February - March 2008
heco
By Keith Block,
Hawaiian Electric Company
Today,
being green is a nationwide trend in energy efficiency and, fortunately,
much easier to do than it was a decade ago.
By “easier,” that means there are more technologies available, more incentives to implement technologies, and more commitment at the highest level of businesses to design, construct and manage sustainable spaces for the health of the planet.
At Hawaiian Electric, our Energy$olutions for Business was developed to support the needs of our commercial customers who are ready to “be green.” As a business partner, we’re here to help develop and implement solutions that can reduce energy consumption and operating expenses while increasing building performance and improving our customer’s bottom line. Here’s how:
First off, if you own or manage a large facility and haven’t taken advantage of our Energy$olutions for Business rebate programs, you should consider it. Hawaiian Electric offers direct cash rebates to businesses which install or upgrade to qualified energy-efficient technologies, from lighting and air-conditioning to motors and building design. We can even help fund energy studies to identify your options and determine the solutions that work for your individual facility.
Over the past decade, Energy$olutions for business has paid out over $23 million in rebates to savvy customers.
Our EnergyScoutTM for Business is a commercial load control program that pays cash incentives to participating customers for allowing Hawaiian Electric to curtail loads during island-wide power emergencies. In 2007, the program was expanded to offer three distinctively different program elements for more flexibility and options for our customers, including a new voluntary load control program and a program tailored for the small business customer.
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Already, EnergyScoutTM for Business has signed up a number of our commercial customers including Iolani Court Plaza, Honolulu Academy of Arts and, recently, Pacific Guardian Center. These facilities contribute to more than 14 MW of dispatchable load, and they receive a monthly incentive regardless if there is a load control event.
For facilities that are interested in lowering their energy use through efficiency and operational changes, a handbook on energy efficiency produced by Hawaiian Electric Company in partnership with the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) is due out in February 2008, just in time for BOMA’s annual meeting.
The BOMA “BEEP” (BOMA Energy Efficiency Program) handbook outlines the steps to getting started on the path to energy efficiency and provides the technical tools and resources to achieving optimal operational benefits. Readers also will find a comprehensive overview on the status of renewable energy use in the State, and get insight into funding energy projects. If you’re a BOMA member, be sure to get your free copy at the annual meeting. For more information, call BOMA at 847-0143 or email boma@hawaii.rr.com.
Last but not least, mark your calendar on September 18, 2008 for the 8th Biennial Efficient Electro-Technology Expo and Conference at the Hawaii Convention Center. The seminars and exhibits at this conference should provide useful information that can help you on the journey to a “greener” future.
Keith Block is director of the customer efficiency programs division at Hawaiian Electric Company. For more information on Energy$olutions for Business or EnergyScoutTM for Business, visit heco.com and click on “Business Services” or call 543-4790.
