Estimate the energy cost for commercial equipment
This tool can help you plan for energy costs for commercial equipment such as lighting, food service equipment and general office equipment. It will provide an estimated average annual cost comparison between the General Service Price Plan (E-36) and the SRP Time-of-Use™ (TOU) Price Plan (E-32). Use this information to help determine the price plan that is best for your business.
Please note: The TOU plan provides a range of costs dependent upon the time of day the equipment is used. You will see significant savings during off-peak hours versus on-peak hours.
Select the equipment category, the equipment type, the operating hours and how many pieces of equipment you have operating to get an estimated operating cost.
Note: Figures represent estimated impact to annual bill based on annual average prices effective May 1, 2010 for E-36 (customers above 5 kW) and E-32. Minimum and maximum E-32 prices based on ability to shift energy usage. Figures based on equipment used during a Monday through Friday workweek.
Commercial office equipment tips
Office equipment is the fastest-growing energy user in commercial buildings. The energy used per worker by computers, printers and photocopiers is sometimes more than that used by lights. Implement these ideas in your business, and you could see significant savings:
- Turn off machines rather than letting them idle. To conserve energy and reduce internal heat gain, turn off office equipment during non-business hours. During work hours, request that employees shut off nonessential equipment, such as computers, coffee makers and, if feasible, 50% of printers.
- Use a smart power strip. A smart power strip can sense when monitors, printers and other equipment are in use and turn them off automatically when they are inactive for extended periods.
- Select smaller machines. If there is a choice of a small or a large machine to leave running - for example, a photocopier - select the smaller one.
- When purchasing new office equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. The ENERGY STAR office equipment program promotes energy-efficient computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, copiers and multifunction devices that automatically power down during extended inactivity. An energy savings of 50% or more is possible.
- Find more energy-saving tips for business online.