Efficient Electricity Use for Hawaiian Businesses - NELHA | Friends of NELHA | Energy Technologies | Big Island Tours

Efficient Electricity Use for Hawaiian Businesses

Written by Susan Garrod, HELCO Energy Services, susan.garrod@helcohi.com

Sunday, 31 January 2010 12:50

Business investments in energy-consuming equipment are critical components of revenue-generating operations, and therefore should be selected to perform at a competitive level of energy efficiency. Here are some suggestions for equipment, how to monitor energy use and its cost, and available rebates.

UVC - Sterilization via UV Light -- UV lights of the appropriate wavelength have been used worldwide for sterilization and disinfecting without chemicals, heat, or ozone. This technology earns praise for its effectiveness and for reducing costs for maintenance and cleaning. It is also an efficient means of cleaning heat exchange coils on refrigeration and HVAC systems, ensuring that those systems operate at their optimum efficiency. Application areas for the germicidal UVC band (100-280 nanometer wavelength range) include: HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) ducts & filters, health care and medical facilities, hospitality, food service, food processing, water sterilization, anti-terrorism and bio-defense, public and commercial buildings.

Please contact me if you have an interest in this technology, or if you are already using it. There are several manufacturers of these systems. The links below represent a starting point to obtain more information from manufacturers of these systems, and to read case studies of the applications.

http://www.vigilairsystems.com/index.html

http://www.steril-aire.com/commercial-building-iaq/

http://www.americanairandwater.com/uv-facts/uv-facts.htm

http://www.auvhvac.com/whyUvc/faq.php

POWERTRAX - Direct access to electric meter 15-minute interval data -- Many of our large commercial customers have a meter and a dedicated telephone line that collects and stores data on their electrical usage at 15-minute intervals. The data provides details on the peak demand and energy usage trend throughout the year. This is very valuable information for managing demand and energy usage, documenting the impact of energy-efficient investments, and determining the impact of any new equipment or changes in operations.

If you have such a meter with a phone line connection to Powertrax (also known as MV90), you can now access your data directly to analyze and review it at any time. Please contact me if you have an interest in getting direct access to your data.

ENERGY SAVINGS - for Offices and Commercial Kitchens -- Click the links below to download some great books and posters with energy-saving recommendations. These recommendations are applicable to businesses of all sizes, especially in their office and commercial kitchen operations.

Power to Save for Small Businesses

http://www.heco.com/vcmcontent/StaticFiles/pdf/PowertoSavevf.pdf

Ways to Save at Work

http://www.heco.com/vcmcontent/StaticFiles/pdf/WaystoSaveAtWorkvf.pdf

Energy Conservation Kit for Small Businesses - pdf links for books, posters

http://snipurl.com/u8mrz

HELCO ELECTRICITY RATES -- You may have questions about your rate schedules, and the different options available. HELCO Rates are listed on the HECO web site www.heco.com, under "Business Services” and “Electric Rates” – or directly via the following link: http://snipurl.com/u8mt2

The Effective Rate Summary for HECO, HELCO, and MECO is updated monthly, to provide information on the rates on all islands. This link takes you to a page on the HECO web site where you can download the most recent PDF document of the effective rates. (One document covers all the islands.) http://snipurl.com/u8mtl

PUC PUBLIC HEARINGS - HELCO RATE CASE -- The Hawaii Public Utility Commission has set the following public hearing dates. For more information on the rate case, refer to www.puc.hawaii.gov , Docket 2009-0164.

February 22, 2010, 6:00 p.m. - KealakeheIntermediateSchool Cafeteria

74-5062 Onipa'a Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

February 25, 2010, 6:00 p.m. - HiloIntermediateSchool Cafeteria

587 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii

ENERGY COST ADJUSTMENT FACTOR (ECAF) - FEBRUARY 2010 -- The ECAF is a variable cost that is added to your Customer, Demand, and Energy charges each month. The February ECAF is 12.317 cents/kWh, which is an increase of 0.832 cents/kWh from last month.

The links below will help you track the historical trends and forecasts for crude oil for your budgeting purposes. Please note that the prices described in these links are forecast trends, but they are not directly tied to HELCO’s ECAF.

U.S. Energy Prices - Historical and Short Term Outlook

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/gifs/Fig1.gif

Short-Term Energy Outlook

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html#US_Petroleum_Markets

Crude Oil Futures - NYMEX

http://futures.tradingcharts.com/marketquotes/index.php3?market=CL

HAWAII ENERGY REBATES by SAIC (Science Applications International Co) -- Contact Hawaii Energy regarding eligibility and processing of rebate applications. More information is available at http://www.HawaiiEnergy.com,
1-877-231-8222, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please contact me if you have any questions about your electricity usage and cost. I look forward to hearing from you.

Susan Garrod

Commercial Account Manager - Energy Services

Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc.

Tel: (808) 327-0546 (808) 329-0792

Cell: (808) 896-8171

Fax: (808) 327-0549

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it