whether you’re targeting a reduction at home or in a commercial setting, we support your effort. We would also love to help you achieve your goal, with projects large or small.

Improve lighting efficiency. Lighting can be a major driver of the spin of the electric meter, particularly in commercial settings where lights are on throughout the building for most or all of the 24 hours of the day. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that lighting accounts for 8% of total electricity usage across the country, with lights responsible for 5% of use in residences and 10% in commercial settings. That data makes it obvious there’s potential for savings in cutting the energy used by lighting. For commercial settings, you can also schedule a lighting audit with Teems that can identify opportunities for you to cut lighting energy use in half.

Use a programmable or responsive thermostat. There’s no reason to maintain the same temperatures when there are people in your house or facility and when there aren’t. While allowing a significant fluctuation in temperatures between those periods can actually be counterproductive, allowing for a narrow variation can cut energy use.

Opt for efficient fixtures and bulbs. Back to lighting, installing efficient fixtures and using low-energy bulbs that provide the same lumens without compromising lighting quality. While replacing everything at once is unlikely to actually lead to short-term savings that pay for the cost, trading out old fixtures that no longer work or replacing them as part of a larger project can be a great way to save some money.

Choose efficient equipment. In many commercial operations, there are certain types of equipment that run most or all of the day. Trading those out for more-efficient models, for instance by finding ENERGY STAR models of commercial foodservice equipment, can lead to significant savings.

Teems Electric has six decades of experience helping improve efficiency in both commercial and residential settings. If you’re working toward that goal in 2021, we’re ready to help.